Hi,
In France we hear a lot about Kobe beef, but after moving in Japan I got to hear about many other beef (Matsusaka gyu, Sendai gyu…)
What are your preferences ? Any underrated one ? Overrated ?
Currently I have tried only Matsusaka gyu and it was super good.
Also, for those who are close to japanese people / have a japanese partner, do they like wagyu ? My japanese partner prefers French beef, because it has less fat so partner can easily eat more.
13 comments
A3 Matsuzaka. Any grade higher is not great in my taste. There needs to be balance. Just like you don’t melt foie gras and just eat the yellow fat.
Kobe is a good 3rd/4th.
I love ōmi’s and sendai’s because the taste profile is different.
Yoshinoya gyu.
B series out of hokaido is the best beef in the country. Same stuff they use at ikinari steak. It’s great red meat, lower fat, decent marbling.
A5 is for people who want butter in the form of a steak when it touches their tongue.
Nagasaki is kind of famous for its beef.
>The National Competitive Exhibition of Wagyu (Zenkoku Wagyu Noryoku Kyoshinkai), known as the Wagyu Olympics, is an event held every five years where breeders of Wagyu from all over Japan to compete for recognition and fame. About 500 head of good quality Wagyu cattle are showcased at this event. At the 10th event held in 2012, Nagasaki Wagyu was recognized as the best quality breed for meat in various aspects such as the degree of marbling and won the Prime Minister’s Award (top prize) in the category of best beef cattle. At the 11th event in 2017, Nagasaki Wagyu won the special prize for its excellent form of marbling.
Personal favorite is Miyazaki wagyu closely followed by Bungo, which is a super local Oita beef that is quite difficult to find outside of a small part of Oita.
Had Shimane wagyu last week and it was very good as well. Missed out on trying Tottori wagyu which is supposed to be good as well. Tried Kagoshima but it’s not too tasty. Kumamoto is nice though. We often eat Saga wagyu because it’s very accessible, priced well and good quality(but not as good as the above listed).
My Japanese wife likes wagyu but we both agree that it’s very fatty so when we are at home we will get one pack(150g) of A5 and then a pack(150g) of whatever Australian or US beef the market has to round out the protein for our yakiniku.
I stick to NZ/Aussie beef, Japanese beef is horrendously fatty.
To piggyback off this thread, what is the nicest beef *that isn’t comically expensive*?
Heaps of different beef, it really depends what sort of dish you are cooking and personal tastes. Also, if you haven’t tried it before the Korean version of waygu is pretty awesome also. I had never tied it living in America because for some reason they don’t export Korean beef to America, but have tried it living in Hk and japan.
Once the novelty wears off it’s too oily for me. It’s basically a massive stick of butter.
To answer the second part of the OP’s post. I’ve noticed a tendency amongst Japanese people around 45 years old and under to prefer leaner cuts of meat and fish. A big part of this is probably financial as leaner cuts are generally cheaper per gram, and the younger generations aren’t experiencing the Bubble Era excesses that their parents may have. So most people aren’t likely to care too much about, say, Kobe vs. Ohmi vs. Miyazaki or whatever. I personally agree, I almost always order the most akami stuff on the menu.
If I am going to have beef in a stirfry dish, or a piece of steak, then I stick to US Choice or Prime. Generally it’s Angus beef they sell here in Japan. I buy the Choice at my local Summit supermarket, and Prime steak at Costco.
If I’m going to have Shabu Shabu, Nabe or sukiyaki then slices of A4 wagyu (but I don’t have a particular brand, they are all good)
Akaushi (kumamoto-ken).
It’s tender, juicy but more importantly, it’s meaty. You can brine in salt flakes it for extra juiciness.
I dislike marbled beef because it’s far too juicy, far too tender and it doesn’t feel (nor taste) like beef at all.
Any meat that requires sauce to be eaten is to be avoided. Good meat should be tasty and have a subtle but complex flavor. Adding sauce to beef just overpowers its natural flavors and ruins the point of buying expensive high quality meat in the first place.
Ishigaki wagyu! It was delicious! But, I’ve only had wagyu 4x I remember. All were delicious, though the Matsuzaka wagyu was sliced thin in shabu-shabu, which I thought was a waste. The other 2x I don’t remember what kind of wagyu it was.
Just figured I’d give Ishigaki (Okinawa pref) wagyu a shout out!