Wagyu Beef Is So Good

Japanese Wagyu beef is probably the most expensive beef that money can buy. What makes this exquisite meat so special is the intense marble (fat composition) which gives the beef a very tender, juicy and flavourful experience. I stopped by the Japanese supermarket at J-Town on 3160 Steeles Ave. E. It is on the north side of Steeles and in between Warden and Woodbine Ave. J-Town is a shopping complex where you can buy Japanese goods such as fresh fish, meats, produce, baked goods as well as Japanese videos, magazines, beauty products and sporting goods.

I strolled to the butcher section at J-Town in search of Japanese Wagyu beef. I scanned through the freezer and there it was. Sitting at the corner of the display case was what I had been looking for. When I saw the price, I was shocked. The Japanese variety sells for about $150 per pound! That works out to be about $9.40 an ounce. If we take, for example, the spot price of silver today at $16.50 USD an ounce, and silver is a precious metal. Then, in my mind, this Japanese Wagyu beef is valued at almost the same level as a semi-precious metal. I'm reluctant to try this Japanese variety, so instead, I opted for the Australian Wagyu. It sells for about half the price and Australia is the second biggest Wagyu beef exporter in the world, next to Japan.

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As you can see, this marble beef is richly marbled and only about 1/2" thick.

For this demonstration, I marinated the meat in extra virgin olive oil and some fresh ground black pepper for about 1 hour. I want to cook it medium rare, with the diamond sear marking on each side, just like in a steak commercial. Since the meat is only 1/2" thick, I will have to work fast to avoid overcooking the steak.

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I preheat the pan until it is really hot for the best result. I purposely place the meat diagonally on the grill pan surface. While the beef is cooking on the bottom, I lightly sprinkle some salt on top.

After about 30 seconds, I flip the beef and as you can see, it looks pretty good. This is my first attempt at cooking Wagyu beef and there's some pressure to do a good job.

DSCN6691Another 30 seconds, flip the beef again. This time, I'll let it cook for another 20 seconds on each side. Once that's done, we remove the beef and onto the plate. It's that quick. Of course, if the steak was thicker, I would let the meat cook a bit longer on each side.

I'm quite pleased with the way the steak has turned out. I can tell the meat is very tender because cutting it requires very little effort. My ordinary steak knife slides through the beef with ease. Now the final test.

The packaging did not specify which cut was this steak. I assume this is a strip loin. The steak is so tender that it takes very little chewing effort and just melts in your mouth. The flavour is very intense and has a lingering savouring after taste. Wash down the steak with a glass of your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon and you'll have one of the best steak experience in your own dining room.

At about $75 a pound retail, the Australian wagyu is about the same price range as a 16 ounce USDA Prime rib eye steak at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, after factoring in GST/PST and 15% tip. Certainly, not something that I would include in my weekly grocery shopping list but I wouldn't go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse every weekend either. For that special occasion and wanting to try something different, Wagyu beef is definitely worth considering, especially if you're a steak lover. Would I try the pinnacle of all steaks, the Japanese Wagyu beef? Probably, but unfortunately I have used up my budget for ultra premium steaks this month. When we set our next monthly expenditure budget, I'll have to check with our CFO (Chief Financial Officer) to see if we could set side some extra cash for the Japanese Wagyu. Fingers crossed.

Ray

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