One of the most delicious ways to eat Kobe Beef is to try Japan’s Wagyu beef served as sashimi sushi.   This dish is prepared by thinly slicing the prime rib section of Kobe Beef lightly marinated in soy sauce and served with dashi sauce and green onions.

Japanese home cooked meal Recipe vol.04

If you do not like steak tartare you might prefer Kobe beef prepared in a different manner.  If you have tried German style tartare like tiger meat you will find out that there is nothing to compare to Kobe Beef with its tenderness and great flavor from the marbleized fat that give it the best beef sashimi experience possible.

Indulgence Kobe Combo – 2 Ribeye (12 oz), 2 NY Strip (12 oz), 2 Filets (6 oz), 4 Burgers (8 oz)

There are several different views of the source of Wagyu beef.  Primarily the wagyu beef were imported to do farm work.  Over several centuries the emperor had forbidden eating four legged animal meat and so the Wagyu cows were used for field work.  Some views hold that the Wagyu beef cows were imported from the Korean Penninsula.   Other views hold that the Wagyu were imported from Europe similar to the American cows and the resulting Wagyu are a mix of European breeds.

D’Artagnan Kobe-Style, American Wagyu Beef Prime Rib Roast Whole Roast, Boneless 15 lbs. Minimum Weight

It is likely that the truth is a combination of Korean cattle mixed with European cattle to arrive at what is known as Wagyu Beef.
However, the term Wagyu Beef is somewhat ambiguous.   The term comes from two Japanese words.   Wa is an old Chinese term for Japanese that the Japanese people found offensive and formed their own word nihon, however, wa is still used to refer to some Japanese objects like the cattle Gyu is short for the word for cattle.   So Wagyu means Japanese cow.   About a century ago law was made in Japan stopping all cross breeding so that there are only 5 types of Wagyu Cattle.   The most renowned in the black cow.

Bovinos: Avileña-Negra ibérica, Toro de lidia, Bos taurus, Hereford, Rubia gallega, Wagyu, Limousin, Betizu, Herens, Vaca retinta, Tudanca (Spanish Edition)

Kobe Beef and Wagyu Beef are often confused although the distinction is very easy.   Wagyu Beef is actually a breed of cows similar to Holstein or Angus.  This particular breed of beef is found primarily in Japan and other parts of Asia, although some have been exported to places like the United States and Australia.

A Wagyu cow

Kobe beef is a cut of beef that comes from a Wagyu Beef Cow that was raised in the Kobe region of Japan and followed the very detailed plan for butchering a very tender piece of beef that is thoroughly marbleized with fat that gives it a very unique flavor and taste.

Deliscious Kobe Beef Burger

D’Artagnan Kobe-Style, American Wagyu Beef Prime Rib Roast Whole Roast, Boneless 15 lbs. Minimum Weight

Kobe Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye Steaks – 2 x 14 oz. Steaks (Only $9.95 2nd Day Shipping!)

Grilled Kobe Beef Steak

Using petite filet steaks rub with a light mixture of your favorite spices and let stand in cooler or refrigerator for at least a half an hour. Preheat a grill and grill the Kobe Beef steaks at least four minutes per side until inside temperature is correct for your choice of doneness. This is my favorite method of enjoying Kobe Beef and its great flavor without adding a lot of outside flavor from sauces and condiments that easily overcome the excellence of the Kobe Beef. Serving this steak with some simple grilled vegetables is one of the best meals in the world.

Get Great Grilling Equipment for Grilling Your Kobe Beef Steak

Kobe Beef Filet with Mushroom Sauce Ingredients:
• 4 (1/2 pound) Kobe Beef filet mignon steaks
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 2 TBS virgin olive oil
• 3 TBS butter
• 2 TBS minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
• 1/2 cup thinly shiitake mushrooms sliced
• 3 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic chives

Sear the salted and peppered steaks in a skillet with olive oil and transfer to 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. During this time sauté the ginger and garlic lightly then add the fresh mushrooms and other ingredients. Remove the steak pour over the sauce and top with garlic chives. The flavor of the mushrooms and sauce is excellent pairing for this great beef but I think loses some of the clarity of the beef.

KOBE BEEF RECIPES

Radiation Impact on Kobe Beef from Japan

The tsunami in March 2011 has had a far reaching impact on the food sources in Japan. It is disturbing during the first twenty four hours to hear news reports on how the tsunami was going to impact the sushi and fish that is shipped from Japan to the US. However several weeks later there has started to be great concern about the impact of the radiation leak from Fukushima Daiichi Reactor. Radiation levels are thousands times higher than safe levels in the immediate area. Japan has evacuated everyone within nineteen miles but now radiation levels are high in the ocean water near the reactor and more than fifteen states one either coast of the US have started to report slightly elevated levels of radiation including radiation found in milk.

Kobe Beef High Risk for Radiation

Kobe Beef is at higher risk for radiation along with milk and other dairy items as well as certain fresh produce items. The reason for the risk especially with any product from cows is that the radiation is dispersed through rain and dust and falls on the grass, as the dairy cows or beef cows graze the radiation is picked up and spreads through their muscles and into the milk. Not all milk and not all beef will be impacted at the same level. The proximity of the farm to the Fukushima reactors will determine the level of exposure to radiation unless their are significant storms the disperse the radiation around the country.

Kobe Beef Price Hike

The impact of transportation interuption following the tsunami and the loss of production as well as the radiation will spike the price of Kobe Beef immediately. Kobe Beef by nature is high priced as anyone who has bought a kobe beef burger knows. However the price of Kobe Beef will sky rocket throughout the rest of 2011.

Kobe Beef Price

Kobe Beef Taste Testing

Kobe Beer Uniqueness

Kobe Beef is a rare form of beef from Japan.  Although America has made a name for corn fed beef and grass fed beef that have tremendous flavor, there is nothing compares to the incredible flavor and tenderness of Kobe Beef.  Kobe Beef are cows that are carefully chosen as calves and then raised almost in a nanny state of constant care and nurture.  These small calves are fed a precise diet that is designed to give them maximum health with ideal amount of fat which is where the best flavor is found in the highest quality cuts of beef.    The cows at an age when they are nearing the ideal weight for turning into beef are given massages to keep the muscle in an ideal condition.  They also have beer added to their diet and regularly consume this adult beverage to relax their system to prevent any kind of chemical or hormone build up in their system that would even slightly decrease the best flavor.   They use the most humane method possible to put the cows down so that even at the moment their life ends there is no sudden burst of adrenaline that would influence that great kobe beef flavor.   This awesome way of life sometimes makes me jealous and I wish that I could be reincarnated as a Kobe Beef cow.

Kobe Beef Value

Kobe Beef is priced at a level that is disproportionate to the cost of the same cut of beef at the supermarket or butcher.  You might expect to pay about ten to fifteen dollars for a really good burger at a restaurant or even twenty five dollars for an extraordinary hamburger, but to buy a Kobe Beef burger that might be about a quarter-pounder you can expect to pay more than one hundred dollars.   As you can imagine the amount of human labor and the cost of feed for raising Kobe Beef is so high that the cost to raise this beef is more than thirty times the cost of beef raised in the feed lots of America.