Wagyu for home: seize your chance now!
Wagyu beef is something magical for most people. Something exclusive—and understandably so, with beef from Japanese cattle that, depending on the quality grade, can be quite pricey. Expensive on menus, so seize the opportunity this weekend and buy top-quality wagyu for home!
Wagyu means ‘Japanese cow’. The reason this meat from Japan is so expensive comes down to several factors. Such as: a superior black cattle breed with geographical protection, combined with superior individual nutrition (often rice straw, corn and soy) and optimal living conditions thanks in part to small-scale accommodation.
Fantastic fat marbling
The result is unique and fantastic ‘fat marbling’. This means that the fat isn’t around the meat, but actually runs through it. ‘Regular’ meat has a rim of fat and is smooth and evenly pinkish-red in the middle, or has coarse fat marbling. Wagyu has extremely fine fat marbling. The finer, the better. And that goes for the entire cow. And believe me: it’s insanely delicious!
Good news (for your health and wallet)
Thanks to that marbling, wagyu is incredibly tender and contains plenty of healthy, unsaturated fat. Because of that fat, the meat is very filling, meaning you need to eat up to one-third less of it than other meat. That makes such a steak three times cheaper in practice.
But it can be even cheaper. Because just like with other cattle, wagyu has popular and less popular cuts. Even though the entire cow is beautifully marbled. So lesser-known cuts such as the neck (chuck roll) are delicious too. They’re simply cut into smaller pieces because of their slightly tougher texture compared with the rib section. Those small pieces are called yaki niku, and the slightly larger ones niku tori. And they’re, in a way, affordable.
This way, you can enjoy wagyu from your own grill or BBQ for relatively little money. Sear it briefly on both sides until a light-brown crust forms, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and optionally serve with a soy or ponzu sauce.
Seize your chance!
Nice to Meat, the Dutch importer of 100 percent Japanese wagyu beef, is opening a special, two-day pop-up today and tomorrow. This is a unique opportunity to get your hands on that exclusive cut of meat, which normally appears on the menus of fine-dining restaurants. Alongside the exclusive steak and dry-aged selection, they also have some fantastic deals. Such as amazing hotdogs, tournedos and freshly minced meat. A grill expert and culinary advisor, Jeroen Kistemaker, will also be there. He has visited Japan several times and will be happy to tell you more about wagyu.
Starting today, the pop-up butcher shop is open from 12:00–17:00 in the demo kitchen and butcher shop at Kobaltstraat 2 in Almere, Nice to Meat’s office building by the A6. The same opening hours apply on Saturday, February 6.
Want to know more about wagyu?
We asked Mikel Pouw of Nice to Meat if he could briefly explain why wagyu is so addictive. You can watch it in the video below.
Read also:
- Wagyu katsu sando is the most expensive sandwich in the world
- Does wagyu really taste different from angus?
- Recipe: Japanese-style hotdog from top chef Robert Kranenborg
