Wagyu beef—you know, the transcendently tender, fatty, umami-rich steak—has become as synonymous with luxury as caviar or black truffles. But no matter how many Michelin-starred menus this delicacy graces, all of the facts near Wagyu steak still tend to elude even the most seasoned diners.

"It's an extremely fascinating but confusing world," says Joe Heitzeberg, the co-founder and CEO of Crowd Cow. Heitzeberg, who admits it wasn't until he'd spent ample time meeting with Japanese slaughterhouse owners and farmers (his minor in Japanese at the University of Washington helped) that he felt like he truly understood Wagyu.

"There's a lot of data out at that place that's not accurate, by and large unintentionally, and perhaps some intentionally," he says. Because of the prestige associated with Wagyu and the premium toll it fetches (a pound can easily run in the triple-digits), some people throw around "Wagyu" and related terms equally a marketing gimmick, fifty-fifty if what the purveyor is selling isn't that luxury version. So what is Wagyu beef—and why does it taste and feel dissimilar any other steak you've e'er had? We've gathered some of the foremost experts in eating house industry to explain.

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Related: Buy the Holy Grail Steak's ultimate Wagyu feel to savour at home

What is Wagyu beef?

Merely put, W agyu means Japanese cow, But the straightforward definition belies a subject riddled with misinformation.

For starters, it'southward pronounced wah-gyoo, not wah-goo, a mispronunciation that'south common even amid American Wagyu farms (and that admittedly tripped up even this intrepid reporter), says Heitzeberg.

And Wagyu isn't an umbrella term for just any Japanese cow. The luxury version of Wagyu we all desire on our plates refers to a specific breed of Japanese cattle with special genetic qualities. "There are four breeds native to Japan. Of those four breeds, one of the breeds is genetically unique," Heitzeberg says. "It has a genetic predisposition to create this crazy marbling of fat on inside of musculus tissue. No other livestock does that." Think of your average slice of steak. Chances are, it'll have a fat cap on its outside. With Wagyu, the moo-cow metabolizes the fat internally, and so it'south integrated within the muscle.

"When I swallow too much food it goes to my belly, but when they eat a lot of nutrient and they go fat, that i brood gets it on the within of the muscle," Heitzeberg explains. This means any other breed, even raised past an honour-winning Wagyu cattle farmer in the exact same weather equally Wagyu, would not produce Wagyu beef.

The result is a rich, luscious cut of beef that practically dissolves once it hits your tongue. "When you take very high-cease Wagyu, yous barely want to cook it. The middle you want to keep equally raw as possible. But even if information technology were cooked medium or medium-well, it would withal be juicy," says Giuseppe Tentori, executive chef of GT Prime in Chicago. "Simply slice information technology super sparse and so it melts in your mouth.

What's the difference between Japanese and American Wagyu?

japanese and american wagyu beef

American (top three) and Japanese (bottom two) wagyu have different marbling patterns. Photo: courtesy Cut by Wolfgang Puck

In add-on to the looser rating system and divergent cattle-farming techniques, the biggest difference between American Wagyu and Japanese Wagyu is that Japanese Wagyu is purebred, where American Wagyu is crossbred. "[American Wagyu] is withal going to exist crazy marbled with intense flavor, but it's about likely Wagyu bred with angus," Henderson says.

"Almost all of that stuff is angus beef crossbred with Wagyu in an uncontrolled, unregulated, unspecified per centum of Deoxyribonucleic acid," Heitzeberg says. "I've eaten my bodyweight several times over in Japanese Wagyu and American Wagyu, and I haven't tasted anything that'due south angus mixed with Wagyu at any percentage that tastes like Japanese Wagyu does at 100 percent."

Considering of this, American Wagyu doesn't have the sweet umami season that Japanese Wagyu does, and it never quite reaches that aforementioned cook-in-your-mouth level of marbling. Though Heitzeberg is quick to stipulate that this doesn't mean that American Wagyu isn't delicious.

"The American stuff is wonderful. Y'all tin eat more than of it," he says. "With the Japanese stuff, because it's so fatty and rich, most people can't eat more a few bites of it before information technology's so overwhelming. Then if you lot're in the mood for a steak dinner, and you desire a giant steak, you can't really practise that with Japanese Wagyu."

American Wagyu packs the familiar beefy flavor of an angus steak. "The Japanese stuff is most like a lite beer experience. You just don't have as much of that bulky gustatory modality, and and so you have that umami flavor that's hard to draw. It's well-nigh like a sweet," Heitzeberg says.

If you have the opportunity, order i of each. "Attempt different types of Wagyu from different countries and compare ane to the other," Tentori says. "Yous'll larn something new, and you will capeesh it for more than just being then expensive."

Where to Purchase Wagyu Online

Holy Grail Steak Co. A5 Kobe Beef

Teddy Wolff

You used to but be able to get the finest Wagyu in the earth if you were at a high-end steakhouse or dining at a Michelin-starred eating house. Or, of course, if you went to Japan. But over the years some outstanding importers accept made inroads in Japan, working direct with ranchers to bring outstanding A5 to America. Additionally, United states farmers have proliferated raising their own hybrid cattle. Hither are five of our favorite purveyors.

Holy Grail Steak Co.

At Robb Report we scour the globe in search of the finest products and experiences, from watches to cars to restaurants. In Holy Grail Steak Co., we found a company similarly obsessed with sourcing the globe'southward best beef. When it comes to steak, that means Wagyu. Yet not all Wagyu is created equal: Robb Report and Holy Grail take partnered to curate a collection of beefiness that highlights the ultra-rich A5 from Japan and the beautifully marbled American cuts, and then you tin enjoy the ultimate Wagyu feel at home. The package includes A5 Wagyu strips from iii distinct regions of Japan: Kobe, Miyazaki and Hokkaido. And then its packaged with some of the finest American Wagyu as well.

Purchase Now: $949

Crowd Cow

This company was originally founded on the idea of crowdsourcing beef, where a group of buyers on the internet could bring together together to procure a premium head of cattle and a great price, then call dibs on the part they wanted until it was gone. Crowd Cow has branched out a little more than that these days, become ane of the top importers of A5 in America, selling a broad variety of cuts and different breeds from effectually Japan.

Buy At present: $45

Meat N' Bone

While a lot of purveyors, working with limited supplies, will be able to become y'all sparse cuts of A5, Meat North' Bone comes through with big, prime rib roast-sized cuts of the finest Japanese beefiness (all the way up to 11 lbs!) so yous can be your own butcher, breaking down the meat exactly to your own specifications.

Buy Now: $365

D'Artagnan

For years some of the best chefs in the game turned to D'Artagnan as a premier purveyor of gourmet ingredients from foie gras to wild game to humanely raised meats. The likes of Eric Ripert, Barbara Lynch, Daniel Boulud and more have been counted as customers and during the pandemic, the company started selling even more of its products to united states mere kitchen mortals. Among the premium ingredients on offer is A5 Wagyu imported directly from Japan.

Buy Now: $160+

Mishima Reserve

From Beecher'due south Handmade Cheese—the aforementioned outfit that brought us one of our favorite fromages made in the Us—comes a company devoted to outstanding crossbred American Wagyu that boasts Kuroge Washu cattle bloodlines. Not quite as decadent equally A5, Mishima's steaks are less marbled and thus better for grilling than the ultra-fatty Japanese import. Mishima offers a broad variety of cuts besides as ground Wagyu for some decadent burgers.

Buy At present: $12.fifty+

History of Wagyu in Japan

D'Artagnan

Photo: courtesy D'Artagnan

Cattle have been in Japan for millennia, but the Wagyu we've come up to know started taking shape in during the Meiji Restoration starting time in 1868, when the government introduced Western influences to the nation. Part of that influence involved beefiness. Cattle from England, Continental Europe and Korea were imported to Japan and bred with the native stock. Eventually three major strains of black Wagyu emerged: Tajima, Fujiyoshi and Kedaka. These make up xc percent of Nihon's herd, while the residue are red strains of Kochi and Kumamoto. Eventually, Japan realized how prized of a brood of cattle information technology had created and eventually banned the export of any members of the herd, thus ensuring the very best stayed home.

History of Wagyu in the The states

In 1976, Morris Whitney brought over iv Wagyu bulls from Nippon (named Mazda, Mt. Fuji, Rueshaw and Judo) and the American Wagyu was built-in. Well, more accurately it was born later on the bulls were crossbred with American Angus cattle.

Eventually, four Blackness Wagyu females were brought to the states in 1993 to allow the breeding of full-blooded Wagyu Stateside. A few hundred more followed them in the years subsequently until in 1997, the Japanese government decreed that the Wagyu breed of cattle was a national treasure and banned the export of the breed. And so American ranchers had to breed and raise with the genetic lines already introduced to America. That has led to a full herd of Wagyu in the US that's effectually 40,000 full with nearly five,000 of them beingness full-blood Wagyu.

Australian Wagyu's ascent

Outside of Nippon, the largest population of Wagyu cattle isn't in America, information technology'south in Australia. Yet, like American Wagyu, what comes from Australia is crossbred beef. Down Nether, you're non getting that ultra-fat A5 experience that pure Japanese beefiness volition give you. It's still probable to have better marbling than cattle that isn't crossbred with Wagyu though. Likewise in America, the Wagyu is crossbred with angus, whereas in Australia, they generally use Holsteins, which produce a more tender meat that has less of a beefy flavor than its Stateside counterparts.

And in New Zealand, 1 ranch raises crossbred Wagyu cattle in a way that'southward quite different from the Japanese. First Light's cattle are grass-fed, non grain finished. Normally grass-fed beef is much leaner; however, the intense marbling of this Wagyu withal provides enough fat that you get the best of both worlds with bulky grass-fed flavour and a grain-finished level of marbling.

How are Wagyu cows raised and why do their weather affair?

japanese cow wagyu

Japanese cows live a low-stress life. Photograph: courtesy Shutterstock

In that location's a misconception that Wagyu is produced in the aforementioned way that foie gras is: The cows' move is limited and they're force-fed in order to create fatty, tender meat. This couldn't be further from the truth, according to Heitzeberg. "The number one principle is managing the stress of the animal to zero. Farmers want to make sure these animals from nativity to harvest are in a stress-free surroundings," Heitzeberg says. "Stress creates cortisol which will deteriorate the quality of beef."

Japanese cattle-breeders go to bully lengths to give their cows a zen-like existence. They control the noise level so animals don't scare. Farmers constantly replenish water, so there'due south a steady supply of fresh, clean H2O to drink. Cows who don't go along are separated (because what's more stressful than grazing next to your nemesis?). And different some American farms where cows are left to roam free in open up pastures, Wagyu cattle are kept on open up-air farms where they can be carefully monitored.

"[Crowd Moo-cow] works with farms that will cheque animals every four hours. In America, if y'all're in Montana with a thousand-plus acres, you may non run across your animals for seven days," he says. "They're out there foraging on the natural Montana grasses, but you don't know what else they're doing." In other words, a cow left to roam, could likewise exist prone to stressful, cortisol-raising experiences.

Wagyu vs. Kobe Beef

You may have heard "kobe" used interchangeably with "Wagyu," or used to tout an expensive cut of meat. So what is kobe beef? Kobe is essentially just a brand of Wagyu beef, in the same way that Nike is a make of shoe.

In order for something to be labeled equally Kobe beef, start of all, it has to originate in Kobe, Japan. And so, all parties who accept a manus in getting this sought-afterward meat to your table—from the farm to the slaughterhouse to the heir-apparent to the eating house—has to be licensed past the Kobe Beef Association. "Anybody is paying to be part of the thing called kobe beef," Heitzeberg says. "But the terminal matter is they take to exist rated A4 or A5—so everything else could be true, but if information technology's an A3, you lot can't call it Kobe," Heitzeberg says.

And if you run across the words "American kobe" on a menu, take it as a large red flag—American kobe doesn't exist. "Kobe is from Kobe, Japan, just like Champagne is from Champagne," Henderson says. "To be true kobe beef, it has to be from Kobe. [Restaurants] cold be role of an association where they're able to sell kobe beef, merely kobe beef is non able to be produced hither."

What does the Wagyu rating system mean?

wagyu

A couple serious slabs of Wagyu beef. Photo: courtesy Paige Green Photo

When you meet Wagyu on a menu, chances are it'll be alongside an A4 or A5 rating, with A5 representing the well-nigh premium level of Wagyu. There are 2 components that go into that rating.

The beginning gene—the one that differentiates A'south from your B'southward— is yield. "If you lot were a farmer and had a cow … I would give yous a yield score, which tells me how much meat I'll exist able to get off the bones," Heitzeberg explains. An "A" represents the highest meat yield, while a scrawnier cow volition get a "B" rating. This part of the rating is actually more for the purveyor than for those of usa sidling up to a steak dinner. "What's important isn't that A or B, it'due south that 5 or four," Heitzeberg says.

To understand that 4 or five, you lot need to know nearly another rating system: the Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) rating. The BMS is a calibration of one to 12 and relates to both the amount and quality of the marbling. A rating of 12 means you're getting the highest caste of marbling.

To be rated A5, the meat must take a BMS of eight to 12. A4 is simply below that level, representing a BMS score of half-dozen through eight. "In the US system, we have the four grades, ranging from Select Option to Prime," Heitzeberg says. "A4 and A5 are picking upwardly where Prime leaves off and goes beyond."

"If you have A5 12 Wagyu, you accept the all-time of the best. It's not going to get better than that, ever," says Hilary Henderson, chef de cuisine at CUT past Wolfgang Puck in Beverly Hills, one of America's best steakhouses. All the same, this meridian-tier Wagyu is difficult to come by on this side of the Pacific, she says. "Nigh A5 12 volition exist sold nose-to-tail in Japanese markets. Unfortunately, nosotros can't get that hither in the states considering information technology won't pass USDA regulations on the bone."

Another thing to take into consideration is that in Nihon, the rating is an intensely studied skill. To become a rater requires three years of training, and each animate being is rated past iii split raters. "It's important to understand that this rating arrangement is a very Japanese matter. Information technology'due south highly skilled, highly regulated and highly practiced," Heitzeberg explains. In America, there aren't such stringent rules in place, so the rating may be employed equally a gimmick.

"A lot of people in America will say we're A4 or A5, or we have a BMS score of 7, and I look at that and say, there isn't a single person who has trained for iii years…. You just made that upward," Heitzeberg says.