The Magnolia Cattle Company describes cooking Wagyu perfectly:

"Wagyu is a fragile creature under heat. Treat it delicately and with the utmost care, and it will reward you with velvety perfection. A good analogy to cooking Wagyu is that of a baked Alaska—you need to sear the outside, but if you let it sit under the heat too long, it will melt the ice cream inside, and you will have an unappetizing mess. The physical structure of Wagyu beef is not unlike ice cream in that it can literally melt and change into something very different from its ideal form.  The intermuscular fat melts at about 75 degrees F."

"If you treat your Wagyu steaks as if you were cooking the beef you are familiar with,  you will be sorry you did.  You will look down at your plate and say, "Damn, I spent that much money on this?" Don't do that."

"Think about quick-sear cooking techniques used for things like rare tuna and foie gras.   Open flames, intensely preheated cast iron and Wagyu beef are friends. Good friends.  However you cannot allow the steak to remain in contact with the heat long enough to melt all the fat and cause it to drip out of the internal structures of the meat. If you do you will end up with boringly tough, dry, expensive meat.  "Well done" and "Wagyu" are not words that go well together."

Tips for cooking Wagyu Beef:

- Let the meat come to room temperature prior to cooking.

- Season lightly with sea salt and pepper just prior to cooking.

- Do not pierce the beef. Doing so will allow moisture and the flavorful intramuscular fat to escape.

- Be patient. Cook Wagyu slowly at low temperatures after searing the outside to seal in juices.

- Use a meat probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. Aim for an internal temperature of 125F (rare), 135F (medium rare) or 140F (which is just shy of medium). When cooking roasts, remove them from the oven 10F below the desired end temperature and let them rest for 10 minutes.

- Sear the outside of the meat on low broil in the oven, on a grill or in a oven-ready frying pan. Transfer the seared meat to a low temperature oven set no higher than 325F. Use an oven set at 250F to cook roasts. Top round roasts may be cooked with dry heat with excellent results.

- The ultimate cooking tool is the sous vide (pronounced "sue-veed"), which is an immersion circulator. The unit is placed in a container of water and set to the desired end temperature of the meat you are cooking. The meat is placed in a plastic bag and placed in the water bath. The result is a piece of meat that is cooked throughout to the exact desired temperature, and no moisture is lost in the cooking process. The meat may then be placed in a saute pan or on a grill to obtain a golden brown covering.

Try some of the recipes below:

Guiness Wagyu Chuck Roast

Serves 6

Prep + Cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

1 Wagyu Chuck Roast (3-4 lbs)

16 ounces of Guinness Stout

2 Tablespoons celery salt

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and diced into chunks

2 cups beef stock

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour Guinness into bowl and set aside. Rub roast with salt and pepper.

In a deep cast iron skillet over medium-high heat sear roast on each side until browned. Turn off heat. Add chopped onions and garlic to pan. Add stock and Worcestershire sauce. Roast covered in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Add the Guinness. The liquid should cover half of the roast.

Roast covered for 2 more hours, checking liquid level occasionally and adding water if needed. Add carrot chunks during last 45 minutes. After 3 hours, the roast should be fork-tender.

This can also be prepared in a slow cooker at a low temperature setting for 6-8 hours.

Recipe from Lone Mountain Cattle Company

Wagyu London Broil

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup sesame seeds

4 yellow onions

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 (2.5#) London broil Wagyu steak

Directions:

1. Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sesame seeds in hot oil until golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer seeds and oil immediately to a large glass or ceramic baking dish. (An alternative method is to let the oil mixture cool and pour into a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag.)

2. Stir onions, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, garlic and peppercorns into sesame mixture until marinade is evenly combined. Place steak into marinade, turning to coat all sides. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate, turning steak often for at least 4 hours or overnight. (Using the alternative method, place ingredients and steak in the plastic bag and remove all of the air before sealing. Refrigerate and flip bag occassionally.)

3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. (A low broil setting in the oven may also be used.)

4. Cook the steak on the preheated grill until the meat starts to firm, less than 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130F. Transfer steak to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. Slice across the grain.

Notes:

The onions from the marinade may be carmelized in a skillet over low heat and served over the sliced London Broil.

Grilled Wagyu Ribeye Steaks with Red Wine Glaze



Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 Wagyu 16oz Boneless Ribeye Steak
• 1.5 tsp butter
• 1 cup dry red wine 
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley or rosemary, chopped for garnish
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper 

Directions:

1. Season steak generously with sea salt and pepper. Grill on each side for 4 minutes, transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat ½ a teaspoon of butter in a skillet. Add shallots and cook over medium heat until slightly browned and tender. Add wine to skillet and de-glaze the pan. Scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan, add the remaining butter, and allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes.
3. To serve, slice thin pieces of steak across the grain and spoon sauce on top of meat. Sprinkle a pinch of parsley or rosemary over the plate.

Recipe from Lone Mountain Cattle Company

Balsamic Roast Wagyu Beef

 



Recipe by Robyn Stone