Super-pricy Japanese Wagyu beef arrives in western Washington | Northwest

The prized beef has long gone mainstream. Well, type of.

It has manufactured it to Costco. Obtain Japanese Wagyu in the frozen foodstuff aisle for $99.99 a pound. A bundle with two A5-grade ribeyes is about $200, but there’s a $50-off unique right up until Might 8.

Diners at Snoqualmie Casino can purchase Japanese Wagyu A5+ for $25 an ounce, with a 3-ounce minimal.

“For guests who have not had it ahead of, it is like the display stopper,” claimed Justin Lee, government chef of the casino’s Vista Key Steaks & Seafood. “It melts absent in your mouth mainly because it is so unbelievably marbled and has this kind of an even distribution of unwanted fat during the meat.”

Mark Maciejewski, an Issaquah revenue supervisor, is a guy who enjoys a fantastic steak and eats a lot of it.

Japanese Wagyu is an occasional take care of.

“It’s like feeding on steak-flavored butter,” reported Maciejewski, 48. “The taste is intense but not too much to handle. If you like steak, it is what you want.”

Japanese Wagyu has a unique pattern with sensitive swirls of intramuscular fats that make the meat seem pinkish.

Imported meat comes with a nose print certificate that tracks the cattle’s lineage: title, age, position of beginning and other facts. Each animal has an identification selection that can be looked up on a Japanese governing administration internet site.

On a the latest working day at EC Wilson Meat Co. in Lynnwood, the carcass was of Akitaro, a castrated male born Oct. 4, 2019, in Kagoshima and harvested (a mild term for slaughtered) on Dec. 14, 2021, with a best-notch A5+ marbling rating.

Output manager Sean Sanderson sliced 16-ounce steaks from the 20-pound loin of what was as soon as Akitaro.

“It’s like chopping a bar of cleaning soap,” Sanderson claimed.

Other white-coated butchers in the cutting space aimed sharp knives in excess of vivid pink hunks of American-born beef. People animals did not occur with certificates.

Does it make him nervous slicing these kinds of high-priced beef?

“Not any more,” Sanderson claimed.

Wagyu refers to all Japanese beef cattle. “Wa” can signify Japanese-type and “gyu” suggests beef.

Japanese Wagyu beef is really controlled and the progeny testing is necessary. Wagyu cows are lifted in a anxiety-absolutely free setting with smooth songs, massages and pampering, these types of as handmade jackets to maintain heat.

According to thejapaneseway.com: “Many farmers connect with the cows by name and not by selection. They assume this practice fosters the cows’ sense of belongingness.”

People satisfied cows are expensive cows.

Wagyu beef elevated in other places is considerably less costly. The Australian Wagyu and American Wagyu offered by EC Wilson are $32 for 14-ounce ribeyes.

The flavors differ between Wagyu locations.

Snoqualmie’s Vista cafe has a 16-ounce “Wagyu Reserve Flight” meal with different Wagyu cuts from Japan, Australia and The us.

The selling price is a mere $169, with a side dish.

“It’s 1 of our prime sellers,” chef Lee claimed. “It’s an educational resource about Wagyu in normal.”

Some individuals share a plate. Other folks clear the plate solo.

Lee added Japanese Wagyu to the on line casino menu three years back to contend with leading steakhouses. It was an prompt hit, even for gamers not hitting the jackpot.

“We prepare dinner it above a wooden fire grill. Set a few more logs on and get a genuinely incredibly hot place,” he said. “It is best served unusual to mid-unusual.”

How does the common particular person cook Japanese Wagyu, apart from pretty cautiously and hardly ever in a microwave?

Ian Rinearson cuts it in slim strips for meal functions at his Lynnwood dwelling to introduce pals to Japanese Wagyu.

It is an practical experience and a food items, he stated: “I like to have it as an appetizer so it’s all about taking in and conversing about it.”

The price tag isn’t as shocking as it looks, mentioned Rinearson, 26, founder and CEO of wholesale auto broker Stock Direct.

“A 16-ounce steak slash will feed 4 or five people,” he reported. “It’s very wealthy. You simply cannot try to eat the complete steak.”

He purchases Japanese Wagyu from EC Wilson or a Portland butcher.

“I have a preposterous volume of it in my chest freezer,” he said. “I vacuum seal it and then freeze it. I just busted out some from four months back.”

If you never partake and want to be portion of the Wagyu crowd, a custom made clothing business, Gearfrost, sells sneakers, outfits and handbags with the sample of the coveted beef.

A pair of leather-based boots with the Wagyu print expenses the similar as a steak, but you’ll have a thing to demonstrate for that $100.