Wagyu from Kobe to Kansas – how Japanese beef travelled the world
Although the name just means ‘Japanese cattle’, Wagyu has come to be synonymous with the highest quality and tenderest cuts of meat money can buy. However, not all beef from Japan is Wagyu – and increasingly, not all Wagyu is from Japan. Read on to find out what the term really means.
Wagyu from Kobe to Kansas – how Japanese beef travelled the world
Although the name just means ‘Japanese cattle’, Wagyu has come to be synonymous with the highest quality and tenderest cuts of meat money can buy. However, not all beef from Japan is Wagyu – and increasingly, not all Wagyu is from Japan. Read on to find out what the term really means.
Wagyu (pronounced wag-you rather than wa-goo) has become increasingly popular over the years. Once the exclusive purview of high-end restaurants, Wagyu is now available to buy online through retailers like Tom Hixson of Smithfield, who source a huge range of Wagyu, from briskets to ribeyes.
Founded by Tom Hixson 60 years ago, and still run by his grandson Tom today, Tom Hixson of Smithfield specialises in sourcing high-quality meat from countries around the world including Japan, Spain, Australia, the USA, Argentina and more. They partner with the world’s finest producers, many of which have won gold medals at the renowned World Steak Challenge. Through these partnerships Tom Hixson is able to deliver phenomenal, award-winning meat straight to your doorstep. Tom Hixson’s own produce also received a Great Taste Award earlier this year.
Although Wagyu is now more available than ever before from the likes of Tom Hixson, a lot of people may still not be clear on what the word actually means. Does it mean that the beef comes from Japan? Does it refer to one specific breed? And what exactly is it that makes Wagyu so special? We will be breaking all of that down and more in this article, to help make sure you know what to look out for when buying or ordering Wagyu.
What is Wagyu?
Unlike Australia, the USA and Ireland, Japan is not a country with a lot of pastureland. It is in some ways surprising that beef is one of the things Japanese cuisine has become famous for. The truth is that Wagyu, in its current incarnation, is actually a relatively modern invention.
In the early twentieth century, purebred Japanese cattle were crossed with European cattle to produce the four breeds which now make up Wagyu: Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled and Japanese Shorthorn. Although all four breeds count as Wagyu, it is only the Japanese Black which has the incredible degree of marbling which Wagyu is synonymous with. If you’re picturing a classic Wagyu steak, with its signature pink colour and rivulets of fat, you’re thinking of a steak from a purebred Japanese Black.
However, as demand for Wagyu beef has increased, more and more ranchers have started rearing crossbred Wagyu cattle. Tom Hixson sources Wagyu crosses from a number of different countries across the world, including America and Australia. The butcher now even supplies its own Wagyu cross from Ireland, which is from a Japanese Black and Irish Shorthorn. It was this Tom Hixson Wagyu Ribeye which won a Great Taste Award in 2023 from the Guild of Fine Food for its beautiful flavour and buttery texture.
Tom Hixson’s Australian Wagyu on the other hand comes from Jack’s Creek in Australia. They are a family-owned business who pride themselves on their high animal welfare standards. Jack’s Creek has been breeding Wagyu and Black Angus cross cattle since 1991. Their Black Angus herd is crossed with Tajima Wagyu from Hyogo Prefecture, which is the same breed used for Kobe beef.
Tom Hixson pride themselves on building long-term relationships with the farmers they work with and have been used by fine dining chefs, London restaurants, hotels and pitmasters across the UK since 1963. Through their online business they also make it easy for home chefs to order restaurant-quality cuts to their homes. Their wide selection of Wagyu reflects their commitment to sourcing the world’s finest meat for their customers.
How is Wagyu (or the Japanese Black) different from other beef?
The main answer to this question is quite simple: fat. Japanese Black cattle have a genetic quirk which means their meat has a high degree of marbling all throughout the muscle. This gives the meat its distinctive pale pink colour, rather than the deep red colour that most beef has. The very highest grades of Wagyu are over 50% fat – making them fattier than double cream.
Wagyu in Japan
Purebred Wagyu from Japan has an incredibly rich flavour and high degree of marbling. It is only ever eaten in small quantities, not just because of its price but also because it is simply too rich to eat in larger amounts. Although Wagyu from Japan is divine, it is not really good for eating in any other way than seared very lightly and cut into slivers. At Tom Hixson, intensely marbled Japanese Wagyu is available as both ribeye and sirloin steaks, while specialty butcher cuts are available from Wagyu crossbreeds, such as flat-iron steaks, rump steaks and sukiyaki slices.
If you want to experience the unbelievable softness and intensely beefy flavour that Japanese Wagyu is known for, A5 grade Wagyu from Japan, like Tom Hixson’s Kagoshima Japanese Wagyu, is what you’re looking for. Kagoshima Wagyu is a renowned regional Wagyu and won gold at the Japanese Best Beef Olympics in 2017. The meat is so marbled it’s almost white, and is a truly decadent experience.
Wagyu outside of Japan
As noted earlier, while Wagyu is synonymous with Japan, more and more farmers are rearing both purebred and crossbred Wagyu cattle across the world. Tom Hixson of Smithfield works with farmers to supply an Irish Shorthorn/Wagyu cross, which is grass fed and reared on lush Irish pastures. They are also fed chocolate, mixed in with their feed for the final three months, to add a touch of sweetness to every bite. This Irish Wagyu is available in a wide range of different cuts, from chateaubriands to tomahawks, and burgers to briskets.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, when it comes to cooking, crossbred cattle such as Tom Hixson’s Irish Wagyu has a lot of advantages over their purebred Japanese Black counterparts. Crossbreeds are less fatty, which makes them less tender but better suited to a wider range of dishes. Meat from Japanese Black cattle is meant for savouring, and is just too fatty and soft to be used in things like burgers or for roasting. Meat from crossbreeds on the other hand can be eaten in larger quantities, and used in roasts or as a main dish.
As you can see, there is a huge range of different Wagyu available, and what’s best for you will depend on exactly what you’re looking for, whether that’s melt-in-your-mouth slivers of A5 Wagyu steaks or tender Irish Wagyu ribeye steaks.
SITES
