Kobe beef, the most expensive and most exclusive piece of meat around the world. What makes it so expensive and is it worth the price? Some rumors say that the reason why this beef is so expensive is because the cattle is fed only sake while being massaged all day. I would be the most exclusive piece of meat if I would get treated like that!
Together with a friend, we made up our mind to spend as much money as needed to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Some Background Info
So first of all, what is Kobe the same as Wagyu? Yes and No. Wagyu means japanese beef, so technically it can be every cow that was bo
rn and bread in Japan. Even though there are some specific requirements for Wagyu, as well as a fat marbling rating system, I don't want to bore you with these specifics. You want to know what Kobe tastes like. A Kobe beef cattle has to be of a specific breed, born and raised in the Hyogo prefecture. The genetics of the beef is so special that it has a crazy amount of fat marbeling, with up to 50% fat. This fat melts at a mere 25°C, so it melts when put in your mouth. yuuuuuuum.
And crazy enough Kobe beef was so exclusive that it was not exported out of Japan until 2012.
The Day
When we spotted certified Kobe beef in a swiss online shop we were ready for a once in a life time experience. So we got ourselves a 350g tenderloin piece for approx 220,- CHF. Yes that's a lot of money.
The beef came frozen and looked nice and marbled. We decided to make the best of this steak and opted to make it 3 different ways: kobe nigiri, pan seared kobe steak and carbonara made with kobe fat.
The most important part was to not screw it up. The second most important part was to slice the meat as thinly as possible, so that each and every slice would melt as soon as it entered our mouth.
We decided to sear the meat of the nigiri and serve it with a miso-mirin paste and japanese kewpie mayonnaise. The pan seared kobe steak was seared on high temp on both sides and basically kept raw inside. We gave it a final sear with a kitchen blow torch and served it raw, with matcha salt and mayonnaise. The large pieces of fat we reserved for the carbonara (which we made another night).
The Taste
So, you all want to know it right? How was the taste?
It was amazing. Simply out of this world. The pieces of meat simply melted in our mouths, leading to a flavor explosion. The steak was juicy, smoky from the blow torch and loads of umami. It is hard to describe how well this tasted but boy let me tell you it was great. Certainly different from all other steaks that I've tasted.
My favorite: Nigiri with miso-mirin and a dip of mayonnaise.
The Verdict
So was it all worth it? Yes it was, 100%. Next time I might try a piece that might be a bit less marbled, in order to try the difference. But one thing is for certain: I will try it again. Combined with all the preparation and the anticipation and dedicating the whole day for this special food, it was one of the best days I remember.
