Wagyu Steak

Wagyu steak does not necessarily behave like any other beef steak at the table. This is because of the high degree of marbling which occurs in the finest specimens. When it is that well and truly marbled, it is better to think of it not as red meat, but rather as a "pink" meat - more pork than beef! After all, those specimens are much more marbled with fat than the one in the picture above.

I came to this conclusion after a meal in November 2000. We went to visit Osaka and took the train to Kyoto as well as Kobe. We did drop by the Kobe Winery and if I can dig out a photo, that will be another good tidbit. We planned to have a steak dinner at Kobe, and not knowing what wines might be available, decided to bring along a bottle of Petit Cheval to accompany the meal. That proved to be a good move. We tried the most expensive steak there. It was the well and truly marbled type and it really did behave like pork. The Petit Cheval was really threatening to overwhelm it. Another steak at the grade below, was more beefy and matched the claret really well. So what would I try the next time with the top specimens? A nice Burgundy, I think!