Century-old Japanese shop: Top-grade Kobe beef at 40,000 yen per kilogram!

Photos & Text /Nathan Yung

“HowToTrip’s Narcha Devours Authentic Top-Grade Wagyu”

On this trip to Japan, HowToTrip’s food travel information leader Narcha, due to a club member’s birthday, specially found “Tatsuya,” a Kobe beef specialty store founded during the Meiji era, via a Japanese online platform. According to everyone’s budget, she ordered the “サ0?恁ぅ?ブロック,” representing the highest-grade part of Wagyu, priced at nearly 40,000 yen per kilogram. Upon receiving it, she was incredibly excited and couldn’t wait to open it.

You should know that in Japanese teppanyaki restaurants, Kobe beef like the “サ0?恁ぅ” comes in five basic grades, with prices starting from at least 5,000 yen per 100 grams, and some don’t even specify the grade, just writing “extremely premium.” When Narcha was selecting Kobe beef online, she could only drool at the higher-grade meat due to budget constraints.

Kobe beef is the only type of Tajima cattle that holds a national GI (Geographical Indication) label in Japan. Its quality characteristics are tied to its origin, and with the backing of the Japanese government, its reputation has become even more prominent.

What is “Kobe beef”? How rare is real Kobe beef?

First, it must be a purebred, uncalved or castrated Tajima cattle born and raised in Hyogo Prefecture; second, it must be nurtured by designated farmers and transported to designated meat centers; third, it must meet strict marbling (marble-like fat patterns), meat quality grade, and weight standards (see the definition established in September 1983 by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association). In other words, a BMS (Beef Marbling Standard) of 6, a fat marbling reference of 2-, and a meat quality grade of 4 or above are required to possibly become top-tier “Kobe beef.” Additionally, it must bear the “Kiku-no-han (chrysanthemum seal)” stamp and come with a “Kobe beef certificate,” also known as the “Kobe beef authentication,” to be called genuine “Kobe beef”! The stringent standards are also reflected in the beef’s price, and shops like “Tatsuya,” a four-generation, century-old store established during the Meiji period (1868–1911) and a designated member store of the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council, make spending 40,000 yen absolutely worthwhile!

Tasting Top-Grade Kobe Beef

Unexpectedly, the Japanese are incredibly meticulous—the meat is wrapped layer upon layer, making it all the more exciting to unwrap. Finally, when the last layer of bamboo leaves was opened—wow, what a beautiful piece of meat. Just looking at the meat, not only was it undamaged during transport, there was also no temperature loss or melting. Japanese Kobe beef can easily start sweating at room temperature, with the fat beginning to melt, as the melting point of Kobe beef fat is around 14 degrees Celsius—amazing, right? When Narcha simply sliced the meat, her hands were covered in fat. During cooking, Narcha, the leader, pinched a bit of the edge meat with her fingers, rubbed it together, and the fat immediately melted, shining on her fingers, while the meat remained tender and easy to press. When she put her fat-covered fingers into her mouth and sucked, the sweetness of the fat and the umami of the meat burst forth in her mouth—this must be what “heaven” feels like. This piece of “サ0?恁ぅ” beef is truly exceptional.

Before departing for Japan, a club member had borrowed the group’s beef knife, so Narcha could only bring along a fish knife and a small knife to Japan. Upon arriving at the Airbnb, seeing that the cookware was just the standard household grade, she had no choice but to make do with it.

This was Narcha’s first time cutting block-form Kobe beef. In the past, she would simply buy pre-cut beef from well-known butcher shops downstairs in department stores. Cutting block beef herself this time truly gave Narcha, the leader, a hard time—the knife met with unusually high resistance and a unique elasticity, different from cutting American beef. When the knife sliced through the fat marbling, it felt like cutting through rubber bands. With so much marbling in the whole block, you can slightly imagine the feeling of cutting it. Narcha had also mentioned before that A5-grade Japanese Wagyu and other premium brands like Kobe beef have no resting issues. This time, as soon as the steak was seared, she immediately cut it open to show a few club members—and indeed, there was no blood—but no one paid attention to Narcha, because everyone was already eyeing it hungrily, ready to grab a bite.

Before she could finish speaking, a steak was already gone.

Is buying block-form Kobe beef a good deal? Absolutely—it’s a great deal. For those who love Japanese Wagyu and know how to cook steak, definitely give it a try.

Purchase Source:http://www.kobebeef.co.jp/fs/kobebeef/SIRB-1000
Note: The American beef cut is “180A ストリップロイン” Steak Ready Strip Loin (short loin), known in Chinese as New York strip.

Kobe Beef Grades http://www.kobebeef.co.jp/fs/kobebeef/c/kobe-beef

Narcha Nathan Yung, leader of “HowToTrip’s Japanese Food Travel Information,” since 2012, has self-funded and invested millions, using Taiwanese culinary taste as a foundation and Japanese cuisine as inspiration. With her astonishing tasting talent, she has traveled across Japan, tasting all kinds of Japanese food. In Taiwan, she also tirelessly reads and cooks herself. She is currently compiling her insights into a book, scheduled for release by the end of 2016!

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