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Where's The Beef?

Step aside Kobe beef, and make room for the next big thing in the gourmet beef craze - Akaushi beef! Ok, you're probably wondering what exactly is Akaushi beef, and how is it different from Kobe beef?  Let's take a step back and explore beef and Kobe beef, so we can truly understand Akaushi beef.

 
Beef, as Wikipedia so kindly states, is the "culinary name for muscle tissue obtained from bovines, especially domestic cattle."  In the US, the highest  grade of beef is known as 'Prime'  and only 3% of US steaks are currently certified Prime.  Which is fine and dandy, but it isn't Kobe beef.  Kobe beef, refers to the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle raised in Kobe, Japan.  Outside of Japan, the meat is commonly known as 'Kobe style beef' or 'Wagyu.'  What makes Kobe beef so special is the treatment the cows receive, which includes regular massages, as well as meals containing corn, barley, alfalfa and beer...yes I said beer.  The beer is said to help the cows relax, which produces more fat in the meat.  The beer also encourages the cows to eat more.  Long story short, Kobe raises plump, and fatty cows, which makes for a damn fine piece of steak. 

 

Akaushi cattle are highly prized in Japan for their exceptional quality and health benefits of their meat.  Akaushi meat is graded as Prime Plus on the US scale.  Akaushi cattle are fed a diet similar to Kobe cattle, but are genetically pre-disposed to have intense marbling in their meat.  Which means Akaushi steaks are so buttery and tender you can practically cut them with a butter knife. Heartbrand, the current US provider of Akaushi beef, even goes so far as to claim their meat is heart healthy.  They claim their beef has an intense concentration of monounsaturated fats, which means more beneficial fatty acids.  The cost of a Akaushi steak is on par with Kobe prices, with a 14oz strip selling for around $60.

 

All I can say about this is mmm!  I would spend the money on a great steak in a heartbeat (no pun intended).  Do you want to get your Kobe fix?  While no restaurant in the US offers actual Kobe beef from Japan, many do serve Kobe style beef.  In New York, Megu and Old Homestead in the city both serve Kobe style steaks.  Uncle Jack's Steakhouse is the only restaurant in the city currently serving Akaushi steaks (at $200 a pop)!  So what do you think?  Is Kobe/Akaushi worth the money or just a bunch of hype?

 

*misterbelly

 

 

 

Posted Feb 22, 2007 by misterbelly | Share It

Filed under: beef