Food and Beverage - any Kobe beef grilling advice?

We received an entire Kobe beef tenderloin as a Christmas gift ( shipped from Gary's seafood in Orlando. Great folks there).

It got cut up into 1" thick steaks, repackaged and frozen. I have now grilled some of it on three different occasions. First time, I just treated it like steaks, and of course it came out dry and not very impressive. So I read up on it on the internet, read about the cattle, the fat content, that it melts lower, etc. So second time I grilled a couple steaks, it was about three to four minutes on a side, and they came back a lot better, but still.....nothing to write home about. Kinda overdone.

So yesterday, I tried again. Read some more online. I hovered over them this time. I got the fire hot first. I seared them on one side, flipped em over, seared the other side. Then flipped them every minute for a total cooking time of six minutes.

They tasted like greasy meat. I don't much like greasy meat.

And so far, if it was up to me, I would find someone to give this stuff to and clean out the freezer. I'd rather have a Bubba Burger.

What am I doing wrong? Or is Kobe just for people who like greasy meat?

First, a 1" steak is too thin. You should have cut it no less than 1 1/2 "...I prefer 2". This allows for a slower cook and a more tender final product. You might also try a rendered bacon wrap, similar to they way you see regular filets wrapped. If it's already cut to 1", try tying two pieces together.

Ah, well I can try that, thanks for the idea. Wife cut it all up into 1" thick steaks during the holiday madness. She just wanted it off the kitchen counter and into the freezer. I'll try sticking a couple of them together to make them thicker. I know I've always heard how good Kobe beef is supposed to be. But this stuff is about 50% marbled fat. Untrimmable. is that what it's supposed to be like?

A few things i have found with wagyu is that firstly you have both good and bad wagyu. You can normally determine this by price. If its cheap its generally crap or its from a part of the animal that isnt good for steaks (tenderloin is great for steaks). Wagyu should never ever be cooked past medium rare. Rare is better and raw is just like tuna.

IF you have cheap wagyu the best thing to do is roast it low and slow then cook the outside quickly the grill or in a pan. Again you want it it be very pink inside.

Dont bother with wagyu if you like your steak well done

Oh, I don't think this is cheap. But I don't know. It was shipped to us refrigerated, as a christmas gift.

I like rare steak. I don't like greasy meat, though.

Dooley probably loves it. hehe.

Yes, it is supposed to be marbled like that. I love going to grocery stores in Japan to the meat section. It is amazing how much marbling they can get in the meat. I have never cooked it but love the taste. It might not be to the liking of some Americans though. I have been on some of the Wagyu Farms in Japan and it is incredible the way they raise those animals. One farm I was on bought a calf for $15,000 USD. It definitely should not be over cooked. Here is a link that discusses it and cheaper knock offs.

http://www.suite101.com/content/kobe-beef--luxury-from-japan-a3107

If I were to cook it I would definitely seare it on the grill.

Okay, I'm heading to Orlando on Monday for a business meeting. Be de @ noon. PM me your address and I'll take them off your hands! Really. I love greasy meat!

Orlando? Oh, you mean where it came from. That would be Gary's seafood. They are the place that shipped it to us, in an insulated cooler filled with these freeze packs. I am impressed with Gary's, they seem to know what they are doing. And if it were up to me, yeah, I'd give em away. But since it's a Christmas gift I suspect I am going to have to cook some of them every week or so til they're gone.

Hence the original question on how to cook them. I am seeing that basically, I have been cooking them close to the "right" way.

I guess I am just not a fan of beef fat. I don't care for the grease taste. I probably have non-standard tastes or something. I don't like lobster or crab, either. Or any freshwater fish.

Also, let them come up to room temp before you grill them.

kobe beef has so much flavor, all you really need is some thin slices sauteed' with butter, onion, salt, peppers, and a splash of soy sauce. i personally don't cook/get mines cooked well, personally--medium and its good with plain rice....

i've always felt that the fattier the meat.....the more the flavor....and that's true with alot
kobe beef,
and tuna also....

That's what I am saying. You gotta like the taste of fat. Nothing wrong with that, I guess. Different tastes. Obviously the Japanese think very highly of it.

Hey, I love sushi and sashimi. Which has absolutely nothing in common with Kobe, come to think of it.

Hey, I love sushi and sashimi. Which has absolutely nothing in common with Kobe, come to think of it.

The better the wagyu or tuna the higher the fat content. Ask your butcher for some high grade wagyu suitable for beef tartare , slice thinly and dip in wasabi and soy and enjoy it raw.

Its very much like tuna.

my butcher? wagyu?

Kobe=wagyu
Butcher=You and/or your wife

Try searing each side on direct heat for 1 min (or less). Then cook them w/ indirect heat for @ 2-3 min a side. Slow cooking seems to work. You want to sear them 1st, but get them off the direct heat/fire.

Are you cooking on a gas grill or charcoal?

I find charcoal easier to cook on than gas, and more flavor w/ the ability to change up what kind of wood you burn.

If you end up just not liking the taste - try marinating them for 12-24 hrs before cooking - or even just a salt/pepper rub before hitting the grill.

my butcher? wagyu?

Wagyu is the breed of cow. Kobe refers to the area the cow lives in and was originally developed. Real Kobe beef only comes from Kobe and is as rare as its gets and is generally not available outside Japan (especially thanks to bse in japan). Just as you cant have a Bordeaux wine from California but you can have a Californian wine made from Bordeaux varieties.

A butcher is what we call the person who sells and prepares meat. What do you call it?

varieties.

A butcher is what we call the person who sells and prepares meat. What do you call it?


I call it someone who does not live on this island. We have grocery stores. the meat comes via ship from Florida, 700 miles north of here.

I could ask the grocery clerk to get me some wagyu. It'll be fun.

Gringo try this
2 green onions, 5 T soy sauce, 3 T sesame oil, 2 T sugar, 2 tsp black
pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder marinade for 2 hours at room temp. this is also great with rib-eye steaks, one of my favs.

i think the real kobe cattles get fed a 40 oz of beer a day, plus gets a pampering massage also...:thumbsup:
ivve also heard that they lbury these cows neck high(in what i dont know) to limiit the muscle growth--thus making the fat concentration higher.

Gringo try this
2 green onions, 5 T soy sauce, 3 T sesame oil, 2 T sugar, 2 tsp black
pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder marinade for 2 hours at room temp. this is also great with rib-eye steaks, one of my favs.

That is similar to a korean bulgogi recipe. I like to add some fish sauce to it as well.:thumbsup: We use it on thinly sliced beef short ribs.

1in is a little thin for what your trying to do. What kind of grill are you using? Get that thing up to about 700 deg. cook room temp meat 1 minute, flip, And then cook 1 minute, flip and close all vents and cook 5 minutes. That's what I would do on my big green egg. If your cooking kobe on propane you might want to think about giving it away... Might as well cook kobe on a george forman.

1in is a little thin for what your trying to do. What kind of grill are you using? Get that thing up to about 700 deg. cook room temp meat 1 minute, flip, And then cook 1 minute, flip and close all vents and cook 5 minutes. That's what I would do on my big green egg. If your cooking kobe on propane you might want to think about giving it away... Might as well cook kobe on a george forman.


Hey, lookie!! Someone got a new boat!!!! :grin::thumbsup:

Damn, Joe..you use a Forman too??