Wagyu cattle produce the exquisite Kobe beef that Japan has made famous around the world. But the old breed can be raised in Texas with the traditional methods, and still give us gold-standard beef with high marbling, buttery texture and sweet flavor.
That's why we can offer this whole tenderloin of Wagyu beef with the certainty that it will impress you, as it does our professional chef clients. Easily broken down into one Chateaubriand roast, 4-6 tenderloin steaks and one medallion cut.
It's so tender that you can cut it with a fork. But don't take our word for it. Try it for yourself.
Just the facts
- Humanely-raised
- From authentic Wagyu stock
- No antibiotics or hormones, ever
- No animal by-products
- Graded by third party auditor using Japanese BMS scoring system
- Ships in an uncooked state; frozen items may thaw in transit
- Product of USA
- For best taste on fresh products, use or freeze within 3-5 days of receipt; for frozen products, use within 1-2 days after thawing
The Wagyu cattle are an extraordinary breed, native to Japan, where they developed in isolation with a unique genetic propensity to high marbling. Feeding programs encourage the cattle to put on fat in all the right places, and the Japanese have evolved special regimens for their cattle.
At D’Artagnan, we work with ranchers who raise Wagyu cattle in Texas, where the cattleman is still king. East meets west with Texas ranching know-how and the influence of Japanese feeding techniques. The emphasis of the program is humane treatment and a low-stress environment for the cattle throughout their lives.
The cattle begin on pasture land and are then introduced to a gradual feeding system, with seven different feed variations, which include grain and corn, free-choice minerals and fresh water. And, like their Japanese cousins, a strictly-followed diet rotation is the secret to the development of the characteristic marbling, delicate texture and superb flavor. No antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products are ever used. Raised until the age of 30-36 months, the cattle are fully monitored at every stage of their growth.
The resulting delicate and rich Wagyu beef is graded Prime 90% of the time; then it is graded using the Japanese Beef Marbling Standards (BMS) system, which scores the amount of marbling in the meat, ranking it from 1 to 12. Scores from 8 and up indicate levels of abundant marbling, and the top of the BMS scale (12) would mean that the fat marbling was extremely abundant. The Japanese further rank beef on overall quality from 1 to 5 (being excellent), which takes into account the marbling, yield, color and texture as well as fat quality.
When cooking medallions, tournedos and steaks cut from the Wagyu beef tenderloin, we recommend that the meat be cooked rare to medium rare. Because of the delicate nature of this highly marbled meat, it is best not to use extremely high heat when searing or grilling, as overcooking can melt the marbling and cause the meat to become tough and chewy.
