KOBE Beef Hamburgers

Has anyone tried the KOBE beef hamburgers from Trader Joe's? I was first sceptical, they come frozen 2 to the pack. Followed cooking directions with a little added olive oil and cut up red onions.

IMHO this was one of the most succulent burgers I have ever had.

What is KOBE beef, is it raised a different way?

I haven't tried the burgers, but I had a Kobe steak at an upscale restaurant this year, and frankly I couldn't tell the difference..

In Japan, Kobe beef (from the Wagyu breed), are allegedly pampered with massages and fed on beer and special grain. Here in America they've started breeding Wagyu but aren't quite as indulgent with them.

I had a Kobe burger at a fancy place in NYC several years ago and it was about $15 then if I remember. All I can say is it wasn't worth it.

I thought that Kobe beef was supposed to be so tender because it has so much fat marbled in the lean meat (sort of internal basting). In hamburger the fat and lean are mixed together through grinding. So, it is hard to believe that Kobe hamburgers are anything special, at least taste wise.

P.S. I have a sister-in-law who lives in Kobe. She has never tasted Kobe beef because it is so expensive there.

The original (many years ago) KOBE Beef was a herd (or more than one herd) in Japan that was pampered and fed the dregs of the vats from a major brewery. That semi fermented grain added weight rapidly and in such a manner that the beef was softer and more tender than most of the better grades. The rub-a-dub-dubbing and other frills have been added to make folks think that it isn't just a dietary change that alters the flavor and marbling. I don't use it as the price is prohibitive for my budget and frankly I don't like my steaks Mushy.
I have never tried the ground beef. Again, the price keeps me away.

I wonder, if I go down to the country over Christmas, and talk really nice to the cows, and pet them, love them and pour Shiner Bock over them ---- can we sell for more??

I don't know about the cows, Lone Star, But if you do that to me I will be worth a lot more than I am now !!!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

I don't know about the cows, Lone Star, But if you do that to me I will be worth a lot more than I am now !!!

Al, that would be a shame to waste that good beer. But it would be a treat to see it happen.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

The original (many years ago) KOBE Beef was a herd (or more than one herd) in Japan that was pampered and fed the dregs of the vats from a major brewery. That semi fermented grain added weight rapidly and in such a manner that the beef was softer and more tender than most of the better grades. The rub-a-dub-dubbing and other frills have been added to make folks think that it isn't just a dietary change that alters the flavor and marbling. I don't use it as the price is prohibitive for my budget and frankly I don't like my steaks Mushy.
I have never tried the ground beef. Again, the price keeps me away.

Modern genuine Kobe beef is still fed that, as I understand it, but also penned so as not to allow it a lot of muscle-toughening exercise and massaged frequently and otherwise pampered so as to produce fat, lazy, limp but tasty animals. It is quite rare and expensive. I have eaten it in Japan years ago and, as steak, it was wonderful. But I simply don't believe that most of what is advertised and sold as "Kobe" beef in the US is the real thing. Before I'd buy it at Trader Joe's (which I otherwise love and respect), I'd put the package under a microsocpe and look for the tiny "style" as in "Kobe-style" beef. Anyway, since one of the hallmarks of genuine Kobe beef is its buttery tenderness (maybe best appreciated RAW as in carpaccio), it hardly makes sense to grind it into burger meat. What's the point? All ground beef is tender and you can adjust the fat in the grind to suit your preference.

A lot of high quality steakhouses and resturants in NYC are serving the Kobe beef burger. One place actually charges 65 bucks for it. I think that anyone that goes to a resturant to drop 65 dollars on essentially just a burger is a sin or just has so much money they dont know what to do with it. One place even makes the Kobe beef patty with foie gois in the middle like you would do in a bleu cheese burger, you have to be kidding me.

A couple of months back, I found some frozen "Kobe" ground beef patties at Costco here in SoCal. I was skeptical, but at $5.97 for 6 1/2 lb patties (that's less than $2/lb) I couldn't resist. I wound up going back to buy 4 more boxes, but they have since disappeared from the shelves.

They were excellent burgers...very tender, almost a butter-like texture and lightly seasoned, they tasted great.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

I don't know about the cows, Lone Star, But if you do that to me I will be worth a lot more than I am now !!!

Well, I would say you deserve a little Shiner after your recent ordeals!

quote:

Originally posted by BT



Modern genuine Kobe beef is still fed that, as I understand it, but also penned so as not to allow it a lot of muscle-toughening exercise and massaged frequently and otherwise pampered so as to produce fat, lazy, limp but tasty animals. It is quite rare and expensive. I have eaten it in Japan years ago and, as steak, it was wonderful. But I simply don't believe that most of what is advertised and sold as "Kobe" beef in the US is the real thing. Before I'd buy it at Trader Joe's (which I otherwise love and respect), I'd put the package under a microscope and look for the tiny "style" as in "Kobe-style" beef. Anyway, since one of the hallmarks of genuine Kobe beef is its buttery tenderness (maybe best appreciated RAW as in carpaccio), it hardly makes sense to grind it into burger meat. What's the point? All ground beef is tender and you can adjust the fat in the grind to suit your preference.

BT ...
Good observation. I just dug some Trader Joe's "American Style Kobe Beef" Gourmet Hamburger Patties out of the freezer. The package says they -- The Snake River Farms -- brought the Wagyu "Kobe beef breed" cattle to USA. All Natural. Well fed. Etc.

So ... I cooked one (on the griddle, on my restaurant range in my kitchen). I just put a little of the very mild cajun spray (http://www.cajuncrawfish.com//item-detail.cfm?ID=9005) on the outside.

At this point, I agree with everyone. It was really good. I cooked it from thawed and "rare" was disappointing -- still gray in the middle ... the griddle wasn’t quite hot enough ... so, I nibbled away as it cooked, got it to “medium” ... it was very good (good in a tasted wholesome, unadulterated, really juicy level) ... now that the grill was hot, I figured it was my duty to try again ... it browned up fine ... I cooked it just to medium and I still had the juiciest burger I can remember and ate it.

Next time I’ll try to organize buns (fresh), condiments (including heirloom tomatoes), etc. to see how it works overall – the way it should be.

Meanwhile, I pretty much ate a pound of hamburger, meaning I’ve had 208% daily allowed fat; 252% of my daily saturated fat; 220mg of cholesterol; 1500 calories (only 1220 from fat though) ...

Considering all of the above, I think I’ll do steak next time – but when I have my next hankerin’ for a frozen burger, TJ’s Kobe is gonna be my choice.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com


Considering all of the above, I think I’ll do steak next time – but when I have my next hankerin’ for a frozen burger, TJ’s Kobe is gonna be my choice.

Do me a favor--next time try a taste test for us all: since you have a "restaurant range" in your kitchen (and there's no hiding the fact that I am jealous as h_ll, but what can I do in a highrise where building codes forbid gas service?), I bet you also have a KitchenAid mixer and can grind your own beef. So get some supermarket quality chuck steak, debone it and grind the meat (fat and all). Then cook yourself a fresh-ground burger and compare the result to the TJ's "American style Kobe" burgers. I'll be amazed if the Kobe stuff is better--or even as good.

quote:

Originally posted by BT

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com


Considering all of the above, I think I’ll do steak next time – but when I have my next hankerin’ for a frozen burger, TJ’s Kobe is gonna be my choice.

Do me a favor--next time try a taste test for us all: since you have a "restaurant range" in your kitchen (and there's no hiding the fact that I am jealous as h_ll, but what can I do in a highrise where building codes forbid gas service?), I bet you also have a KitchenAid mixer and can grind your own beef. So get some supermarket quality chuck steak, debone it and grind the meat (fat and all). Then cook yourself a fresh-ground burger and compare the result to the TJ's "American style Kobe" burgers. I'll be amazed if the Kobe stuff is better--or even as good.

Okay. For the team I'll eat more burgers. (I'm in the early stages of Kobe-Coma already.)

I never have ground my own meat -- typically my favorite burgers at restaurants are fresh ground. Meanwhile, I am not a nameless ground beef from the Albertson's fan. Truth is I seldom eat steaks or burgers -- unless I am at my favorite roadfood places.

More importantly: No gas in highrises? The obvious answer is to move.

I here tell that in Japan Kobe is actually the SECOND best beef and that there another brand/variety that is even more demand---cant remember the name of it but i remember the article siad that its VERY unlikely that anu of it will ever reach these shores--i cant remember what it cost but i do remember it was REALLY expensive---like lots more then Kobe. I will look around and see if ican find it---but its really kind of a waste as i will probably never see any of it!

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

I here tell that in Japan Kobe is actually the SECOND best beef and that there another brand/variety that is even more demand---cant remember the name of it but i remember the article siad that its VERY unlikely that anu of it will ever reach these shores--i cant remember what it cost but i do remember it was REALLY expensive---like lots more then Kobe. I will look around and see if ican find it---but its really kind of a waste as i will probably never see any of it!

Please don't overlook my point above--very little real Japanese Kobe reaches these shores either. I suppose if you get a purported Kobe steak in a high-priced restuarant it's likely to be real, but as we have discovered, the stuff at TJ's (and nearly any other market) is home-grown and while it may be very good, isn't actually "Kobe" beef.

Also, consider when checking the price of beef in Japan, that my recollection is that when I lived there in the mid 70's, regular old beef in markets was around $38/lb.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

No gas in highrises? The obvious answer is to move.

There are 3 reasons I don't: (1) in San Francisco, I'm not likely to find a single family home I'd want to live in for under $1 million and I'm not anxious to put anything like that into one (the good news--for that it would probably have a restaurant stove); (2) my highrise condo is not only convenient to everything, but when I leave for months at a time I can just lock the door and not have much to worry about (unlike a detached home in the city)--but I've owned it for 22 years and at today's prices, I couldn't even afford it; (3) I hate moving.

quote:

Originally posted by BT

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

I here tell that in Japan Kobe is actually the SECOND best beef and that there another brand/variety that is even more demand---cant remember the name of it but i remember the article siad that its VERY unlikely that anu of it will ever reach these shores--i cant remember what it cost but i do remember it was REALLY expensive---like lots more then Kobe. I will look around and see if ican find it---but its really kind of a waste as i will probably never see any of it!

Please don't overlook my point above--very little real Japanese Kobe reaches these shores either. I suppose if you get a purported Kobe steak in a high-priced restuarant it's likely to be real, but as we have discovered, the stuff at TJ's (and nearly any other market) is home-grown and while it may be very good, isn't actually "Kobe" beef.

Also, consider when checking the price of beef in Japan, that my recollection is that when I lived there in the mid 70's, regular old beef in markets was around $38/lb.

Oh, i know ----i know that the average "Herd" on a Japanese "cattle ranch is about 38 head!!! and that Kobe is just one of several small areas that produce very expensive highly marbled beef and that a market ready 1500 lb animal is sometimes sold for as much as $10000!!!! They also have a meat packing industry that puts out very limited amounts of beef per day---often less then our Plants put out in an hour.
fund some interesting stuff here

www.asiakan.org/ag_products/beef_production_japan.shtml

The Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage is offering a 12 oz. NY steak.....Kobe beef.......for $50. I think I'll pass......

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

The Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage is offering a 12 oz. NY steak.....Kobe beef.......for $50. I think I'll pass......

Actually, that strikes me as a very good price. Once more--regular non-Kobe steaks were selling in Japan for about $38/lb (my currency calculations) 3 decades ago. See http://www.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ355/choi/jprice.htm for a picture of Japanese beef (non-Kobe) selling NOW for $188.75/lb in a market (while Australian beef sells for a bit over $11/lb) The same site has a picture of a gentleman about to eat a piece of Kobe steak that cost him over $1100/lb. (!!!!) The Japanese just don't eat big chunks of meat like we do--which you, as a chef, I'm sure realize--so the high cost of meat means little to them. But since you are in the industry, you ought to be able to verify that that Anchorage steak is the real thing and, if it is, I'd try it if you haven't had Kobe before (but you probably have)--it may be a revelation.

Supposedly, kobe steaks are so tender, you can cut them with a fork. I would love to try one.

quote:

Originally posted by gschwim

Supposedly, kobe steaks are so tender, you can cut them with a fork. I would love to try one.

Had a good old oklahoma raised steak here just a while ago that we cut with a butter knife! great flavor--very tender--local raised and a heck of alot cheaper then Kobe!

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

I here tell that in Japan Kobe is actually the SECOND best beef and that there another brand/variety that is even more demand---cant remember the name of it but i remember the article siad that its VERY unlikely that anu of it will ever reach these shores--i cant remember what it cost but i do remember it was REALLY expensive---like lots more then Kobe. I will look around and see if ican find it---but its really kind of a waste as i will probably never see any of it!

I am pretty sure the breed you are referring to is the AKAUSHI BREED (AKA RED WAGYU). They are much tastier and their meat is actually low in cholesteral because of the high natural CLA content in their fat. The one an only herd outside of Japan is now here under a very tight and well managed operation in Yoakum, Texas with a herd of about 3000. They have a website up and are now selling meat to the public, but right now there are no restaurants that are selling this incredible beef. In case you haven't noticed my various posts, i am a very frequent shopper. It is nothing like Kobe Beef. And you are correct, There is VERY little true Kobe available in the states today. The Website is www.heartbrandbeef.com and they sell everything including gift cards and ship everywhere.