Kobe Beef

I haven't been able to find any restaurants in SoCal that serve Kobe beef. I'm sure they're out there, but where?
I understand it's so well marbled, with properties similar to foie gras, that if it's cooked any longer than a sear, it's ruined.
Any tips on cooking it at home if/when I find it a the local market one day?

Before we get going on this again, see http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5762&SearchTerms=Kobe,beef .

Genuine Kobe beef is extremely rare and extremely expensive and I doubt very much you'll encounter it outside Japan and, perhaps, a few very upscale restaurants in the US that may import a bit. What you may encounter is Kobe STYLE beef and the "style" may be vanishingly small on the label or menu. Personally, having had the real thing in Japan and a few "style" versions elsewhere, I wouldn't bother with the substitutes. But that's just me. The ideal way to serve genuine Kobe is probably as carpaccio (i.e. raw) or grilled very rare. Cooked any other way you are probably wasting your money. But you knew that already so I'm not sure why you asked.

I agree w/ BT. Kobe beef is best raw to wounded. Never found it in the US but in Japan it is fantastic.

The Rosengarten Report, an entertaining food newsletter put out by David Rosengarten, did a report on Kobe and Kobe-style beef in the last issue. I read the article three weeks ago, so I may not have all the details right, but he reported that there are some US producers raising Kobe-style beef. In actuality, the cattle are mostly the Japanese strain of beef crossed with American beef cattle, but he did report on some very good cuts of steak. He gave detailed information on how to obtain it, although most of it is quite expensive.

I don't see anything on his website about getting copies of back issues, but the contact information page is here if you're interested:
http://www.davidrosengarten.com/content.asp?type=site&id=22

We raise (for our own consumption) Kobe style beef. Kinda funny to go to a barn and see a keg of beer. Steers get a quart of beer twice a day and a massage. Turns out real well except when you consider they die at the end. Actually the porkers turn out better due the treatment IMHO.

Several years ago, there was a story about Wagyu cattle being "smuggled" out of Japan, which read like a script from a James Bond movie. I can't find any link to the article, so I'll try to reconstruct the essence from memory.

The story was that a U.S. Air Force general was close friends with a high ranking Japanese official. Also, apparently, Wagyu cattle (and real wasabe) are regarded jealously as national treasures, with exporting of cattle (and whatever type of wasabe "seeding" is necessary to reproduce) against the law. In a way, this is similar to the silk worm export prohibitions of a couple centuries ago.

Anyhow, the intrigue involved a half dozen or so Wagyu cattle being secretly procured and loaded onto an air force jet, and shipped to the U.S. I believe this supposedly occurred in the late 70's or early '80's, but the dates are just a guess now.

The number of cattle weren't enough to start a 100% Wagyu breeding herd, so they had to be cross bred with existing cattle of a certain breed, with the goal of attempting to keep each generation at least 80% or so Wagyu stock. This supposedly started in Washington state, with another breeding operation starting in Texas once there were enough hybrids to make that feasible.

So, apparently, there are cattle being raised in this country which have large amounts of Wagyu genetics, but not 100% pure.

(As far as wasabe is concerned, apparently a similar "smuggling" effort was successful, with real wasabe being raised in Oregon.) Kobe steaks or burgers served in this country, probably come from these cattle to a large extent.

Wasabe is being raised in Oregon but the taste, IMHO, doesn't match the wild stuff grown in Japan. Still light years ahead of the powdered stuff generally available which doesn't even have any wasabe in it.

A good sized Japanese root (small cucumber) is only about $5 in Japan but about $60 here. Somehow quite a few of them hopped into my luggage for the return trip. Stood in glass of water, covered loosely w/ plastic wrap and kept in the frig they will last for a month or so.

quote:

Originally posted by V960

We raise (for our own consumption) Kobe style beef. Kinda funny to go to a barn and see a keg of beer. Steers get a quart of beer twice a day and a massage. Turns out real well except when you consider they die at the end. Actually the porkers turn out better due the treatment IMHO.

By any chance are you looking for any barn help? Is that imported beer or domestic? Chow Jim

It is served at the Prince of Wales restaurant inside The Hotel Del Coronado here in San Diego. (Bring your wallet or better yet your pension). Anyway, there is a Kobe Burger ($15.00) served at our local Brigantine restaurants (they specialize in seafood).

I have bought and grilled Kobe Filet Mignon from a local store, Harvest Ranch Market (Del Mar) that imports it from Japan. At $60 a pound it’s for special occasions.

Jim,
Barn help is always needed but we keep the people beer in the shop frig. The keg for the cattle and pigs is middle of the road whatever quality.

Last year one of my day job customers (Carolina Blonde)

www.carolinablonde.com

had a surplus of one of their seasonal beers so we made a trade for some pig and beef for the beer. Pigs and beef didn't get a drop of the Carolina Blonde but they did get upgraded to Budweiser that year.

Two steers went to the processor yesterday. Munching grass in the field after a morning quart of beer when the processor popped them between the eyes w/ a .22. Next week we'll eat "high on the hog" for a while.

i currently raise american style kobe beef. and would gladly like to supply anyone who would be interested in buying 1/8'ths 1/4's all the way up to whole beef directly from the ranch. that way you the consumer would know exactly where the beef came from. i am located in the heart of south dakota where we take great pride in our beef and the quality of beef that we raise here in the midwest. if interested email me at keepmeposted2k1@yahoo.com thank you

I had Kobe beef when I was in Japan about 15 years ago. It was cooked just like we would cook a regular steak. It was rare, but warm and melted in your mouth. It was not slice thin or served raw

There is a restaurant in Maui that claims to have a hybrid of Kobe beef and American black angus beef that combines the best of the two.

I've had Kobe beef in Japan, both cooked and raw as beef sashimi. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender but I did feel a bit quesy afterwards--it is very high in animal fat.

There was a great American Iron Chef that focused on Kobe Beef, or Kobe-style beef. I believe it was said there that it's no longer permissable to import real Kobe Beef. The kobe-style beef we have is that cross bread cattle that was meant for us.

I hear it's great tartar

Apparently Kobe beef is never imported here. In fact, it is against the law in Japan to export it also. Yes, we do have prime cattle in the U.S. that can "mimic" the quality, but it should not be listed on a menu as "Kobe" for additional money.

I just read an extensive article on Chowhound dealing with just this topic. It seems that in 2010 there was an out break of foot and mouth disease and ALL beef imports from Japan were halted. That said, Kobe beef has never been imported to the US. And I find American "style" kobe beef to be laughable. But you know the food industry, anything to make a buck and screw the consumer.

Here is a link to the article in Forbes and seen on NPR
www.npr.org/2012/04/22/151153503/Fake-food-thats-not-kobe-beef-youre-eating
 

When ordering wagyu or other types I'd recommend looking for a resto that has a menu described like this one at Nami in Bangkok at the JW.  It is concise, describes in DETAIL what your getting and how the scoring works. 
http://www.marriott.com/h...dt_pdf/Nami%20Menu.pdf
 
The prices are in Thai Baht divide them by 30 to get US$