How Much Wagyu to Buy? 

Have you ever gazed upon that big hunk of Wagyu beef at the butcher’s counter? We ooh and aah at the meat displays, marveling at Wagyu’s snowflake marbling. Let’s be honest here… we want to take one of those hunks of meat home with us. We just don’t know if we can cook the whole thing.

Turn out, you can, if it is the right size. That is, if it is the right amount of Wagyu beef you need. 

In our previous blog post, we talked about eating Wagyu beef for every day of our lives. Well, for 10 days straight anyway. In this post, we want to cover the basics of how much Wagyu beef to buy. 

We, too, had the same questions when we first started buying beef. In our supermarket journey, we once encountered a butcher who grumbled about us wasting his time with chopping up too few chuck cubes.

To avoid annoying butchers or dishing out measly shrunk pieces of beef at your dinner table, read on. 

Best Serving Size for Wagyu Beef

Here is an easy guide to serving portions of Wagyu beef that relates to the way they are packed and sold at the supermarket.

Wagyu Steak Portion
200g-400g+/- per steak (serves 1 pax)

We usually sell Wagyu steak cuts like the tenderloin and ribeye in these portions. As our customers like to prepare a simple salad and carbs (mashed potatoes, etc.) to go with their steak, we find this to be the best portion size to enjoy a Wagyu steak.  

At Wmart Supermarket, the A5 Japanese Wagyu beef brand that we sell is Iga Beef, which has a less greasy sensation and more mellow sweetness. Iga Beef has superb marbling, yet without the fatty aftertaste. This means big steak lovers can enjoy a larger steak without being overwhelmed by the ‘butteriness’ of Wagyu beef.  

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Wagyu Shabu-Shabu Portion
100g-300g+/- per platter (serves 1-2 pax)  

Shabu-shabu slices are conveniently prepared and packed in platters, ready to go into your hot pot. They’re also labeled according to their cuts (brisket, shoulder clod, etc.). Alternatively, you can tell the butcher which cut you want and they will prepare the slices for you.  

This might mean picking up a few packets with different cuts for variety. Pay attention to the cut you’re dipping into the broth so that you can appreciate the cut’s juicy (brisket) or lean-yet-tender (topside) bite.

Shabu-shabu slices are shaved super thin so that they will cook quickly. Each slice weighs 35g-55g, if you want to do some mental arithmetic on how many slices each person on your guest list might want to eat. We just assume everyone wants at least one tray for himself. 

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Wagyu Sukiyaki Portion
200g-300g+/- per platter (serves 1-2 pax)    

Wagyu beef slices also go into the hotpot for sukiyaki, though some people grill the beef slices beforehand. Pre-packed platters may be the same for shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. Generally, sukiyaki uses slightly thicker slices. Pick up a couple of platters with different cuts if you want to focus on the beef, or more of the same type of cut to focus on the mirin, sake and soy sauce broth.

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Wagyu Yakiniku Portion
100g-200g+/- per platter (serves 1 pax)

Starting at 100 grams, give or take, yakiniku slices come in the lightest portions. These neatly-sliced pieces of Wagyu beef will be grilled at your table.

With each successive slice, you familiarize yourself with the cut. Each platter contains the same cut — rib cap, knuckle, oyster blade, etc.

We also prepare platters with a variety of cuts for the convenience of Wagyu yakiniku fans who want a different taste and texture with each bite.   

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Wagyu Stir Fry Portion
250g+/- per dish (serves 2 pax)

You’ll be stir-frying Wagyu beef with onions, green peppers, or other ingredients, along with some delicious sauce, so to make this worth the effort, it’s better to start with enough Wagyu beef to serve a ‘small portion’ dish at a Chinese restaurant. This is assuming you’ll be making a few courses.

Adjusting the portion weight for how much Wagyu beef you need is as easy as adding 80g for the next name on your guest list. You can buy a whole portion (such as the bolar blade, rib eye or striploin) and slice it in your own kitchen.

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Wagyu Gyudon Portion
300g+/- per shabu-shabu platter (serves 3 pax)

You’re basically stir-frying thin shabu-shabu slices before laying them on top of your bowl of rice in this classic Japanese Beef Bowl. Since you are preparing a delicious concoction of daishi, mirin and soy sauce, you might as well pick up a tray with plenty of Wagyu beef and cook for three. 

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Wagyu Curry or Wagyu Stew Portion
1kg per pot (serves 4 pax)

There’s simple joy found in hacking and bagging up raw meat, but another reason we ought to bring home a kilo of Wagyu beef cubes is to fill up the crockpot and make this all worth our time. As you’ll be spending up to two hours preparing your meal and simmering your stew or curry — still a shorter duration compared to the cooking time for ordinary beef to turn tender, FYI — it’s better to cook a generous pot of Wagyu beef in one session. Not to mention how spices and flavors continue to disperse throughout your stew or curry overnight, so any leftovers you might have will never go to waste! 

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Wagyu Sampler Portion
100g+/- per pax  

You’d like Wagyu beef to feature on your home kitchen menu, but you can’t afford a whole steak for every individual on your invite list or you're not confident that they will eat beef. No problem! Pick up one good Wagyu steak and slice it up when it’s cooked to offer a plate to share like an appetizer.

With our own family and friends, we’ve found this satisfying enough to get a dinner conversation going about eating top steak, without burning a hole in our pocket.

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Ready to Get Some Wagyu Beef Now?

We hope our article has been helpful in guiding you on the amount you should buy. If you’re still unsure of how much Wagyu beef to buy, don’t be shy. Head over to Wmart Supermarket and ask our butchers for recommendations. You can also get in touch with us on the phone, WhatsApp or email.

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