Most of us are staying inside because of the pandemic. It might be months before we can dine-in at a restaurant safely again, but that doesn’t mean we can’t eat luxurious Wagyu beef. In fact, this may just be the perfect time to shop for some premium beef and unleash your inner chef!

Unlike commercial beef, you don’t have to marinade Wagyu beef for hours before cooking it (except for yakitori-style skewers) or use a meat tenderizer. With its copious marbling, Wagyu beef is naturally tender and flavourful. A Wagyu steak is pretty simple to cook in the frying pan, and it tastes best with minimal seasoning.

We’ve put together a guide that tells you which beef cut works best for which dish. Whether you are craving steak, grilled meat, hot pot or your favourite stir-fry, we’ve got you covered.

A Quick Guide to Cuts & Dishes

Shabu-Shabu

Recommended Cuts: Hot Pot Slices, Brisket, Chuck Roll, Neck, Gyudon, Knuckle, Outside Flat, Rib Cap, Ribeye, Short Plate, Short Rib, Shoulder Clod, Top Round

If you have never eaten Wagyu beef before, shabu-shabu is the very first dish you should try according to Tetsuya Okuda, our Iga Wagyu cattle farmer. You can buy ready-to-cook Wagyu beef platters. Make a pot of dashi broth, prepare some Ponzu sauce and accompanying ingredients, and dip your Wagyu beef into your hot pot.

Teppanyaki Steak

Recommended Cuts: Chuck Eye, Chuck Flap (Zabuton), Knuckle, Oyster Blade, Ribeye, Rump Cap, Striploin, Tenderloin 

Butter-soft, juicy Wagyu steak is one of the finest dinners you can enjoy at home. Boneless Wagyu steak is surprisingly quick and easy to cook in the frying pan (check out our guides on how to cook Wagyu steaks). We recommend cooking your steaks medium rare to medium for optimum succulence.

Yakiniku

Recommended Cuts: Brisket, Chuck Flap, Chuck Tender, Eye Round, Flank, Flap Meat, Knuckle, Outside Flat, Oyster Blade, Rib Cap, Ribeye, Shin, Short Rib, Shoulder Clod, Tri-Tip, Top Round

Yakiniku is Japanese barbeque and to grill Wagyu beef, you’ll need slightly thicker slices instead of the thinly sliced meat for hot pot. Our Wagyu beef platters have ready-to-grill yakiniku slices, or buy your preferred cut to prepare your own slices. When it’s time for action, owning a griddle is handy, but grilling or pan-frying your Wagyu beef slices works as well.

Sukiyaki

Recommended Cuts: Short Rib, Knuckle, Outside Flat, Rib Cap, Ribeye, Striploin

If you’re craving hot pot with a richer and sweeter sauce, try sukiyaki. Grab a platter of thin Wagyu beef slices, or slice your own cut (a little thicker than 1mm, which is for shabu-shabu). Add mushrooms (shimeji, enoki, shiitake), grilled tofu, onions and some noodles like shirataki. To go with tradition, dip your beef slice into a bowl of beaten raw egg before eating it.

Stir-Fry

Recommended Cuts: Chuck Eye, Knuckle, Outside Flat, Oyster Blade, Ribeye, Striploin, Topside

Cook your favourite Chinese dishes with the most tender stir-fry strips. You don’t have to worry about velveting your beef to prevent them from turning out rubbery. This is where our Champion Wagyu Beef meets the King of Meat. For Japanese-style stir-fries, try gyudon (rice bowl topped with beef and onions) or chinjao rosu (beef and green pepper stir-fry).

Katsu & Katsu Sando

Recommended Cuts: Oyster Blade, Ribeye, Striploin, Tenderloin

For katsu, a cutlet of Wagyu beef is coated with flaky panko breadcrumbs and fried, then served with a drizzle of tangy sauce. The breading seals the beefy flavours while also giving it a crunchy bite. Put your crispy Wagyu katsu between two slices of Japanese milk bread and turn it into Katsu Sando, one of the most decadent sandwiches served in restaurants today.

Sushi & Sashimi

Recommended Cuts: Ribeye, Striploin, Tenderloin

Love rolling your own sushi at home? Try topping your nigiri with seared Wagyu beef. It can be prepared with white leek, sansho seasoning and ginger. If you want to be truly adventurous, eat your Wagyu beef raw. Wagyu beef sashimi can be served with ponzu sauce instead of shoyu and wasabi.

Yakitori / Kushiyaki

Recommended Cuts: Bolar Blade, Inside Skirt, Ribeye, Rump Heart, Short Rib, Striploin, Tenderloin

Kushiyaki would be the more accurate term here since it’s Wagyu beef skewers we’re talking about. This is the only dish you’d want to season your Wagyu beef beforehand with a soy sauce-based marinade. It only takes 2 minutes to grill your Wagyu beef cubes. Enjoy the most tender satay beef, Japanese-style!

Burgers

Craving for some comfort food? We’ve got Wagyu burger patties! Having a higher fat content means they should be cooked quickly (3-4 minutes) on medium high flames and also best served medium rare. If you have been cooking well done burger patties, resist the temptation and turn off the fire earlier this round. Wagyu burger patties can also be cooked in the oven.

Croquettes

For a fun side dish or snack, consider ‘wagyu korokke’. It is Wagyu beef and mashed potatoes coated with flaky panko breadcrumbs. We sell ready-to-cook Wagyu croquettes. Wagyu croquettes are fried quickly over 3-4 minutes.

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We hope that we’ve given you some ideas on what you can do with Wagyu beef as you stay safe at home. Once you’re ready to head outside, and have mastered cooking Wagyu beef, make this artisan beef part of a bento!

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