You shouldn't be afraid, practice on some lowly angus prime 2" thick rib eyes first and build some confidence. I am in Chicago, I'd be more than happy to man the grill for you. You just buy the steaks ......and the wine.
My performance isn't consistant enough and I've a high horsepower grill to boot. I'd do fine until that $$$ piece of meat hit the grill. "lowly" prime? Appreciate the sacrificial offer though.
Per Wiki: "...contrary to popular belief, the cattle are not fed beer, and they are not massaged with sake. They are fed on grain fodder and brushed sometimes for setting fur..."
Fine...I'll bring the wine. Anytime you're in the city, check out Olympic/ia Meats on Randolph. All they sell is Prime grade Angus, just go in and tell them what you want and how thick and they'll slide it through the bandsaw. As close to wholesale that I've seen - definitely beats Wholefoods! I picked up 4 - 2" thick ribeye tomahawks that just about blue me away for less than one damn Kobe/Waygu. I'll take that deal any day of the week.
Zier's in Wilmette also has a good selection. Check this thread out: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=13460&hilit=zier%27s
LTHforum is awesome, a must for anyone in the Chicagoland area that loves food and all things food related!
Answering my own question - Lobel's in NY has American Wagyu, plus a primer on Wagyu in general. Lobel's reputation is fantastic, so one should feel comfortable ordering from them. I may treat myself and do just do that...
Probably wasn't the "real Kobe", but had one at Pappa's Steakhouse and it was damn good. Melted in my mouth. Maybe it tasted better because I didn't pay for it.
As I understand it the only "true" Kobe beef is from the Japanese Brown variant of the Wagyu cow, slaughtered at roughly 3 years of age and on a grain diet for the last year or so before slaughtering. Similar to "real" Champagne only comes from the Champagne Province of France. Everything else is sparkling wine. Despite efforts by the Japanese government to prevent the exportation of Wagyu cattle for decades, there exists herds around the world including the US. Japan prevents the importation of this beef into Japan however. Anyway, I'm sure the Wagyu beef outside of Japan is very similar if not identical, at a fraction of the cost of the "real" thing. In Japan this stuff can be $200/pound!
It's not so much the cow variant - they are ALL Wagyu, it's where it comes from. So your analogy of Champagne is correct. You can create something in the same vein / style as "champagne", but if it's made anywhere else but that region, it's sparkling wine. Wagyu originated in the UK IIRC. It's been raised in America since the demand has risen and Japan can only produce so much. Great primer at Lobel's: http://www.lobels.com/store/wagyuMain_whatis.aspx
Grown, butchered, and to your door from Texas. http://www.heartbrandbeef.com/?page=shop/history Interesting history on the company and how it came to fruition. Enjoy.
While the stuff at SRF looks mighty good, it doesn't look like the steak I had while I was in Kobe. None of the links really do. Hop a flight to Osaka, and take the jetfoil boat to Kobe. I suggest staying in the Portopia hotel. Visit the earthquake landmark. And then get some REAL Kobe beef.
Depends on how it's rated per the marbling / fat content. If you read the link on Lobel's they tell you what the scale is, and how the American variant tends to be. Lobel's reputation is impeccable, and while they admit their Wagyu isn't quite as high as some of the Kobe-region Wagyu, they say the taste is imperceptible to most palates. FWIW.
I laugh every time I hear about Lobel's. My wife's boss has the office over to his house once a year and he grills Lobel's steaks. For hours all I heard was how great these steaks were only to have him destroy each and everyone. He took some seriously good looking meat and grilled them so well done my dog would have turned it away. He's repeated his catastrophe every year she's been at his office. It's a shame. Mark
