For Meat Lovers: 3 Wagyu Beef Recipes

There’s nothing better than cooking high-quality meat and allowing it to stew in its flavor. Hence if you have a portion of Wagyu in the fridge, it’s time to feast. Wagyu is a highly sought-after luxury meat from Japan. Unlike most American beef, Wagyu has a buttery texture, copious marbling, and is incredibly juicy.

The process of obtaining Wagyu is very complex. These cows are grown on natural organic feed, allowed to thrive in the fields, and kept away from steroids, making them bulk up naturally. As a result, when the meat is procured, it has the highest quality taste and texture. So to do justice to this fine beef, here are some recipes worth exploring:

The Ultimate Wagyu and Mushroom Pie

Meat pies make for excellent comfort food. If you’re looking for a quick fix for dinner or want a tasty addition to your social gatherings, you can never go wrong with a pie. One slice of well-cooked meat covered in mushroom gravy will make you want to lick off your plate clean. So if you have vegetables like carrots and onions lying around and you feel like making them into a pie, make sure you know where to buy wagyu beef for a reasonable cost and convert these raw ingredients into a five-star meal:

1. Start by heating the oven to 150 degrees Celsius or about 302 Fahrenheit. Add 720 grams of diced Wagyu and 2 ½ tsp fine salt in a bowl, then toss it through ¼ cup of flour. Once the meat is uniformly covered, you need to pan-fry the beef in batches in 2 Tbsp of rice bran oil until the Wagyu browns.
2. When the meat is cooked, pour it into a deep casserole dish and set it aside. As the Wagyu rests, focus on making the rest of the pie’s filling. In the same pan, add one large diced onion, fry it for a few seconds, followed by a finely diced small carrot and two cloves of finely chopped garlic. Since the mixture is dry, you’ll need to add about 1 Tbsp butter, so your vegetables don’t burn and develop a rich flavor. Stir the vegetables over medium heat for at least five minutes.
3. Pour about one cup of red wine or dark ale. Allow the wine to reduce to half; once you reach this stage, turn off the heat and add your prepared concoction to the cooked beef. After you add the vegetables to the casserole dish, add about 1 ½ cups of beef stock. You can substitute this for marmite, vegemite, or miso paste. Then top it up with a can of 400g of chopped tomatoes.
4. Don’t forget to add your herbs for a deep flavor profile. Be sure to chop up about 2 tsp of fresh thyme and 1 tsp of chopped fresh rosemary. If you have dried-up versions of these herbs, add about ½ tsp of each. Once you’ve sprinkled these herbs generously, pour in about 3 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsp of mustard.
5. After adding all these ingredients to your casserole dish, cover it with a disc of baking paper or a cartouche to push down on the meat and the gravy. This will develop the flavor of the meat pie as it cooks. With the lid on top, insert the casserole dish into the oven and cook it for about two and a half hours. When the filling hits this mark, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. Now dice about 2 ½ cups of any mushroom of your choice and cook them in 3 Tbsp of olive oil over a large frying pan on high heat until they caramelize. Season it generously with black pepper and then add it to the meat filling to the browned mixture.
6. The last stage is preparing the pastry. You’ll need to grease a deep pie dish and roll out about 500 g of shortcrust dough or flaky puff. Fit the pastry into the utensil, and add the meat filling. Use the rest of the dough to make the top; as you align it against the container, press the edges to join it with the base pastry and trim off the excess.
7. You’ll need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 392 degrees Fahrenheit. To make the egg wash, whisk one egg yolk in one tbsp of water with a pinch of salt. Thinly coat the top of the pie and the edges; before you put it into the oven, poke holes on the top with a knife or a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake the pie for about 40 minutes or until it’s golden brown.

2. The Tantalizing Wagyu Brisket in BBQ Sauce

You can never go wrong with a brisket served with BBQ sauce. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Measure about one Wagyu brisket over a set of kitchen scales; the weight of the brisket influences cooking time. Once you know how much the brisket weighs, place it on a roasting pan with the fat side upwards. Make sure the rack is about 20 cm below the grill in your oven, and plop in the brisket. You’ll need to grill the brisket for about twenty minutes or until it’s nicely caramelized but be careful since the brisket can split and fall into the grill.
2. After the brisket is browned, remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it to fan-bake at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Then in a bowl, combine two finely chopped onions, about 2 tbsp of American mustard or 1 tsp of mustard powder, followed by 2 cups of tomato sauce and 2 ½ cups of water. Followed by 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white vinegar, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 3 Tbsp salt, and then crush about six to eight cloves of garlic. Mix all of these ingredients thoroughly and add them to the brisket.
3. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Depending on the weight of the brisket, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. It takes one hour to cook one kilogram or roughly 2.2 pounds of meat. So if you have a 4.5 kg brisket or 9.9 lbs of Wagyu brisket, you’ll need about 4 to 5 hours to cook it thoroughly. If you aren’t sure how much beef you have, cook it for 4 ½ to 5 hours.
4. Once the brisket is cooked, remove it from the oven, and leave it to cool for an hour. Afterward, transfer the brisket to a chopping board while allowing the juices from the Wagyu beef to stew in the pan. Slice the brisket across the grain into 5 to 7 mm strips and add it back to the pan, soaking it in the concoction. Use a spoon to spread the juice over the top of the brisket and cover it up.
5. If you plan on serving it right away, you’ll need to reheat the brisket at 160 degrees Celsius or 320 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then allow it to rest for 15 to thirty minutes. But if you’re planning on letting the brisket rest overnight, which is highly preferable, place the covered roasting pan into the fridge. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 Fahrenheit when you’re ready to eat. Make sure you get rid of the layer of fat which will form on top, ensuring you don’t scoop out any juice. Cover the brisket up again and cook in the oven for an hour. You can check if the brisket is done if the meat thermometer reads 65 degrees Celsius or 149 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. All you have left is to remove it from the oven and let it cook down for fifteen to thirty minutes.

Final Thoughts

Wagyu beef is a Japanese delicacy that makes for a delicious meal. If you’re a fan of this top-tier meat, you’ll enjoy converting it into a mouthwatering meal.