Kobe beef steaks

[kinboshi]

If you've not been to Japan, it's pretty unlikely you've actually had a Kobe steak:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

[Graham C]

That's an American article though. I thought we had a  couple of proper farms somewhere in the UK that had cows imported from Japan?  I'm sure I saw it on a program once.  They mentioned it was illegal to export the beef but they found a way to breed their own stock, maybe from embryo and scientific stuff?

[Jon MW]

That's an American article though. I thought we had a  couple of proper farms somewhere in the UK that had cows imported from Japan?  I'm sure I saw it on a program once.  They mentioned it was illegal to export the beef but they found a way to breed their own stock, maybe from embryo and scientific stuff?

It's still not Kobe beef then - just like you can't make Champagne in Kent.

The article is from an American point of view though - I don't think it's illegal for Kobe to be exported, that just suggested it's illegal for it to be imported into the US. It doesn't say anything about the UK or Europe.

[Graham C]

Fair do's

[Geo the Sarge]

According to its own trade group, the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association in Japan, where Kobe Beef is a registered trademark, Macao is the only place it is exported to –

Geo

[Nakor]

THE SEVEN CONDITIONS AUTHENTIC KOBE BEEF MUST FULFILL
Must be pure-bred Tajima calf born in Hyōgo Prefecture
Farm fed only from grains and water from Hyōgo Prefecture
Castrated bull or virgin cow, to purify the beef
Processed at slaughterhouses in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture only
Marbling ratio, called BMS, of level 6 and above
Meat Quality Score of 4 or 5
Gross weight of beef from one animal is 470kg or less

Going by those rules I am guessing its unlikely that anything labelled outside Japan as Kobe is actually authentic.
Most of the UK sites advertising wholesale use Aberdeen Angus cows and "Traditional Japanese rearing methods" and then sell as Kobe - I expect trading standards are already looking into Kobe as a trading name, mis advertising etc.

[Jon MW]

...
Most of the UK sites advertising wholesale use Aberdeen Angus cows and "Traditional Japanese rearing methods" and then sell as Kobe - I expect trading standards are already looking into Kobe as a trading name, mis advertising etc.

I had a quick google and all the top hits for the UK used the term "Kobe style"

[EvilPie]

None of this will bother food snobs.

As long as they can say they've eaten a Kobe steak and it cost a lot they'll be happy.

[MrDickie]

I think its reared and sold over here as Wagyu Beef.

http://freedownfood.co.uk/wagyubeef.aspx

"4 x 8oz Wagyu Sirloin Steaks for just £99.99 including delivery" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Woodsey]

I think its reared and sold over here as Wagyu Beef.

http://freedownfood.co.uk/wagyubeef.aspx

"4 x 8oz Wagyu Sirloin Steaks for just £99.99 including delivery" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't think that is quite the same as Kobe as I was going to mention that. But that is what you see on the menu's here most of the time.

[rex008]

Read part 2 of the article about Wagyu steak.

Part 3 is interesting too. Lots of stuff I didn't know - the regional designation thing is pretty much a worldwide agreement that has been around for >100 years. But the USA has NEVER signed up to it. Article makes the point that USA jumps up and down when it comes to intellectual property theft (music, electronics, etc), but when it comes to food branding theft, they are by far the worst offenders (Champagne, Kobe beef, named cheeses, etc, can all be domestically produced).

Interesting stuff.

[Jon MW]

None of this will bother food snobs.

As long as they can say they've eaten a Kobe steak and it cost a lot they'll be happy.

It will bother them if other people know they're lying.

My boss knows a few food snobs - he says he's going to enjoy laughing at them if they ever make a claim for eating Kobe which they can't back up.

[Marky147]

How strange, I read that same article a couple days ago on Vegas Message Board and can only imagine the storm that's gonna kick up all over the states

[corkeye]

I bought both wagyu burgers and a wagyu rib eye about 6 weeks ago. Both unreal,  but especially the rib eye. It was marbelled with fat, and when i griddled it, there was like a caramellised layer across the outside and the meat melted in the mouth. It was pretttty pricey though, and I think i'll pick some more up for my dads b'day or some other special occasion as there's no way I can afford the price once a month!!

The rib eye was labelled somewhere in south america i can't remember which country, the burgers were from uk. Both came to my door frozen.

I think they artificially inseminate the same kobe 'genetics' all over the world and breed them in the same way ( massage the meat, feed them beer) and then sell it as wagyu.

[Marky147]

I bought both wagyu burgers and a wagyu rib eye about 6 weeks ago. Both unreal,  but especially the rib eye. It was marbelled with fat, and when i griddled it, there was like a caramellised layer across the outside and the meat melted in the mouth. It was pretttty pricey though, and I think i'll pick some more up for my dads b'day or some other special occasion as there's no way I can afford the price once a month!!

The rib eye was labelled somewhere in south america i can't remember which country, the burgers were from uk. Both came to my door frozen.

I think they artificially inseminate the same kobe 'genetics' all over the world and breed them in the same way ( massage the meat, feed them beer) and then sell it as wagyu.

I think you just got you some expensive steak

All the myths about cows getting massages and drinking beer while listening to classical music are just that, myths, but nonetheless real Kobe beef is produced under some of the world’s strictest legal food standards, whereas “domestic Kobe” beef production, along with that in Australia and South America, is as regulated as the Wild West.

In Japan, to be Kobe requires a pure lineage of Tajima-gyu breed cattle (not any old Japanese breed crossbred with American cattle as is the norm here). The animal must also have been born in Hyogo prefecture and thus raised on the local grasses and water and terroir its entire life.

It must be a bull or virgin cow, and it takes considerably longer to raise a Tajima-gyu for consumption than most other breeds, adding to the cost. It must be processed in a Hyogo slaughterhouse – none of which export to the US – and then pass a strict government grading exam.

There are only 3000 head of certified Kobe Beef cattle in the world, and none are outside Japan. The process is so strict that when the beef is sold, either in stores or restaurants, it must carry the 10-digit identification number so customers know what particular Tajima-gyu cow it came from.