Striploin Wagyu, Japanese Kagoshima, BMS 10 A5

Striploin Steak is renowned as the most versatile of all classic cuts and is a juicy steak with rich flavor. It is characterized by large, dense muscle fibers and low intramuscular fat content.
It is located at the rear of the beef back, adjoining the Short Loin. It is cut from a tenderloin end in the lumbar region of the animal, beyond the 13th rib.
It is ideal for grilling over charcoal or on another cooking surface. The ideal doneness is medium (cook first over high heat, then over low heat). This steak is best seasoned with just salt and pepper, so nothing interferes with the flavor of the meat.

The history of Wagyu, then, begins sometime in the late 19th century, when Emperor Meiji the Great regained power. From then on, Japan began to develop, transforming from an insular, feudal state into an industrializing superpower. With the restoration of imperial rule, a period of reform (Westernization) began in the country; Japanese customs and eating habits changed. The ban on eating meat was lifted, and beef gained a place in Japanese cuisine. After 1868, as many Japanese became familiar with European and North American customs and daily practices, eating beef became fashionable in major cities. Encouraging this consumption can be seen as part of the new regime’s efforts to reshape the Japanese physique in a way that would be more appealing to Western eyes, thereby facilitating Japan’s entry into the ranks of countries with a higher average height than Japan. To promote this goal, the government supported beef production and consumption. In 1871, it abolished the monopoly on meat production held by hereditary groups, and in 1872 it made public both the emperor’s position and the essay “On Eating Meat” by the thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi, as well as related discussions among intellectuals, promoting literary depictions of new ways of life. Thus, although Wagyu beef was developed and is raised in Japan, its incorporation into Japanese cuisine is, in fact, clear proof of Western influence on Japanese customs, marking a significant turning point in Japanese history. 

In the 1880s, the Japanese decided to import cattle from European breeds and crossbreed them with Japanese cattle. In this way, the old working breeds evolved into beef breeds. Several cattle breeds emerged from these crosses, and they still dominate Japan’s beef trade today. Of these, however, only four breeds are truly Wagyu:

Japanese Black | The Japanese Black breed; its meat is prized for its intense marbling. Since 90% of Wagyu cattle come from the Japanese Black breed, when someone says “Wagyu,” they usually mean Japanese Black cattle. 
Japanese Brown | The Japanese Brown breed, a leaner, healthier cattle breed known for the mild flavor of its meat. 
Japanese Shorthorn | Japanese Shorthorn. Although it is also lean, Japanese Shorthorn beef is rich in inosinic acid and glutamic acid, two valuable acids that give it a more savory flavor. 
Japanese Polled | Japanese Polled: With lean meat like Brown and Shorthorn, Japanese Polled beef is known for its more pleasant texture and rich, meaty flavor.

In the beginning, there was a black cow
Everything you need to know about Wagyu beef and especially Kobe beef  
“Wagyu” refers to any cattle raised in Japan or… in the Japanese way. In a loose translation, Wagyu means “Japanese cattle” (“Wa” means Japanese or Japanese-style, and “gyu” means cow or cattle in general). Simply put, “Wagyu” means “Japanese cow.” For Wagyu beef to be classified as Kobe, it must come from a very special member of the Wagyu breed, called Tajima-Gyu, raised under strict protocols in Hyogo Prefecture.  As Wagyu beef was often transported from Kobe to Yokohama – the commercial port in the Tokyo metropolitan area – it became highly prized by the foreigners living there. Its admirers are also responsible for the slogan: “What other, Kobe beef!” 

But what makes Wagyu stand out from other types of cattle? And what makes Kobe beef so special that it often commands some of the highest prices per kilo on the market? 
Ranchers who raise Wagyu cattle take exceptional care of them. They feed them milk until they are 3 months old. After three months, the calves are fed a mix of grass, rice straw, and grains (corn, soybeans, and wheat). Kobe cattle have the same diet as all other Wagyu, but each farm varies the feed it gives its cattle slightly. In addition to corn or cornmeal, which is essential, they add oats, wheat, barley, soybeans, and even sugarcane silage or cocoa nibs (fragments of the seeds inside the cocoa pod). Most animals also eat straw and hay, as they would in their natural habitats. It is worth mentioning that in recent years, two ranchers, one in Japan and one in the Netherlands, have adopted a different diet enriched with a tasty, digestible, and safe paste made from pure olive pulp, sourced from roasted olive mill “waste.” 

It is sometimes said that farmers massage their cattle to relieve muscle tension caused by confined spaces.  
There are many myths surrounding the raising of Wagyu. It is said that they live in spa-like conditions, are given “gourmet” feed, are massaged with beer and made to listen to classical music to help them relax. Although none of these myths has been debunked, that does not mean they are the norm. Producers follow very strict breeding guidelines, and some have indeed devised special methods that allow Wagyu to live leisurely, peaceful lives. They may listen to music, but it is not necessary. What is certain is that the cattle’s calm, leisurely lifestyle helps increase their intramuscular fat (marbling) and contributes to its unique distribution, which makes Wagyu beef so delicious and sought-after. Its “marbling” - the fine, white streaks of fat that melt as the meat cooks - help it remain tender, juicy and therefore flavorful. And because its fat has a melting point lower than the average human body temperature, it melts pleasantly in the mouth. 

Part of its appeal is its aroma, a unique, sweet coconut fragrance. A relatively recent study in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry identified sixteen compounds that give it this distinctive scent, ten of which are directly associated with the meat. The strongest evidence, however, comes from compounds derived from fatty acids.  The excess fat, its distribution and the different composition of the fatty acids are due, on the one hand, to a genetic trait of this particular cattle breed, as well as to its diet, which allows the intramuscular fat to reach 30 - 40 % of the muscle’s volume, and, on the other hand, to the fact that the calves continue to be raised until they are 30 months old.  

Marbling: The defining difference of Wagyu  
The result of these breeding methods, combined with longer finishing periods, are the key factors behind the superior flavor of Wagyu meat. Marbling gives Wagyu its better flavor. Its fat melts at a lower temperature than that of any other breed of cattle, resulting in a rich, buttery flavor not found in meat from other breeds. This fat is unsaturated and rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which means marbling not only makes it tastier, but healthier too. Despite the breed’s genetically increased predisposition to developing intramuscular fat, Wagyu also produces a high proportion of unsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which balance the corresponding proportion of omega-6 fatty acids and therefore help reduce bad cholesterol and combat heart disease. 

Quality grading of Wagyu beef 
Another very important factor that determines Wagyu quality is its grade. In some specialty butcher shops or on the menus of high-end steak restaurants, you’ll usually see an A5 rating. This is the grade assigned to the meat by members of the Japan Meat Grading Association. The grades, marked with letters from A to C, refer to the percentage yield of high-quality meat from each cow. A is the highest yield grade and C the lowest. Each letter is followed by a number (from 1-5), which indicates the quality grade: 5 is excellent, 4 is good, 3 is average, 2 is below average, and 1 is poor.  
The meat is assessed using four criteria:  
1. Marbling (the distribution of intramuscular fat in the meat) 
2. The color of the meat, along with its brightness 
3. The firmness and texture of the meat  
4. The color, along with the fat’s luster and quality  

As for the «Sashi» categories (i.e. marbling, in Japanese), there is also a further rating system, the Beef Marble Score (BMS), graded from 1-12. 
According to the BMS, exceptional intramuscular fat is rated between 8-12, good quality from 5-7, medium from 3-4, the next lowest level at 2, and the lowest at 1. So A5 is the highest-quality Japanese Wagyu, and therefore the most expensive. The best score an A5 could receive is A5-12, though this is extremely rare. By understanding how this rating system works, you can buy or order at a restaurant the meat you want, at a price that suits you. 
All these facts help explain, in a way, why in countries such as the United States, the cost of the finest Wagyu steaks easily exceeds $300.  
After all, a (live) Wagyu cow can cost as much as $30,000. In 2002, a Wagyu cow sold in Japan for around $400,000. It was a record, and remains the highest price ever paid for such a cow. 

And Wagyu burgers?  
Is it really worth ordering a Wagyu burger? I’d say probably not. All the appeal of Wagyu beef lies in its distinctive texture, excellent marbling and tenderness. So, if the meat is ground and made into patties or burgers, it may be tender, but the difference in taste compared with any other (regular) burger will be slight to barely noticeable.