The “massaged with sake” thing is a myth.
That’s true.
I just wanted to add the following. The two most important factors that make brand beef what it is are the pedigree and the quality rating. That’s why even if a piece of meat isn’t recognised as Kobe, or Omi or whatever, but has a high ranking it’s likely to be at least almost as good.
Government inspectors decide the quality ranks but you can also make your own judgement by looking at a piece of meat at the butcher’s. Here’s a Japanese page that has pictures showing the various BMS marbling grades. In the case of Matsuzaka beef, only grades 8 to 12 are accepted. Kobe is a bit more lenient and accepts anything above 6. That’s why I linked to the pictures of American-raised and true Kobe beef. The marbling is the easiest way to assess the “Kobe-ness” of beef.
The complete grading process includes four factors:
-Marbling
-Meat colour
-Fat colour
-Consistency
Jovan, further to AndrewT’s question:
I had ate at a restaurant here in Sydney and ordered Kobe steak. The waiter said it was raised on Guiness beer. Is this for real?
Why do Japaneese go for the marbling?
I don’t think it would make that much sense. Guiness is more expensive than local brews. I’ve got a magazine article that features an interview with one of the top Matsuzaka beef producers. There’s a picture of him bottle-feeding his best cow Kirin beer. He also mentions that he vapourises shochu (a kind of Japanese alcohol) on the cows’ coats before brushing them. So there’s a grain of truth in the sake massage myth.
It’s not just the Japanese. Well-marbled beef is the choice of gourmets the world over. High-quality Japanese beef just has a higher fat content than western beef. I suppose the main reason is that it’s better suited for Japanese dishes. Shabu-shabu isn’t that great with regular meat, but then again even some of the best Matuzaka beef doesn’t taste that amazing when it’s used in western-style dishes.
To prepare fine-sliced beef at home.
Quality Japanese beef is usually sold in small squarish cuts. To prepare it for traditional presentation, it is frozen, then cut fine when it is partially defrosted.
There is no way to get that consistent, fine cut slice with room temperature beef.