Kobe Beef is not a breed
Kobe Beef is not a "breed" of cattle that comes from Kobe, but rather Tajima-gyu, a type of black-haired Wagyu that comes from Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. in the late 1800's, when Kobe became the first open port in Japan, many foreigners migrated there and were amazed at the deliciousness of the locally-raised Tajima-gyu beef that spread by word of mouth. Many foreigners were amazed by the deliciousness of the local beef, which was then passed down by word of mouth, and gradually became the internationally recognized Japanese Wagyu beef.
After the popularity of Tajima Beef, Kobe established the Kobe Beef Association in 1983 as an organization to promote the distribution of Kobe Beef. Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council, and set a series of standards to strictly control the quality of beef, to maintain the reputation, only through the most rigorous benchmarks, but the horse cattle can come to the market as a "brand" of Kobe Beef.
A certified Kobe cow is stamped with the "Noguchiku" seal of approval.
Kobe Beef Standards
1. Breeding
Kobe Beef is produced in Hyogo Prefecture, and has a pure bloodline of Tajima cattle from the Edo period of Japan to the Golden Age, and is a female cow that hasn't given birth to a child, and a castrated male bull to avoid the smell of milk in the beef.
2. Breeding process
It must be raised in Hyogo Prefecture by a registered producer recognized by the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council, and it can only be slaughtered, processed, and shipped in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Mita, Kakogawa, and Himeji Cities in Hyogo Prefecture.
3. Grading
After slaughtering, Japanese Wagyu cattle are first categorized in the grading of the Japan Meat Graters' Association (JMGA), and only Tajima cattle that have achieved a certain high score can be called Kobe cattle. We recommend you to read first: Japanese Wagyu Beef Grading.
? Yield Grade: A or B grade or higher is required.
? Meat Quality Grade: Each of the four items of 1 to 5 points must be at least 4 in the ratio of oil flower and texture distribution, meat color, muscle texture and firmness, and fat quality and color.
? BMS Grade: At least No.6 out of 12 grades representing the percentage of oil flower.
4. Carcass Weight
After slaughtering, removing the skin, head and viscera and other parts of the cattle, the females need to be between 230kg to 470kg, castrated cows 260kg to 470kg. but the average weight of the horse cattle itself (400kg) is lighter than the other Wagyu cattle ( 450kg), and if the carcass is too heavy, the meat quality will be poorer.
▲Each certified Kobe cow has a certificate of identity. (Source)
How to raise Kobe cows
Pure Danish cows born at producers designated by the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council are individually registered, and sold to designated breeders for fattening up after they reach nine months of age: the cows are fed strictly screened dry straw and a nutritious mix of grains such as soybeans, corn, and wheat and drink clean water, and grow in a healthy environment without stress. stressful and healthy environment for weight gain and meat quality management.
However, horse cattle usually need to be fed 2 to 4 months longer than ordinary black-haired Wagyu cattle, and reach the age of 30 to 32 months, which is the closest to the ideal quality of meat, and then they can be slaughtered, and then graded and judged according to the JMGA, and then the final selection of beef can be labeled with the brand of "Kobe Beef". Because of the considerable attention to breed, breeding methods, so that the Kobe cattle marbling (Marbling) distribution of uniform and beautiful, as delicate as snowflakes, called "frost" beef; fat melting point than the general Wagyu a lot lower than just put on the tongue will melt in the mouth, so that it is known as the world's most delicious beef!
The detailed oil splashes of Kobe beef.
Common ways to eat Kobe Beef
The higher the grade of beef, the simpler the cooking techniques and seasoning, the more delicious the ingredients themselves! Common ways to eat Kobe Beef include slicing it into thick slices and pan-frying it or making it into teppanyaki, slicing it thinly and grilling it on the barbecue and sukiyaki, or even making it into beef sashimi and eating it raw.
There are also some burgers on the market that use "Kobe Beef" as a gimmick, and while it is certainly cheaper, it's highly recommended that you don't taste Kobe Beef in this way! (Provided that the store really uses Kobe beef) because Kobe beef is best known for its fat, tender meat fat and special flavor, and after chopping the minced meat is completely let the original flavor is destroyed!
Recognize the label before you eat:
Because Kobe Beef is certified very strictly, it is the most stringent of the three major Wagyu cattle, making Kobe Beef's share of the Japanese beef market only 0.16%, which is quite a low percentage, and it is a very rare and high-grade beef. It is recommended that you check online before eating to see if there is a store registered with the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council, or look for a store with a certified signboard in order to eat the most authentic Kobe beef.