Nobody enjoys grilling season like I do. It is my favorite cooking method because I am almost always surrounded by people I love (or at least whose company I enjoy) while at it. There are many ways of grilling wagyu depending on the cut. For instance, Chef Andrew Whitney, in a Forbes article, claims that reverse searing method is the best way of grilling American Wagyu. Since it has vast, intermascular marbling, reverse searing allows the internal fat in American Wagyu to render slowly.
Depending on where you buy your Wagyu steak, you may be lucky to get chef notes with preparation and grilling tips that will guide you on the best grilling method for the particular meat cut. If your equally clueless local grocer is all you have, you are at the right place. Do yourself a favor and try the recipe below, while paying keen attention to the top tips on how to grill Wagyu Tomahawk steak.
You only need three ingredients to make this juicy tomahawk steak:
Although medium rare is the most recommended doneness for Wagyu tomahawk steak, you can grill it to your preferred doneness. Rare Wagyu should be done in 18 to 20 minutes, medium rare, 20 to 22 minutes, medium 22 to 24 minutes, and medium well 24 to 26 minutes, depending on the steak’s thickness. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. 130 degrees Fahrenheit is the correct temperature for medium rare Wagyu steak.
Wagyu Tomahawk steak is Tomahawk steak cut from a Wagyu cow. Wagyu is a breed of premium world class cattle originating from Japan. The highly prized meat cut has a pink appearance and a tender taste because of its well-distributed fat cells.
According to an article by Forbes, Wagyu is highly coveted with a premium price tag because of the incredible amount of care that goes into is production. The cows are carefully bred for physical endurance, so they can gain the most intra-muscular fat cells. What’s more, the Japanese government is fully involved in its production to maintain top quality and value.
Although traveling to Japan to eat Wagyu sounds like an adventure of a lifetime experience, you can enjoy the prime beef almost anywhere. Different countries including America have ranchers raising and producing the finest Wagyu that is more affordable than Japanese Wagyu. According to Washington Post, there are about 4000 Wagyu cattle in the US currently, yet 5 years ago they were only 100. Nonetheless, Japanese Wagyu and American Wagyu are different because of the environments and the difference in how the cows are raised. Wagyu raised out of Japan is rarely full-blooded Japanese Wagyu.
The Japanese Wagyu tomahawk steak is famed for its high levels of marbling. The Japan Meat Grading Association grades and assesses the meat based on marbling, firmness, texture, meat color and brightness, quality of fat, and luster. The grading scores range from 1 to 5. The a4 and a5 Wagyu tomahawk steak are the most common in America because Japan only exports the top scores to the US.
The Japanese Wagyu has a buttery, slightly sweet flavor with the perfect amount of umami. The American Wagyu, on the other hand, is also melt-in-the-mouth delicious and highly marbled, but not as much as the Japanese Wagyu.