Wagyu beef is a culinary delicacy, translated into English as ‘Japanese cow’. With a rich, butter-like flavor and full to the brim with healthy fats, authentic wagyu is a truly luxurious, high-quality meat, from contenders of the world’s most pampered cattle.
Wagyu burgers are a real thing, albeit rare. The main allure of wagyu beef is its distinct texture, marbling, and tenderness, so after grounding the wagyu meat into burger form, there will be little difference taste-wise from regular beef burgers.
Wagyu is renowned for its juiciness, rich textures, and exotic flavors derived from the abundance of fat specks coating the steak. There remain discussions over whether grounding wagyu meat into burger patties eradicates the luxurious notes, or whether the tenderness and moist nature of wagyu survives being made in patty form.
Where are Wagyu burgers sold?
Tipped to be ‘the next big thing’, wagyu burgers are cropping up around the world. Available in many large grocery stores and restaurants across the US for just a fraction of the cost of wagyu steak, although it’s important to note that wagyu outside of Japan is inevitably of lower quality.
In Japan, wagyu is rated by the Japanese Meat Grading Association (JMGA), based on its fat color, meat color, rib eye shape, size of ribeye area, and IMF%, which refers to its marbling. Japanese wagyu is graded from 1 to 5, as well as A to C based on the yield grade – A5 being the pinnacle of wagyu quality, which can only be achieved by Japanese cattle as wagyu outside of Japan is held to a much lower quality standard.
Wagyu burgers are even being sold in Japan, with one Japanese hotel serving a $946 (¥100,000) 3kg wagyu burger.
Are Wagyu burgers worth it?
The commonly held view is that there is little use grounding wagyu beef into burger form if you plan on sampling the desirable texture, tenderness, and flavors, however, the jury is still out.
Wagyu beef is so sought-after due to its rich marbling which creates its iconic appearance, however, once ground, the marbling in the wagyu patty will not be as evenly distributed or as fine as it is in steak form, and will lose its tenderness, juiciness, and flavors.
The draw-in of wagyu beef is its high-fat content, resulting in buttery-like flavors and incredible tenderness, however, if this is ground into burger form, it creates an incredibly fatty patty, with critics arguing it will be difficult to differentiate between the two, and the high-fat contents may cause the burger to break apart.
Wagyu’s high-fat content is what makes the meat so moist, tender, and flavorful, however, the maximum fat content in any ground beef is 30% by law, with the average ratio being 80% lean to 20% fat to ensure a juicy, flavorful burger. This means the high fat content famous in wagyu beef cannot exist within wagyu beef burgers.
Not only that, wagyu beef is inherently aromatic and flavorsome, and so topping the wagyu patty with pickles, sauces, tomatoes, and a bun may cover up the distinct flavor and exquisite quality which wagyu beef is so known for.
In short, if you want to experience the culinary delight that is wagyu beef, steak is your best option to truly sample the texture, quality, and flavors, however, if you’re on the lookout for a good quality, soft patty, and you’re happy to spend a pretty penny, a wagyu burger may just be your thing.
With that said, there are wagyu burger advocates out there! Due to the extraordinarily quality of wagyu beef, this may ensure a buttery, rich, and fantastically textured patty, surpassing all other burgers.
A potential reason for wagyu-lovers to be left unimpressed by wagyu burgers is the cooking time. Due to the higher fat content, wagyu burgers ought to be served medium-rare, however as most chefs cook patties until they’re well-done, this could cause the elimination of the strong flavors wagyu is known for.
As well as this, due to wagyu’s divine flavors, it is recommended to resist being heavy-handed with the seasonings to avoid masking the taste.
Why are Wagyu steaks so popular?
Wagyu beef is unparalleled in taste, texture, and quality, with the meat finer than almost any other. Priced from $200 per pound, the meat is also prized due to its ethical farming techniques.
As stress has negative effects on the quality of the meat, wagyu cattle are reared in an extremely unique fashion, including vitamin-heavy food, a constant supply of fresh water and even massaging to help circulation and to reduce stress.