Best Beef in the World: Your Wagyu Questions Answered.

Wagyu beef has come to be known as the best beef in the world. Anyone can taste the difference in this extremely tender and flavorful beef versus American beef but many are still left with questions.

What is Wagyu? How is it different from Kobe?

Wagyu is a Japanese word meaning “Japanese Cow”. Kobe is a city in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. Kobe beef is to Japan as Bordeaux wine is to France. It gets its name from the region in which it is created. Wagyu beef is produced from the same genetics as Kobe beef and yields beef with high levels of marbling and tenderness. American and Japanese Wagyu are raised in much the same way. The cattle are grass fed and subjected to a low stress environment. The differences between American and Japanese Wagyu are much like the differences between a French Bordeaux and a Californian Cabernet. They are grown in different environments. The climate, soil and grass found in Japan cannot be recreated in a natural environment in South Texas. Though the bloodlines are the same these environmental differences lead to variation in the beef produced by these different regions.

A Brief History of Wagyu in America

Wagyu came to America in 1994 due to a loophole in the trade act of 1992 which allowed some creative American ranchers to put 8 cows and 3 bulls on a Boeing 747. Although you may be able to get Japanese beef today they no longer allow the export of Japanese cattle. Since then the bloodline has spread through cross breading, typically with Angus cattle. Cattle with 50% of more Wagyu genetics can be called Wagyu.

At Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse OKC we serve only 100% Akaushi Wagyu and 100% Japanese Wagyu.

What makes Wagyu special?

Breeding over generations has selected for cattle with more intra-muscular fat cells known as “marbling”. It provides the unique and delicious taste and tenderness for which Wagyu beef is known. Studies have also shown that the mono-unsaturated to saturated fat ratio is higher in Wagyu than in other beef. The saturated fat is does contain is also different. It contains 40% stearic acid, known to have little effect on raising cholesterol levels.

This means you experience a more flavorful and tender steak that is also considerably healthier than American beef.

What kind of Wagyu does Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse have?

We endeavor daily to bring you the best steakhouse experience Oklahoma has to offer. In doing so we have amassed the best selection of Wagyu beef in the Southwest US.

We feature American Akaushi (Japanese Red) Wagyu from South Texas and Japanese Wagyu from Miyazaki, Japan in a variety of cuts.

For a truly unique experience we recommend trying one of our carving boards. With this option you can compare and contrast these different types of beef. We have preselected some exceptional cuts of Akaushi and Japanese Wagyu to create these boards. However, we welcome you to ask your server about creating your own personalized Wagyu carving board experience. While all of our steaks are chosen for quality, we believe you will see why Wagyu is considered the best beef in the world.

We hope this brief tutorial on Wagyu beef has answered some of your questions. One of our knowledgeable and experienced servers would love to tell you more about this exquisite beef.

Visit us today at our Bricktown, Oklahoma City location today!

Call 405-272-0777 or visit www.MickeyMantleSteakhouse.com to make your reservation.