Beef is a favorite food of nutritionists and gourmets. What is Kobe Beef? Many people have never heard this name, although the Japanese consider this product to be a national achievement of their country. Kobe is a trademark officially registered in Japan. This type of meat is better known as marbled meat. They called it that for a reason - on the cut, the white veins resemble a marble pattern.
A bit of history
The cow became a domesticated animal about 8 thousand years ago and is considered one of the most valuable achievements of mankind in the nutritional aspect. For a long time, meat consumption was banned in Japan. The ban was lifted from the century before last. By this time, cattle were distant and passed natural selection, so animals with an increased amount of intramuscular fat began to prevail in the country. Cattle with such meat include the so-called black "Japanese cow", bred by the method of hybridization of European breeds and the Japanese wagyu cow. It is these cows that give marbled meat, but there are other breeds of cows that have meat with the same shade. But the above is considered to be the reference beef.
Livestock raising conditions
Nowadays, the concept of "kobe beef" is marbled meat not only from Japan, but also from the United States of America. Wagyu cows are fed exclusively natural feed without chemical ingredients. The daily diet includes barley and corn, which give exactly the same white color of veins in meat.
The most important factor in the formation of the correct kobe beef is the diet. Such meat is obtained with a uniform increase in the weight of the livestock. Another important criterion is the age of the animal: bulls are not slaughtered at the age of less than thirty months, since young calves first of all form subcutaneous fat, and after that intramuscular fat.
Kobe beef has become a world famous. This type of meat is also bred in America, as the Japanese people are very "greedy" for their products. But meat can also be found in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, although opinions on the methods of keeping cattle differ. Americans have learned to "marble" beef and other breeds of cows.
About kobe meat
There are about a hundred varieties of marbled beef. The name of the type of meat is associated with the village where it was grown and produced. The effect of marble veins is achieved due to the content of thin fatty layers of muscle tissue in the meat. This is why kobe beef tastes so tender. Some joke that you don't even need teeth to eat this kind of meat.
This type of meat is divided into five categories. The best is considered to be light pink meat, through which the thinnest fat layers are penetrated - this is the fifth category of meat. It can be found exclusively in Japanese restaurants.
The value of kobe meat
Such beef is extremely rich in proteins and fats, but at the same time contains practically no carbohydrates. Due to its low calorie content, about 170 kcal per 100 g, meat belongs to dietary products.
The juiciness of the meat is given by the fat contained in a moderate amount - about 10 grams. The amount of cholesterol in meat is low.
The bulk of intermuscular fat is composed of unsaturated fatty acids, including Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Beef protein is quite complete: it contains all the necessary amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
Kobe meat is useful for people who suffer from diseases of the nervous, cardiovascular systems, with anemia, during the rehabilitation period, for pregnant women and children.
An important nuance: in order to get the maximum benefit for the whole body, it is necessary to carefully choose the meat. It must be fresh and of the highest quality.
Marbled beef in cooking
Residents of America believe that it is kobe beef that is beyond competition and is best suited for cooking steaks, since they come out especially juicy and soft.
Recipes and methods of making dishes vary depending on the thickness of the meat (there are 4 types).
The degree of roasting of such meat is usually classified into 6 categories: raw, with blood, medium-raw, medium-rare, almost fried, fully fried.
Ideal marbled beef dishes are steaks prepared according to classic recipes: striploin, ribeye, club steak.
It should be noted that beef is considered the only practical meat that can be eaten raw. Raw beef contains useful enzymes that lose their quality when cooked.
Kobe meat cooks very quickly. An important nuance is not to dry it out. Grilled vegetables will be good side dishes for the dish.
Striploin steak at home step by step
Before preparing the dish, you need to prepare the following ingredients: 800 grams of New York steak, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and a mixture of peppers to taste. At the discretion of the hostess, you can add herbs to the list - rosemary, basil or thyme.
This dish is very easy to prepare and incredibly fast.
The prepared meat steak is dried with a paper towel and left to breathe and warm. Next, rub the meat with salt, a mixture of peppers and olive oil. Warming up the pan to 200 degrees Celsius, the beef is laid out on the surface and pressed with a spatula. The steak should be fried on both sides for 2.5 minutes (for each side), turning regularly. For medium roast Medium, it is enough to turn the meat four times. The herbs are added at the end of the roasting. At the end of the cooking process, the meat must be removed from the stove and allowed to stand.
Delicious, incredibly tasty meat is ready!
Ribeye steak at home
The type of ribeye steak is the fattest, and therefore the juicy and rich variety of marbled meat.
To prepare such a steak, you only need the meat itself, salt and pepper to taste.
As mentioned above, the meat should lie down a little, that is, it should be saturated with oxygen and warm to room temperature.
Future steaks need to be cut into portions with a thickness of at least 2.5 centimeters and no more than 4 cm, since very thin pieces will lose moisture and will be dry, and thick ones will not cook well.
To begin with, the steaks are dried with a towel from all sides and rubbed with spices and salt.
The pan is heated and the pieces of meat are laid out, trying not to touch them together. Fry each side of the steak for exactly one and a half minutes. On each side, the meat is fried twice.
After that, the finished pieces of meat are laid out and wrapped in foil for "rest" for about 5-10 minutes.
Ready-made Ribeye steaks are served on a warmed plate or platter with your favorite side dishes and sauces.
These recipes are incredibly easy and simple to prepare, even at home and within the power of any housewife. In addition to the classic steak of kobe beef, there are also various recipes for serving marinated and salted meat.
