Yokohama Japanese Wagyu
The Wagyu journey continues, this time with a very rare cut from Niku Butcher shop in SF. It’s rare in a few senses of the word. First, Japanese Wagyu is hard enough to find at a butcher that sells to the public, secondly the actual cut that I purchased: a filet mignon, is even harder to find since it isn’t a cut that is traditionally sold at restaurants, much less a butcher shop where the average person has a chance to buy it. Thirdly, this beef came from the Yokohama prefecture, which in America, is hard to come across. As of this writing, the most common Japanese Wagyu that I’ve seen around the area is from the Miyazaki prefecture. So being able to sample different meats from different parts of Japan is truly special. The plan with this one was to keep it nice and simple so I could see what the true flavors of this cut of beef were like. Traditionally, the filet is a lean piece of meat that is still meltingly tender, but can lack flavor when compared to other cuts like a Strip or a Hanger steak. I was interested in a Wagyu filet for a few reasons. The first being that I wanted to see what the marbling would be like on a cut that normally lean. Wagyu beef has a ton of fat throughout the beef which results in a very rich and oily mouth-feel. In all honesty, you really don’t need more than 4-5oz because of this. So I figured a filet would have to have a lower fat ratio when compared to other muscles. This was partly true as you can see from the pictures below. It still has an amazing marbling to it, but it is still a little less than your more common wagyu cuts. Either way the tenderness is off the charts. Wagyu is already the most tender beef you’ll ever have, but even more so being that it’s a filet mignon. This beef doesn’t need a sauce or anything else. Just a little bit of finishing salt. My serving board had three different salt and some roasted maitake mushrooms. Simple as can be.
Tools
immersion circulator
cast iron pan
vacuum sealer
cooling rack
1/8 sheet pan
Prep
Fill your tank and set the circulator to your desired temp (55.6ºC or 132ºF)
preheat your cast iron on medium about 10 minutes before you intend to the cook the steak
Ingredients
One Yokohama Wagyu Filet Mignon or similar
Kosher or Pink Himalayan Salt
A few drops of high heat cooking oil (avocado or canola)
Finishing salt
Cooking Instructions
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until it is glowing hot
Add just a little cooking oil to the pan, just enough to coat the bottom
Your oil will probably start to smoke immediately
Place the meat, unseasoned, in the pan and sear for 15-20 seconds
Flip and repeat. Sear for 15-20 seconds. It should be just enough to lightly brown the exterior.
Immediately remove it from the pan and place on a rack.
Put that steak on the rack into the freezer for 15 minutes. The idea is you want the meat to be as cool as possible before you vacuum seal it. If it’s not, the pressure will make the moisture boil inside the meat and it will expel out into the bag. Do not let the steak freeze in any way. Since this can be done ahead of time, you can keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer).
After 15 minutes, take your steak out of the freezer, it should be cold to the touch.
Vacuum seal the steak in the bag. If your machine has a ‘gentle’ setting, use that. The meat is very tender and should be treated as such.
Once you meat is sealed and your water bath is at the proper temperature, drop the steak into the bath and sous vide for 1 hour.
Once it has finished cooking, remove it from the bath, cut open the bag, remove the meat and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Heat your cast iron pan over medium high heat
Add a couple of drops of oil to the meat and spread it over the surface. This will help the seasoning stick.
Season the outside of the steak with your salt of choice (kosher or himalayan pink salt work nicely)
Add a thin layer of cooking oil to the bottom of your ore-heated pan once it’s hot.
Place the steak in the pan and sear for 20 seconds
Flip the steak and sear for another 20 seconds
Remove the steak from the pan and transfer to a rack
Let it rest for at least five minutes
Slice to the desired thickness and serve with finishing salts