How to Serve 100% Full-Blood Wagyu Beef for the Holidays
If you want to impress your guests this holiday season, try adding 100% Full-Blood Vermont Wagyu beef to the menu.
Wagyu can make for a much more memorable meal than other types of beef. Because of the marbling of its meat, Wagyu offers a much richer bite and greater depth of flavor--perfect for your Christmas dinner, especially full-blood Wagyu.
If you are new to cooking with Wagyu, don’t worry--it’s much easier to work with than you think! Think about it like preparing a more familiar beef dish; the same seasonings and side dish pairings you have always worked with are still a strong fit, but you can expect a much more delicious and flavorful end result. When cooking, here are a few quick tips for handling Wagyu:
- Season the entire surface of the meat--all sides and edges.
- Allow the meat to reach room temperature before cooking.
- Sear the beef in a pre-heated pan, without any oil. Because of Wagyu’s high fat content cooking oil is not needed, and cooking in the beef fat brings out a stronger, natural flavor.
- Before slicing and serving, allow your cooked meat rest, covered.
Doesn’t sound much harder than serving up your typical steak, does it? That’s the best part: using the same level of culinary skill and preparation as with a standard American-style beef, you can produce a much more impressive (and delicious) meal.
If you aren’t quite sure how to prepare your Wagyu beef for your holiday meal, try out one our serving suggestions below:
Wagyu Roast Dinner.
This is perfect for a traditional, family-style dinner. The meat is delicious with light, seasonal flavors, such as fresh rosemary or thyme, and can be seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and herbs before roasting in the oven. Work with a cut of meat meant for roasting--such as our Vermont Winter Roast. Serve with a light sauce made from butter, herbs, garlic, and beef stock, or bring out a new layer of flavor by opting for a glaze of red wine reduced over shallots cooked in butter. For the sides, consider the classics--and then bring them to a new level: carrots with brown sugar and rosemary for a sweet note; roasted fingerling or potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise and crispy on the outside; or pan-roasted brussel sprouts with bacon to add another layer of texture to the meal.
Wagyu Steaks Finished with Butter, Herbs, and Garlic.
If you are planning for a less formal, but just as delicious, meal, then this is the way to go. Strip steaks are extraordinarily tender, and finishing with a compound butter only serves to enhance both their texture and deep flavor. Season your meat with salt and pepper, sear on both sides in a pre-heated pan, and finish cooking at a medium-low heat until the steaks have cooked to your liking--about 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the steaks. Just before removing from the heat, drop a tablespoon of butter into the pan, as well in a clove of garlic (smashed), and fresh herbs--rosemary makes for a great pairing here as well, as do thyme and parsley. Spoon the melted butter onto the steaks, and then remove the steaks and allow them to rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach.
And of course, you will be able to enjoy any leftovers after the holiday. Roast beef makes for a wonderful sandwich, especially when served with a dipping sauce or grilled and added to a toasted bun. Thinly sliced strip steak can be a great addition to a salad or wrap--the options are endless, and with 100% full-blood Wagyu beef, even the leftovers are sure to leave you wanting more.
Happy holidays!
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