A $27 burger in the Springs? Yes, it's real Wagyu

It’s all about the fat. And in this case, the right type of fat is everything. We’re talking about the fat in cattle called Wagyu, the envy of restaurants everywhere. Wagyu cattle are from Japan, prized for their highly marbled carcass, exceptional taste and tenderness. You’ve likely heard of Kobe beef, which is known the world over for its incomparable taste and tenderness.

Kobe beef comes from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle that come from the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, where the city of Kobe is located. Kobe beef in Japan is a registered trademark and applies only to the Wagyu cattle raised in Kobe.

“It’s like only calling sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France champagne,” said Craig Reed, food and beverage director at The Broadmoor. Colorado Wagyu beef from Emma Farms Cattle Co. has recently been added to the menus at Summit, Charles Court and Penrose Room restaurants at the hotel.

According to Tom Waldeck, owner of Emma Farms, there’s a lot of misrepresentation of Kobe and American Wagyu beef, which both demand higher prices.

“The biggest problem is the abuse of the name. Anyone can call beef on their menu Wagyu. I call it counterfeit beef if, indeed, it’s not Wagyu or from a cow that has below standards of Wagyu breeding,” he said. “In order for a producer or restaurateur to list beef as Wagyu, the meat must be 23 percent or higher genetically of the Wagyu breed. The only way to know for sure is to ask who the purveyor is or to see the paperwork (that identifies the cows lineage), to verify the genetics of the cow where the meat came from.”

The production of American Wagyu cattle is very limited and as a result the meat is expensive.

The Broadmoor restaurants have the real deal. They’ve bought six cows from Waldeck.

“Each cow comes with all the paperwork to certify they are 90 to 95 percent Wagyu,” he said.

The fat in Wagyu cattle is different, too. When prime steaks from a Wagyu cow and an Angus cow are placed side by side, the fat in the Wagyu will be less obvious.

“Because of the genetic makeup of Wagyu cattle, the fat is interspersed in the muscles,” Waldeck said. “The fat is more like tiny specks in the muscle.”

The fat in a prime Angus cut will appear more striated.

Paul Redner, another rancher who is raising Wagyu cattle at his Prescott Ranches, was lured into the Wagyu business in part because of the healthfulness of the meat.

“We’re told not to eat too much beef because of the high fat, right?” he said. “But with Wagyu, it’s full of the good-for-you fat, MUFA or monounsaturated fatty acid. It’s the fat that will raise your good cholesterol and lower the bad cholesterol.”

Because of the type of fat and how it is deposited in Wagyu cattle, it has become known as the “salmon of beef.” That’s because, nutritionally, Wagyu meat is rich in unsaturated and omega fats, which have the health benefits of olive oil and are known to protect against diseases including heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.

“We need fat in our diet,” Redner says. “Why not make it delicious?”

Deliciousness is what gets the chefs at The Broadmoor excited. Since they are picky about how their meat is butchered, they do it themselves.

“Chefs (Siegfried “Sigi”) Eisenberger, (Greg) Barnhill and I were so excited to get Wagyu beef,” said Bertrand Bouquin, executive chef at Summit and Penrose Room. “We thought the meat had a wonderful smell, like butter.”

The Broadmoor formally introduced Wagyu beef at a sold-out dinner this month. Guests were impressed as well with the delicious, buttery flavor of the Wagyu sliders, short ribs and rib-eye steaks that were part of the meal.

“We met with the rancher over a year ago and sampled the product, and found it to be pretty darn good,” said Barnhill, executive chef at Charles Court. “We wanted to work with a source in Colorado, especially at Charles Court, where we try to stay as local as possible.”

When you dine at The Broadmoor, you can expect to find Wagyu as a burger at Summit, as short ribs and steaks at Charles Court, and as steaks at Penrose Room. And, as you might expect, the price is hefty for this top-quality Wagyu treat at The Broadmoor. For instance, the Summit burger is $27. A 31-ounce, bone-in rib-eye steak for two at Charles Court runs $95. Korean short ribs are $8 each on the small plates menu in the West Lobby Bar. A supplemental charge of $12 is added for a Wagyu appetizer at the Penrose Room and an $18 charge is added to  3- or 4-course menus with a Wagyu addition.

What if you want to cook Wagyu at home? This is where Redner will be your man.

“I want to specialize in selling direct to consumers,” he said. “I only have 20 cows now ready for processing. I pan to build my herd to around 200 head. Until then, I won’t have enough meat for bigger demands like a restaurant would need.”

He sells half cows and quarters for $4 a pound, based on hanging weight. Visit prescottranchbeef.com or call 541-5024 for more information or to place an order.

Cooking Wagyu meat takes more care. The melting point of fat in Wagyu meat is lower than in other beef. Redner recommends searing meat to seal the juicy fat and excellent flavor inside the meat, then cooking only to medium rare.

BEEF AND STILTON BURGER
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Yield: 4 servings

1 head radicchio
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 bulb fennel
1 green apple
1 stalk celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 drop hot sauce
1 1/2 pounds prime ground beef, formed into 4 beef patties
Olive oil
4 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled
4 hamburger buns

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cut radicchio into eighths and place in baking dish. Season to taste with salt and white pepper; pour balsamic vinegar over radicchio. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake about 1 hour, or until radicchio is tender. Cool and set radicchio aside. (You can do this the day before).
3. Cut fennel, green apple and celery julienne-style (tiny sticks). Season with salt and white pepper; add mayonnaise and hot sauce. Set fennel, apple and celery slaw aside.
4. Season beef patties with salt and white pepper and cook in large sauté pan with olive oil over high heat to desired doneness. Add Stilton on top of beef patties and cook just long enough for cheese to melt.
5. Heat buns in oven a couple of minutes to warm. Place cheese-topped beef patties on top of buns. Top with radicchio and fennel, apple and celery slaw. Top with other half of bun.

Chef Bertrand Bouquin, executive chef at Summit and Penrose Room at The Broadmoor

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Call Farney at 636-0271. Hear her “KVOR Table Talk” radio show noon to 1 p.m. Saturdays on 740 AM. Friend her on Facebook.