Tony Zentgraf
This burger was amazing! The caramelized onions and mushrooms were seared with garlic confit oil.
The patties being an American Wagyu Ground Beef provided a flavorful tenderness that was complemented with the melted Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese’s full flavor.
Add some Garlic Aioli to the brioche bun and a fresh slice of tomato and some pickles to round out the toppings and give you a burger experience that will leave you wanting another.
Wagyu
Wagyu? You might be saying, what is that? Or if you think you know what it is, you may have been misled like many of us in the US. Let’s talk about what Wagyu and Kobe Beef is and isn’t. And what makes an American Wagyu.
To start with, many people think that Wagyu is a subcategory of Kobe Beef. But it is actually the other way around.
Kobe the Prized Cattle
Wagyu is the parent category of the Japanese cattle industry and Kobe is a specialized breed ‘Tajima-Gyu’ that is from the Kobe region in Japan.
The Kobe cows are ultra pampered and must be raised according to strict regulations by the Hygo region where Kobe is the capital.
Known for Intense Flavor and Marbling
Wagyu literally translates to ‘Wa’ meaning Japanese and ‘Gyu’ meaning Cow or Cattle. There are technically only four strains of the breed for Wagyu cattle and the majority almost 90% of Wagyu consumed is the Japanese Black which is prized for its intense marbling and flavor.
Other bloodlines, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn and the Japanese Polled of the Wagyu have different fat contents or other flavor profiles.
You Will Have to Travel to Japan for the Good Stuff
Japan holds onto the Shorthorn and Polled strains for themselves because of their prized flavors of each strain to be raise as Kobe.
The cattle may not be exported to the US but if you have the $$$$ you maybe able to find a restaurant that imports those Kobe steaks direct from Japan.
Think of it as, Champagne can only be called Champagne if it came from that region in France, in turn, for beef to be called Kobe it must come from the Kobe region in Japan. So there is no such thing as American Kobe only American Wagyu.
How Wagyu started in Japan
Wagyu cattle originated from crossbreeding Japanese cattle with European cattle being introduced in the 1800s. Thus producing cattle that had better endurance and were used in agriculture. The meat produced from the crossbreeding with European cattle became more marbled with fat.
American Wagyu
So you are probably asking, so what makes an American Wagyu? It all comes back to the breeding. In the mid 70s four Wagyu cattle were purchased and imported to cross breed with American Angus as a way to increase the Wagyu production for Japan.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
Over the next 20 years ranchers continued to breed the cattle to improve the quality of the marbling of the meat. It wasn’t until the mid 90s that the American Wagyu quality met the standards for it to be exported to Japan.
The USDA has a certification service for American Wagyu that gives producers labeling claims to be able to market it as American Wagyu. The characteristics of the American Wagyu classification goes above what the official USDA grades are for beef, Select, Choice and Prime.
Limited Wagyu Production World Wide
There are four countries that have crossbred Japanese Wagyu with a cattle breed of their country, US, Canada, UK and Australia. I am sure each has their own unique characteristics and flavors because of the home countries cattle lines.
Now, onto making this tasty burger……..
Enjoy!
Mushroom & Caramelized Onion American Wagyu Cheeseburgers
Print RecipeRecipe Multiplier
- 1 lb 1 lb Wagyu Ground Beef
- ¼ lb 1/4 lb Mushrooms sliced
- 1 ea 1 ea medium Onion sliced
- 2 tbsp 2 Tbl Garlic Confit Oil
- 3 oz 3 oz Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 6 tbsp 6 Tbl Garlic Aioli Spread
- 3 ea 3 ea Brioche Buns
- Salt & Black Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Garlic Confit Oil ahead of time.
- Prepare the Garlic Aioli ahead of time.
- Start your grill to get pre heated.
- Divide the Wagyu Ground Beef into (3) ⅓ lb patties. Season with Salt & Black Pepper
- Slice the Onions and Mushrooms
- Slice the Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Grilling the Burgers
- On a cast iron plate for the Kamado Joe or a cast iron pan, add some garlic confit oil to the surface.
- Once the oil is heated add the onions and mushrooms. Saute them until onions are caramelized and mushrooms are cooked to your liking.
- Remove them from the cast iron surface.
- Cook the burgers on the flat cast iron plate. Cooking on the cast iron plate will create a nice crust on the burgers. (You can cook on an open grill grate if you would like.)
- Flip them after a couple of minutes.
- Add the Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Continue to cook to your temperature you like. I would recommend medium rare @ 130° for a Wagyu burger. Pull at 120-125° to keep from overcooking. The temperature will rise as it rests.
- Toast the Brioche Buns over the fire.
- Assemble the burgers with Garlic Aioli, Tomato, Pickles, the caramelized Onions and Mushrooms and top with the Wagyu Cheeseburger.
- Enjoy!
