How this chef is taking Wagyu beef to the next level
You might have heard the term “Wagyu” get thrown around when restaurants describe their high-quality beef. But, while there is “Wagyu” grown in other parts of the world, authentic Japanese Wagyu beef gets its distinct flavour, aroma, and texture from its fat marbling — known as sashi.
By refining their feeding regime, giving them ample exercise, and providing a stress-free environment for the calves, Wagyu farmers are able to get that distinct fat marbling on their meat — unlike any in the world.
Now that Wagyu is available and shipped worldwide, chefs can obtain this distinct meat and use it in their own restaurants. However, how you cut and treat the meat can be just as important as where that meat comes from.
To help us understand a little more about Wagyu, Daily Hive obtained an interview with Chef Hiroki Samata, a classically-trained chef and master butcher who teaches students the techniques and capabilities of Wagyu beef at the Federal Meat Academy of Japan.
A life of cooking
Samata says his interest in cooking peaked at an early age from his father, who was also a chef. Growing up, he says he actually didn’t eat a ton of meat, but mainly vegetables. “I grew up around farms with great produce,” says Samata. “I liked to eat them raw to taste the true flavour.”
He started his formal training in restaurants when he was around 20 years old — working in Tokyo for more than 10 years in a variety of restaurants and at two hotels. He was able to focus more on Wagyu beef after moving to the Phillippines to collaborate with a local chef from Nikkei restaurant — where Japanese Wagyu was the focus.
“I originally trained in French cuisine and the chef I worked with at Nikkei has lots of different skills from different cuisines,” says Samata. “I learned a lot from him, he was making great food and it had a wonderful influence on me.”
Joining the Federal Meat Academy
Samata has been a faculty member at The Federal Meat Academy (FMA), a unique polytechnic school in Japan that teaches its students all there is to know about meat, since 2013. Through one-year or half-year general courses, or their three-month meat sales course, they train young, skilled students, helping them master various techniques while offering valuable information on all things meat.
“Over the years the demands from the markets changed, there became a demand for people who can both cut the meat and process the meat,” says Samata. “Now we teach how to both cut meat as well as to make ham, sausage, and more.”
Samata says the reason students attend FMA is that, not only do they often want to become chefs, but they also want to learn how to butcher meat properly first. They also have farmers — cattle or pig farmers — and their families come to learn more skills they can take home to optimize their businesses for the future.
“We also have students that attend from wholesale meat distributors who want their salespeople to know the details of how to prepare the meat in order to promote it effectively. They want to learn as much as possible so they can sell and promote the meats in the best possible way.”
Working with the Japan Livestock Export Promotion Council
Samata also works with the Japan Livestock Export Promotion Council (JLEC), an organization dedicated to promoting Japanese-based livestock products in overseas countries — with members from different organizations representing livestock farmers, the meat and dairy industry, and local governments.
They provide transparency around the quality of their products, specifically Wagyu, by providing detailed information about authentic Wagyu through convenient QR codes.
“[These QR codes] allow for the customer to trace the particular cow’s origin,” says Samata. “Where and when it was born, the date of slaughter, the sex of the cow – which affects the meat quality and characteristics. It also tells you what kind of farm raised it and what it was fed.”
Cutting straight to it
JLEC holds various workshops on the different preparations of the products they promote, with Chef Samata running masterclasses on Wagyu beef.
“These events have been happening around the world during 2022. During Covid, we had to shut down and there was no travel from Japan,” says Samata. “We are reintroducing Wagyu back to the global market and are happy to show different countries how to use this special meat.”
The emphasis of these masterclasses is on other, lesser explored parts of the Wagyu cow outside loin — such as rib loin, tenderloin, and strip loin. These may be the usual cuts you’ll find in most restaurants, but there’s a variety of cuts you can get from Wagyu — like chuck, round cut, and the tri-tip — that yield different results when you prepare them.
“We want to educate and encourage chefs to leave their comfort zones and try using some other parts of the cow,” says Samata. “This is where uniqueness can develop for chefs. The other element is the positive effect on the restaurants’ and chefs’ profit margins. Using these cuts can be quite lucrative for restaurants’ revenue generation as the lesser-known cuts are cheaper, yet just as delicious when prepared correctly.”
To learn more about Chef Samata’s masterclasses, or for more information on Wagyu beef and other Japanese livestock exports, visit JLEC’s website, YouTube channel, or Instagram page.
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