Wagyu and Me

Potato-Truffle Soup, Smoked Wagyu Beef Belly


Initial product, Wagyu Beef Belly.
Aside from removing the obvious pockets of fat and silverskin, it's pointless to remove all of it. The combined cooking methods break it down.


Day 1, Brine.
A mixture of Water, Vinegar, Salt, Peppercorns, Rosemary.
-Bring it to a boil, chill completely, add the Wagyu, let rest for 24 hours.

Day 2. Confit Au Sous Vide

Remove the Wagyu from the brine, rinse away any residue.

Cryovac with Duck Fat, Glace de Viande, and a sachet of Thyme, Garlic, Parsley Stems, Bay Leaf.

Set for 160F @ 24 hours.


Day 3. Awesome smelling smoking day.

Ice-Bath the cryovac bag until chilled, remove product.

Create a glaze, in this case, Molasses-Peppercorn.

Using a po-boys smoker, cold smoke with Spruce Tips and Mesquite for 1 hour. Regulate the temperature, it's easier to have too much heat here than not enough.


About that Po-Boys Smoker...

Essentially, the Spruce Tips and active charred Mesquite are put on the bottom of the hotel pan, a perforated smaller hotel pan with the wagyu rests over it and sealed with tinfoil. The whole thing sits on a slightly hot surface to encourage smouldering.

The final product.

At this point, you must become really aggressive to ward of fellow cooks from sampling without proper consent. A good trick is to temporarily loose sanity and grow eyes on the back of your head.


Notes on Wagyu.

Wagyu, the American Kobe, is a wonderful beef. If you ever get the chance to try a Wagyu or Kobe Strip, insist on having it seared in Clarified Butter with Fleur De Sel and Black Pepper. Serve as is.

This product in particular worked out well, it's part of an idea for the winter menu, which is to do a Classic French Onion Soup with Artisan Cheese and shredded Wagyu.

...Definitely looking forward to the colder weather...