Japanese Wagyu cuts, by name

Why do Japanese Wagyu cuts have different names?

Because Japan divides the carcass differently. A Japanese Wagyu chuck roll covers the 1st through 6th ribs, the rib eye roll the 7th through 10th, and the striploin the 11th rib to the last lumbar vertebra. The rib eye roll ends up three ribs shorter than a US cut and the striploin two ribs longer ^[1]. Even familiar words shift. In Japan, "sirloin" means the striploin, the cut Americans call a NY strip ^[1].

Japanese butchers also separate the big primals into their muscle groups and sell each one. A US chuck roll usually becomes chuck roasts or ground beef; a Japanese Wagyu chuck roll is split into its muscles and served as steaks and yakiniku ^[1]. So a Japanese cut list carries names like zabuton, misuji and ichibo that have no single US label.

We sell every cut one cow yields, so we use those names on the shop. Here's what each one is.

Which Japanese cut matches which American one?

The table runs front to back, one primal at a time. The katakana is how the primal is written on our cut sheet. Each name links to the cut's product page. Cooking times come from our cooking guide: steaks and slices sear by thickness in a dry pan at 450–500ºF.

What is zabuton?

Zabuton is the chuck flat: a muscle inside the chuck roll that runs into the chuck rib, made of the same muscles as the short rib ^[1]. In the US it's sold as the Denver steak. The muscle is the serratus ventralis, which sits in the chuck ^[2]. A zabuton is the cushion people kneel on over a tatami floor, and the cut is named for its flat, square shape ^[3].

It has abundant marbling, and in Japan it's one of the most popular cuts at high-end yakiniku restaurants. Its reputation runs close to the striploin and tenderloin, at a lower price ^[1].

A zabuton steak is that muscle cut across into steaks. Ours are 1″ thick and sear in about 90 seconds a side in a dry pan, then rest for 2–3 minutes. Cook it for the fat to just turn buttery, not to a set doneness. Shop the zabuton steak.

What is misuji?

Misuji is the top blade, a small muscle from the shoulder clod. In the US it's the flat iron, named for its shape ^[1]. The name is written 三筋, "three sinews" ^[4], and you can see a seam of connective tissue running down its middle.

Japanese guides call it rare because each cow yields so little of it ^[3]. It's finely marbled, and the guide JETRO publishes for US restaurants calls the texture "melt-in-your-mouth" ^[1]. Ours is a 1″ misuji steak, seared like the zabuton.

Is ichibo the same as picanha?

Yes. Ichibo is the top sirloin cap, also called the culotte, and it's the cut Brazilian churrasco calls picanha ^[1]. It sits on the rump, at the top of the hind leg. As a steak it eats close to a striploin, and roasting brings out a sweet aroma ^[1].

We sell it both ways, so the only question is format:

• Ichibo steak: 1″ thick, with a fat seam. Sear it about 90 seconds a side.
• Picanha with fat cap: the whole cap. To roast it, score the cap in a crosshatch and cook it cap-up at 250ºF so the fat bastes the meat. Pull it at 115–120ºF inside, rest it, then finish fat side down. Or cut it into 1½″ steaks with the cap on and sear them.

Which cuts come from the Wagyu tenderloin?

Three, and all from the same cow. The tenderloin (hire in Japanese) is only about 2% of a carcass. It sits inside the ribs and barely moves, so it's extremely tender ^[1].

• Filet mignon: cut 1½″ thick, our thickest steak. Sear about 2 minutes a side and drop the heat after the first side so the center catches up. Rest 4–5 minutes.
• Chateaubriand: the center of the tenderloin, kept whole ^[3]. Roast it at 250ºF for roughly 45–60 minutes, to 115ºF inside, and watch it, because it overcooks quickly. You can also cut it into filet-like steaks and sear them.
• Tenderloin tips: the tapered ends, cut ¼″ for the grill. Five to fifteen seconds a side.

How is Wagyu brisket different?

Brisket (katabara) has coarser fibers, larger veins of marbling and a lighter taste than the loin, and it gets more flavorful the longer you chew ^[1]. We sell two cuts of it.

The Wagyu brisket flat is the flat alone, about 3 lb, not the 14 lb whole brisket most barbecue guides are written for. Wagyu fat renders sooner, so it smokes at 250ºF in 3–5 hours instead of fourteen. Wrap it in butcher paper at 165–170ºF, pull it at 195–205ºF, rest it wrapped for at least an hour, and slice it ¼″ across the grain. No smoker? The same steps work in a 250ºF oven.

The brisket sankaku steak is brisket cut ¾″ thick and seared like a steak, 60–90 seconds a side.

What are sankaku-bara, kaburi, tomosankaku and shikinbou?

They're four more cuts most US butchers don't sell on their own.

Karubi, on the slices, comes from the Korean galbi, "rib" ^[3]. On our shop it means a fatty ¼″ slice cut for the grill.

The tri-tip roast needs one trick: the grain turns partway along. Find the corner where it pivots, cut the roast in two there, then slice each half against its own grain. Roasted at 250ºF, figure 1.5–2 hours.

Why can we sell every cut?

Because we buy the whole animal. Each drop is one cow from one family farm, and every cut on this page came from her: Takemitsu-chan, carcass 3469, A4 with BMS 6, from Takeda Farm in Hokkaido. Her grading certificate is on her page, and why we buy one cow at a time explains the rest.

A whole cow means the less famous cuts are for sale too, down to shank slices and skirt steak. For how much to buy, plan on about 4–8 oz per person, against an 8–12 oz Angus steak. Takemitsu-chan is A4, so she eats well at the top of that range or beyond. To pick between steaks and slices for a dinner, read How to make Wagyu yakiniku at home.

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