RUSH — The revelation about awe-inspiring beef came to Paul Redner not on his Colorado ranch but 8,400 miles away in a Sydney steakhouse.
In 2005, he had sunk his teeth for the first time into a steak from a Japanese cattle breed called Wagyu. The meat virtually melted in his mouth.
“I said, ‘Wow.’ It was the best steak I’d ever had,” said Redner, owner of Prescott Ranches, 50 miles east of Colorado Springs.
Now, Redner is in the vanguard of a movement to bring Wagyu and its fork-tender meat into the mainstream of American beef-eating — if, that is, the mainstream is willing to pony up big bucks for a sublime steak or burger.
Nirvana via beef is not for the budget-conscious. A Wagyu hamburger at Aspen’s Little Nell fetches $22. The Charles Court restaurant at the Broadmoor offers a Wagyu ribeye for $50. Looking to impress that special someone with a token of appreciation? Send a package of six Greg Norman Signature Wagyu steaks for $300.
The beef, sometimes marketed as American Kobe, has been available for a few years in the U.S. But it’s beginning to generate new buzz in food and livestock circles.
One significant sign of its rising stature: U.S.-bred Wagyu will be competitively exhibited for the first time this year at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo.
“At this stage of the game, it’s somewhat of a novelty, but it’s moving into the mainstream,” said Marshall Ernst, the National Western’s livestock manager.
The key to Wagyu’s special flavor and hefty pricing is in the beef’s intense marbling — the fat embedded within the meat that provides the juicy tastiness.
Beef from purebred Wagyu is revered, but it can have such a powerful richness and butteriness that it’s not for everyone.
“You will prefer the flavor of Wagyu, no doubt,” said Keith Belk, a professor and meat scientist at Colorado State University. “But if it’s prepared like a thick steak (instead of thinly sliced, Japanese style), well, imagine eating a stick of butter.”
Wagyu producers say the marbling has a high ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat, thus helping increase human blood levels of HDL — the so-called good cholesterol — while decreasing LDL, or bad cholesterol.
Wagyu are bred to have among the most intramuscular marbling of any cattle. But there’s a price to pay. Wagyu take longer to raise to slaughter weight — as long as 36 months, compared with 15 to 18 months for conventional breeds. That means more time on feed and more ranch expenses.
Producers make up for it by receiving higher prices.
Tom Waldeck, owner of Basalt-based Emma Farms Cattle Co., said a purebred Wagyu steer can command $3,000 to $4,000 at slaughter, compared with $1,500 to $1,800 for conventional breeds.
Waldeck began raising the cattle in 2008 and now has Colorado’s largest purebred Wagyu herd — and one of the largest in the nation — with about 300 head.
He’s the exclusive Wagyu supplier to the Broadmoor and Little Nell’s Montagna restaurant, and he is negotiating a deal with the Elway’s steakhouse chain.
At the Broadmoor, customer reaction has been enthusiastic.
“They love it. When we have the ribeye available, it sells out in one night every time,” said Charles Court chef Greg Barnhill.
Redner of Prescott Ranches takes a different approach to Waldeck’s purebred sales. Redner’s meat is half Wagyu and half Maine Angus. It’s well-marbled but not to the extent of purebred Wagyu.
He sells some to meat brokers for use in restaurants and the remainder direct to consumers in one-quarter- and one-half- carcass sizes. A typical quarter-carcass selling for about $900 yields about 150 pounds of steaks, roasts and hamburger.
“I think this is going to boom, maybe into a market bigger than Angus,” Redner said. “Angus is the current standard, and Wagyu will allow us to go to the next level.”
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
