Marbling Highest Grade Wagyu Beef

Prime prime is the highest grade of us beef.

Marbling highest grade wagyu beef. Due to the abnormally high level of marbling that exists in this beef breed it often exceeds the top usda grade prime and therefore it is difficult to grade those high end carcasses. Learn more about the four breeds of wagyu cattle. The other thing that keeps wagyu so expensive is japan s strict grading system for beef. A key way to classify beef is by the high degree of marbling or fat running through the cut of meat as a result of its diet.

The japanese meat grading association jmga goes into way more depth with wagyu grading the beef s yield and ranking quality based on fat marbling color brightness firmness texture and. Wagyu cattle are a breed of cattle that are genetically predisposed to have higher marbling levels than any other breed of cattle. Wagyu beef is generally regarded as the highest grade due to its extreme levels of marbling. Beef grading fact sheet pdf courtesy of the amercian meat science association.

Wagyu is famed for it s melt in your mouth texture and rich flavors. The fundamentals involved in applying quality grades are learning the degrees of marbling in order from lowest to highest and minimum marbling degrees for each maturity group and understanding the relationship between marbling and maturity in each quality grade. Grass fed beef will grade choice at best very little of it may grade prime wagyu cattle averages bms 4 6 but depending on genetics. Wagyu grading is similar in that the jmga gives a score for wagyu beef based on its fat color meat color rib eye shape size of ribeye area and imf which refers to its marbling.

Usda beef quality and yield grades courtesy of texas a m. A lot of people mistakenly believe wagyu is a grade of beef. The price of highly marbled cuts like usda prime kobe or wagyu beef. Angus beef which is the most predominant beef in america averages a bms of 2 but reaches a maximum bms of 5.

The united states department of agriculture usda classifies beef as prime choice select or a lower grade. Specific feeding and raising practices are required to cultivate the marbling of wagyu. The japanese use a system called bms or beef marbling standard 牛脂肪交雑基準 to rate the degree of marbling of beef. The scale ranges from 0 to 12 with 12 being the highest grade achievable.

The japanese beef grading system gives wagyu beef a grade from 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. For example grass fed beef typically has lower levels of marbling than corn fed meat so it is often graded lower despite many people preferring the taste. These qualities are largely due to high marbling content.