Kobe Beef Ribeyes

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Dry brine just means that you coat the meat in salt and let it sit. The salt initially draws liquid out, but then as you let it site the salty liquid will then be drawn back into the meat. It is for flavor. You season the meat inside and out, not just outside.

Yes you can dry brine poultry and pork as well.
 
DramaQueen said:
Interesting. I guess I missed that. Now what is the purpose for the brine; to bring out the flavor or to tenderize the meat? Is this a special brine? Can or do you dry brine poultry and pork?
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Apparently it works well for chicken and pork although I have not tried it yet.

The following is ripped from the Internet and answers your first question.

"I'm no chef or accomplished cook whatsoever, but when I got into cooking, the first thing I learned was steak, and have been refining it since. I've changed my technique over the years, and two that I've picked up recently have helped immensely. I actually got the ideas over at cooks illustrated, separately, and decided to combine them. I've actually seen the techniques in other places as well.

First, start off with good steaks as mentioned. I'd suggest ribeyes like everyone else. Tenderloin/filet mignon, NY Strip, porterhouse/tbones are good too. Try and get the best you can afford. Choice or prime if you can :). Get them thick, at least 1.25 or more if you can.

Next, at least one hour before cooking, salt them. Yes presalt them. Don't lightly salt them either. Get some kosher and cover the steak. Not super heavy, but a fair amount. Remember, this is a big steak. All sides. Then place on a flat plate, cover with saran wrap, and put them back into the fridge or leave them out. I put them in the fridge, I'll explain why later.

Yes this draws moisture out. This isn't necessarily such a bad thing. Dry aging gets rid of moisture too, which concentrates the beef flavor. But what happens is, after about 1/2 an hour, the moisture that is drawn out mixes with the salt. After being drawn out, the meat pulls this salt water back in. After about an hour, you'll notice a lot of the water has been drawn back in. Not all but most. This actually flavors the meat all the way through. yeah I didn't believe it, but it does. Also "supposedly" tenderizes the meat a tiny bit. I can't say this for sure, since I'm not food scientist. At this point, you can pat the steaks dry. Don't worry about completely drying it.

Now you can apply whatever other seasoning you want, if you didn't at the beginning with the salt. black pepper, garlic powder etc.

The second technique I do is a reverse sear. Preheat an oven to 275. Insert a polder type probe into the steak where you normally measure temp. Place the steak on a cooling rack and into the oven. Watch the temp. We're looking for 90-95 here, for medium rare. If you only have an instant read therm, you'll have to check with times, as I don't cook that way. before the steak hits 90-95, preheat a cast iron skillet (preferable)regular skllet or grill. Medium-hot heat here. Not high, not medium, somewhere in the middle.

Once the steak hits desired temp (i go for 92F :)), pull the steak out, pull the probe out, and sear on each side for no more than two minutes each side. You can oil or not, your choice. If not a fatty cut, oil will help the sear along without having seasoning/meat stick to the skillet. No more than two minutes. Start with 2 the first time, adjust to preference later. Pull the meat, rest for ten minutes. You should have a perfect medium rare steak all the way through, without that nasty gray band you see on thick steaks sometimes. Adjust any of the temps and time for your equipment and experience.

So why the reverse sear? Three things. first, with a reverse sear, you dry out the surface of the steak completely. This is good. When the steak hits a hot pan, heat must be used to evaporate the moisture on the surface of the meat. if you dry out the steak, the surface starts to brown immediately. This helps with achieving a better sear on the outside, without heating up the steak too much in the middle. This in turn helps out with item number two. It reduces the nasty gray band you see sometimes in thick cut steaks, between the browned surface and the red interior. This stuff is dry, and tough etc. With the reverse sear, the minimum amount of time on the searing heat doesn't heat up that area too much. Third, and quite important, is enzymes. This is stolen from cooks illustrated. Enzymes called cathespins help break down meat (i.e. dry and wet aging). Well when heated or warmed up, they're like enzymes on steroids. They stop working at 120 or so though. So if you can keep them warm, for an extended period of time, you can mimic the effects of aging within the 1/2 hour or so it takes in the oven. With the reverse sear, you're having these enzymes working in over drive for a longer period of time, far away from their death temp of 120 or lower. They even recommend going straight from fridge to oven, to give the enzymes even more time to work.

This is all on the CI site for anyone interested. They have videos showing it all too. Look for "when should I salt my steaks" and "pan searing thick cut steaks (may/june 200y issue)." Long winded post I know (WOW), and I apologize for that. But I wanted to back up my rambling. And it's not that hard.

Summary? Three steps. (1)Salt thick cut good steaks, one hour. (2) Put in an Oven at 275F until 90-95 degrees. (3) Immediately sear, for no more than two minutes each side on medium hot pan."
 
I should rename the thread to American Wagyu so there isn't any confusion (thanks ironchef)

One time I went to vegas and had one of these prepared at CraftSteak. I've gotta say, my steak was soo much better than theirs, which I had previously thought to be the best steak I've ever had.
 
Uncle Bob said:
Is this the typical meat to fat ratio (not marbling) of Wasgyu or Kobe beef???
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I have the same question. The pictures show a very high ratio.

kobe_1.jpg
 
Form what I have heard, Japanese Wagyu ends up tasting like the best beef you've ever had with the texture of velvety butter.

While I wouldn't mind it, I really loved the steak featured in this thread.
 
stinemates said:
Form what I have heard, Japanese Wagyu ends up tasting like the best beef you've ever had with the texture of velvety butter.
Click to expand...

It's pretty much the best ever. The top two grades are A4 and A5, with A5 being the top tier. The difference is in the marbling. That's how the grades are determined. This is A4 grade Kobe that I was able to get. This is only the second highest grade, imagine how much marbling A5 has. And it isn't even a fatty cut like the rib eye.







 
ironchef said:
It's pretty much the best ever. The top two grades are A4 and A5, with A5 being the top tier. The difference is in the marbling. That's how the grades are determined. This is A4 grade Kobe that I was able to get. This is only the second highest grade, imagine how much marbling A5 has. And it isn't even a fatty cut like the rib eye.
Click to expand...


Whoa! Looks terrific. Mail order availble in the US???
 
BTW, the cut of beef in the pics I posted is called the 'coulette'. It's somewhere around or between the short and sirloin areas. I'm not sure exactly where, but it's almost like a cross between a tender and top sirloin.
 
ironchef said:
BTW, the cut of beef in the pics I posted is called the 'coulette'. It's somewhere around or between the short and sirloin areas. I'm not sure exactly where, but it's almost like a cross between a tender and top sirloin.
Click to expand...

All I can say is that I am in awe. That meat looks perfect. I have a 30th anniversary coming up next June. Why not? Cheaper than going to Ruth's Crist, and I have much better wine than they do. I'm really glad I saw this thread. Thanks ironchef.
 
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