Why Kobe Beef Trends Are Bound To Fail, According To Tyler Florence

If you've spent even a minute watching food videos online or browsing menus online, you are familiar with the allure of Kobe beef, but if you ask chef Tyler Florence, there might be better options out there. Kobe beef goes hand-in-hand with Wagyu beef, not just because they are both high-end Japanese specialties but because Kobe is actually just a more specific version of Wagyu. Kobe beef is Wagyu that only comes from one type of cow (descended from a select group of ideal bulls), is only raised in Hyogo prefecture, and is fed a specific diet. That's a lot of boxes to check to make Kobe beef, and that is part of what makes Florence suspicious of Kobe trends.

He told us, "Back [in] probably the early 2000s, it was like Kobe this and Kobe that, Kobe sliders, to the point where it was clearly mislabeled. Not everybody's got access to Kobe like that, and it's not real Kobe." The problem is that Kobe really is rare, and Florence says people are devaluing the label and just marketing any fatty beef as Kobe. As he explained it, "There's like 13 houses in Japan that have authentic Kobe beef, and it's not the truth." So while real Kobe beef might be exceptional, it's just not widely available enough for some trendy burger place to actually acquire it. Florence also told us the other thing going against it is that there is an alternative you can trust that's still really good: Wagyu.

Wagyu is less regulated than Kobe, and although exporting the cows from Japan used to be banned, they are now becoming more common in America. Florence told us, "There's lots of really good Wagyu hybrids. Wagyu is true. Wagyu is real. There's lots of really good Texas Wagyu and there's a really good Wagyu in Nebraska." And while Wagyu will be pretty expensive, Florence says you can definitely get some good steaks at home. He said, "If you just Google search it, like direct-to-consumer Wagyu beef, you can get some really great products, and you take a look at the pricing and see what fits best in your category."

And that's where the fun really starts as you can get creative with wagyu in ways you wouldn't with Kobe beef. Florence came up with a whole list of things to try, saying, "There's a Wagyu bolognese. That sounds kind of bomb. Wagyu burgers, you can get a really good grind and do some nice stuff for that, which is really great. You can make a Wagyu lasagna. I like that. Wagyu stir-fry, Wagyu tacos." It turns out that almost any great beef dish is a great way to experiment with some quality Wagyu to make it a little more fancy and special. Try something fun and save the Kobe beef for the few American restaurants that can actually source it.