Does the the kind of meat that we would have merely craved, we would have tasted, but we only watched from afar. This has been over for some time now, as we can now get the wagyu beef, worth keeping on the menu.
I was talking to a dear friend who is preparing to open an inn in Austria. The setting is picturesque, the air is fresh, the wines are crisp and fresh, and the food is simple and great. A wagyu with beef I got to know them better, as they slaughter beef not only for the restaurant but also for themselves every year. The price of the meat is high and it takes a bit of research to get the animal, but he explained why it's worth it.
The key to success
Anna and Valker swear by quality, to which Hungarian audiences are increasingly receptive. The menu will feature only 4-5 dishes, but all of them will be characterised by simplicity and the exceptional use of ingredients. Not just a higher-end pork or beef, but the best on the market, with a preference for home-grown food. This is what customers not only taste, but also return for and willingly pay for. A wagyu beef a rarity, it used to be very expensive, but now it is affordable for hosts and guests alike.
It is true that they drink beer and massage the animal?
After all, it's true! Beer gives them a bigger appetite, so they are given it every now and then and sometimes stroked to keep the meat tender. Of course, this is nothing new, as the meat of any animal will curdle if kept in nervous or difficult conditions, but the numbers of Wagyu cattle allow them to be handled individually. Wagyu is a Japanese breed of cattle whose meat is special because of its fatty tissues. It does not have a continuous layer of fat or fat on the rim or in the cutlet, but is marbled and proportionate. This means that it weaves through the meat nicely and when cooked, the meat is succulent, crumbly and very tasty. As it is a very tender meat, it is mostly used for steaks, but Anna and Valker have shared many recipe ideas with us.
Where can you get Wagyu beef?
Anna: It's usually easier if you have a reliable supplier who regularly delivers the ready-to-eat cuts of meat, even in vacuum packs, but we did it the hard way. Our little inn is in Leutschach, re-launched as the Trautenburg Stub'n with a family-style menu and drinks menu. Here, it's mostly merlot, sankt laurent, zweigelt varieties that are popular - light, fruity items, but with a side of good food. So we try to serve them what we ourselves enjoy. We came across Wagyu beef at the Kulinarik Gasztro Festival, where Luki Maura from Lower Bavaria was there as an exhibitor. Maura breeds the breed in Lower Bavaria and is also the father of Wagyu beef breeding. He knows everything about cattle type, husbandry, slaughtering, raising perfect animals.
The cattle did drink beer, but not in good spirits
Valker: A strange thing happened after we bought and raised the animal. It had to be slaughtered and for that we needed a special butcher, a butcher who specialised in that. You have to know that the Wagyu is a very sensitive, thinking animal and is terribly self-motivated, which is why it cannot be kept with other breeds of cattle. When it came to the slaughter, the animal behaved very strangely. The protocol is to take it with you first and then slaughter it after a day, so as not to stress the animal. But the cattle refused to move, which we tried for several weeks, on different occasions, but we had to change the butcher. They say that the meat would be most succulent and tender if it died unexpectedly in a field, but that is not a humane method in Austria or Germany, it is not allowed. In the end, good luck, but they drink beer before each slaughter to make it a bit duller and easier to handle.
What should you make with this type of beef?
Anna: If you like beef, just order a big portion of it, because all the distinctive flavours, the sweet notes are amplified and it is a very distinctive dish. I think the goulash is heavenly, and the rolled and stuffed meat is heavenly, which we slow roast, but the sausage is a real treat too. But it's the hamburger meat that's unbeatable, whether it's a minced meat patty or a juicy steak in a bun, there's nothing like it. The latter is something everyone should try at least once in their life.
