Everyone has heard of Wagyu and the internationally famous Kobe Beef. Fatty cuts of marbled beef from Black Tajima cows have long dominated the beef trade, but times and tastes are changing. Lean beef has seen a dramatic increase in sales.
Chikara Saito, president of San Beef Saito Ranch, is focusing on the wellbeing of his herd. Pasture-raised cows are a rarity in Japan. His new brand Echizen Fuku Beef, is a more humane alternative to the fattening process pen raised wagyu cows go through. “I still vividly remember how happy the cattle looked when we first released them into the grasslands. That moment made me realize that this is exactly what I wanted to do—and the meat quality turned out to be ideal as well.” said Chikara Saito as reported by Fukui Shimbun. The healthy free ranging cows will feed on grass and a special sake lee from Fukui’s famed brewery Kokuryu to produce healthier leaner meat.
On December 2nd, 90 industry professionals and chefs gathered at the unveiling event in Fukui and sampled burgers, roast beef, steak, and a side dish of fried rice with corn and shredded beef. I was surprised that lean beef could be so supple. “You can really feel the rich, enveloping fat that is characteristic of pasture-raised cattle. The meat has a strong, meaty quality, so it seems well-suited for preparations that highlight the texture of the muscle fibers, such as slicing.” -Masahiro Yoshikawa, owner-chef of the French restaurant L'aisance
Thanks to the Fukui Livestock Research Center, San Beef Saito Ranch was able to procure a pasture and purchase calves from Kumamoto of the Japanese Brown breed. San Beef Saito is also developing its own 1 hectare pasture and looking into initiatives to deal with abandoned farmland. Take a look for yourself! https://ushiwakamaru-fukui.jp/farm/
