Marbling Highest Grade Wagyu Beef

Usda beef quality and yield grades courtesy of texas a m.

Marbling highest grade wagyu beef.

The united states department of agriculture usda classifies beef as prime choice select or a lower grade. 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. The price of highly marbled cuts like usda prime kobe or wagyu beef. Step wise procedure for quality grading beef carcasses.

The other thing that keeps wagyu so expensive is japan s strict grading system for 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. The japanese beef grading system gives wagyu beef a grade from 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. The scale ranges from 0 to 12 with 12 being the highest grade achievable.

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. 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. These qualities are largely due to high marbling content. Specific feeding and raising practices are required to cultivate the marbling of wagyu.

This scale goes from 0 no marbling to 9 extraordinary amounts of marbling the latter one being the highest grade. Angus beef which is the most predominant beef in america averages a bms of 2 but reaches a maximum bms of 5. Wagyu beef is generally regarded as the highest grade due to its extreme levels of marbling. The australian wagyu grading scores are identical to the japanese bms scale meaning an australian wagyu bms 5 is the same as a japanese wagyu bms 5.

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. Wagyu is famed for it s melt in your mouth texture and rich flavors. A lot of people mistakenly believe wagyu is a grade of beef. Learn more about the four breeds of wagyu cattle.

Wagyu cattle are a breed of cattle that are genetically predisposed to have higher marbling levels than any other breed of cattle. 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. Beef grading fact sheet pdf courtesy of the amercian meat science association.