https://holygrailsteak.com/blogs/the-art-of-steak/akaushi-beef

If you're a meat connoisseur, you probably know a thing or two about wagyu beef. Akaushi beef is the ultimate expression of beef, and if you're lucky enough to find it, it's something to savor. But if you're not so familiar with this variation of beef, there are a few things you should know.

What is Akaushi Beef?

Akaushi is a highly prized breed of beef with a rich flavor. These cattle are known to have consistent, tender, and beautifully marbled meat. But what makes Akaushi beef so special?

Imported into the US on custom-outfitted 737's in the early 1990's, American Akaushi Wagyu comes from the Japanese Red, a distinct and rare breed of Japanese Wagyu from the southern island of Kyushu.

American Wagyu Akaushi Beef is known for its rich, full flavor. The beef from this breed has a rich flavor and a deep, meaty taste. Akaushi perfectly blends the intensity of Prime Angus with the succulence of Wagyu. With its lush, beefy flavor and "fork-tender", melt-in-your-mouth disposition.

Where Does Akaushi Beef Come From?

The Akaushi cattle breed originated in Kumamoto, Japan and is known as one of Japan's only free-grazing beef cattle breeds. The cattle are raised on ranches and are not fed grains or grain-based products like corn or wheat. Instead, these cattle are raised in pasture, and their diet consists of grass and herbs.

Since Akaushi cattle are native to Japan, they aren't naturally found outside of the country. However, in 1994, several heifers and bulls were shipped to the United States to raise and sell on the meat market. However, the Japanese government has since banned further Akaushi cattle exports, making genuine Japanese Akaushi beef a rare commodity.

How Much Does Akaushi Beef Cost?

The price of Akaushi beef can vary depending on the quality, age and cut of beef. Make sure you're purchasing authentic Akaushi Wagyu beef from a reputable supplier.

What Health Benefits Does Akaushi Beef Have?

Akaushi beef is an extremely healthy steak, and it's no surprise that it's a favorite among meat connoisseurs. In fact, Akaushi beef is known to be one of the healthiest, most flavorful meats available.

The meat from the Akaushi cattle is known to have an intense marbling due to its higher levels of monosaturated fatty acids and its high oleic acid content. These fatty acids are known to reduce cholesterol and increase the health benefits of the meat.

Akaushi beef also has a high concentration of conjugated linoleic acid, a compound that has been shown to help reduce cholesterol and improve overall immune system performance.

How to Cook Akaushi Beef

From roasts to steaks, and even burgers, the possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking Akaushi beef.

Akaushi steaks are usually cooked in one of two ways:

• Grilled: If you're planning on grilling it, try grilling it with a wood or charcoal grill. The smokey flavor from the grill will add complexity to the flavor of the meat.

• Pan-seared: Pan searing is a great way to cook the meat quickly, and even temperature creates the perfect crust that adds a delicious flavor to the dish. We recommend adding butter, garlic and herbs to the pan for the ultimate steakhouse experience at home.

Akaushi beef is also a great ingredient for making homemade wagyu burgers. You can prepare your own Akaushi ground beef in a food processor, and mix it with your favorite burger toppings.

Akaushi Wagyu Beef from Holy Grail Steak

While Akaushi beef isn't the most commonly available cut of beef, it's one of the most sought-after steaks and is a favorite among steakhouse experts and fine dining enthusiasts.

If you're looking for something exquisite, try the American Akaushi beef from Holy Grail Steak. These steaks are great for those who want a beef steak with a unique flavor and texture.

Don't know where to begin? Try our Akaushi American Wagyu Filet Mignon today!

https://www.iamcountryside.com/cattle/akaushi-cattle-delicious-healthy-meat/

Akaushi Cattle Provide a Delicious, Healthy Meat

Akaushi: A Japanese Wagyū Cattle Breed

By Heather Smith Thomas – The word Akaushi means red cow in Japanese. Akaushi cattle were introduced to the U.S. in 1994.

“This is the only free-grazing beef cattle breed in Japan,” says Bubba Bain, Executive Director of American Akaushi Association. “These cattle have been in existence as a distinct breed for more than 150 years and are a national treasure in Japan.”

Dr. Antonio Calles brought some to the U.S. when he was at Washington State University. “He saw that the Japanese were extremely healthy people. They don’t have problems with obesity or coronary heart disease and he wondered what they were doing different. The Japanese eat a lot of fish, but also consume a lot of beef. Dr. Calles started researching this, and found that meat from these animals had an abundance of oleic acid and mono-unsaturated fats. He imported eight cows and three bulls to the U.S. so he could build a herd and do more research to find out more about these cattle.”

Calles started doing embryo transfers to produce more of these cattle in a short time, and created more than 6,000 offspring from those original cattle in 15 years. Many Akaushi cattle are located at Harwood, Texas. “HeartBrand beef owns these cattle and sells or leases cattle to other breeders. Many new members have joined our American Akaushi Association, which was started in early 2010,” says Bain.

Akaushi cattle are known for consistent, tender, flavorful, juicy, highly marbled meat. Even though the end product is important, this breed has not sacrificed any other important traits such as reproduction and performance to get to the end result.

Akaushi cattle will put a good calf on the ground and the calves give good weaning weight, yearling weight, efficiency in the feed yard, grade and yield well on carcasses—and give you that consistent excellent cut of meat we’re all looking for. This breed performs well for the cow-calf producer, the feeder and packer, efficient all the way down the chain,” he explains.“Carcasses on full-blood cattle are highly marbled and prime or prime plus,” says Bain. “We also have a lot of data on half-blood carcasses; Akaushi cattle cross extremely well with all breeds. We can double the grade and improve the yield on the offspring of any breed we put Akaushi on.”

The American Project

Dr. Calles brought eight unrelated cows and three unrelated bulls to this country in 1994. This was the nucleus to start a breeding herd. “When you do careful selective breeding with this number you can prevent inbreeding. You mate bull number one with eight cows, giving eight lines of cattle. You mate bull number two with the same eight cows to give another eight lines, and do the same with bull number three. We also started using embryo work and using reciprocal crosses on daughters of the three bulls, and switched bulls to create more lines. Our inbreeding coefficient with this system was between 5 and 5.6, which is very healthy. An unhealthy inbreeding coefficient would be 14% and higher. Many cattle breeds have an inbred coefficient of 35%, which is very high,” he says.

“We have additional sire lines from another population that is also pure, to avoid inbreeding problems. These sire lines came to this country earlier, in 1976. I was able to purchase semen from these bulls in the early 1980’s. We have that semen in hand and plan to use it to create more genetic diversity,” says Calles.

“Hopefully we can also obtain more semen from different bloodlines in Japan. We are working in a very precise way with this breed, to maintain all the important traits—fertility, productivity, milking ability, etc. with no problems— in every generation.”

The first 11 animals arrived in New York in November 1994 and stayed six months. “It was cold and wet that winter. Then they went to Wisconsin for several years. The first three winters it was between 10 and 22 below zero.

Then the cattle were sent to Texas. They came all the way from humid, hot weather of Kumamoto to New York, to Wisconsin, to Texas.” These imported cows were hardy and long-lived, still productive into their early 20s. Calles was able to generate a large number of embryos from these cows, which shows their high level of fertility.

“When the animals came to the U.S. the bulls were confined in a collection center. We didn’t retire them from collection until 2009; they were producing semen for many years. Two of the three survived into their 20s. What is amazing is that the bulls were kept confined and stayed sound. They were very functional and very healthy. Not very many bulls of other breeds stay fertile or survive for that many years with inactivity; they have problems with knees and feet,” he says. Akaushi bulls have excellent conformational structure.

The biggest challenge for this breed in America was to get enough numbers— starting with such a small group—to produce enough cattle to supply the demand. It took several years to be prepared to offer semen for cattle producers. Now a growing number of people in various states are raising some of these cattle.

Several Idaho breeders have obtained Akaushi cattle. In 2010, Shawn Ellis, near Blackfoot, Idaho, signed a cooperator agreement to raise Akaushi cattle for Heartland Brand Beef. Ellis received 60 cow-calf pairs (some full-bloods and some half-bloods crossed with Red Angus) in April 2010.

Jack Goddard, the northwest director for the American Akaushi Association says this Idaho herd is helping show people how the animals perform in a colder climate than Texas. They are also doing very well in rough rangeland conditions.

Delicious, Healthful Meat

Eating satisfaction is truly remarkable. Muscle fibers tend to be longer and thinner, which helps make meat more tender. The fatty acid composition is also different. When you cook this beef, you can pour the fat off into a cup, and at room temperature, it stays liquid. Regular pork or beef fat, if you leave it sitting there, will solidify to a hard, white fat. Akaushi fat doesn’t do that.

Today you can find Akaushi meat in leading restaurants across the country. When people taste it, they are impressed with the flavor. “The Akaushi produces healthful meat with a high ratio of mono-unsaturated to saturated fats,” says Bain.

“There’s also a high amount of oleic acid in Akaushi meat (the healthy ingredient in olive oil). It is extremely heart-healthy. Our research at Texas A&M indicates this.”

Dr. Antonio Calles says oleic acid is recognized by people in the medical community and the American Heart Association as the good fat for the heart. “Akaushi beef in any form gives the highest amount of oleic acid per square inch of meat,” he says.

Bill Fielding, CEO of HeartBrand Beef, says the health benefits are a big plus for the consumer. “Customers are asking for healthful, tasty products. We’re seeing growth of this aspect of the industry — whether it’s grass-fed or all natural beef. People want a healthier product with better nutritional value, and something that will reduce their bad cholesterol instead of increasing it. We strongly believe that if the beef industry started using these genetics and changing the way cattle are fed, we could produce a product that is better for you than pork, chicken, buffalo or any other meat,” says Fielding.

Calles says that people have been told red meat will increase cholesterol. “Now we must educate people to the fact that these fats are good for you.” People who must be careful what they eat no longer have to reduce their intake of red meat. This is great news because meat contains many nutrients our body needs, such as vitamin B12, which is not found in a vegetarian diet.

“Red meat is a great source of all the amino acids to produce a complete protein. It’s a package of complete nutrients, combined with eating satisfaction. This is an opportunity for the cattle industry to create something sustainable, with additional health value to the consumer. We can produce many millions of pounds of meat in this country, but we need to produce high-quality beef that is healthy for the human body. If we can combine palatability with the health aspect, that’s the way the cattle industry will survive. Our meat now has to be healthier, raised with no chemicals, no hormones, no additives,” explains Calles. That’s the only way we can compete with other industries such as chicken, fish, pork.

Akaushi Cattle

Akaushi cattle are red, horned, more heat-tolerant than black animals, which is a major issue in southern states, and have low birth weights. The cows calve easily with no assistance. Fullblood males average 72 pounds at birth, and females 68 pounds. Adults are moderate size.

Bulls weigh 1,700 to 1,800 pounds and cows are 1,000 to 1,100 pounds.

Disposition is excellent. Akaushi cattle have been extensively handled for many generations, selected for ease of handling. “There are many things they do with them in Japan that we can’t even imagine; these are very docile cattle,” says Bain. People working with Akaushi cattle view them as part of their family.

“We don’t claim to be number one on weaning weights or yearling weights, but a rancher will never be embarrassed about the weights of Akaushi calves,” says Bain. “Fullblood calves wean at 500 to 600 pounds. Crossbred calves have been averaging 600 to 700 pounds at weaning because of heterosis,” he explains.

You get maximum heterosis when crossing animals that are totally unrelated, with wide genetic diversity.

These cattle are not related to American breeds. “This produces more hybrid vigor than when crossing two American breeds, because most of our breeds have become crossbreds already,” he says.

“The way the Japanese selected these animals and worked with them for many decades; we don’t have to worry about variation on productivity or performance traits, feed efficiency and feed conversion,” says Calles. “These traits were already selected and fixed for many years.

All we need to do is provide a good environment for them, with good care and low-stress management, and these animals will reach their genetic potential 100% of the time,” he says.

Akaushi cattle are very hardy in a variety of environments. “They were developed in Kumamoto, which latitude-wise is the same as between Austin and Temple, Texas, in a very hot and humid climate, so they do well in the southern part of our country. If you move them to the northern U.S. they do even better.

Any time you reduce humidity and temperature in summer, they have less stress and less trouble dissipating heat. They do very well in the north, with ability to grow a good hair coat to withstand cold winters,” he says.

“The reason these animals thrive in a variety of climates is because the Japanese government in the 1940s took some from Kumamoto and put them in Hokkaido—the same latitude as between Seattle, Washington and the Canadian border. In winter it’s very cold, with a lot of snow. It took the Japanese 50 years to select genetics that do well in cold, dry weather, and infused those genes back into the general population of the breed, to improve versatility to handle any environment,” says Calles.

If you are new to raising cattle, here’s a helpful guide to cattle farming for beginners.

Countryside also has an excellent overview of Highland cattle, which are also prized for their delicious meat.

Originally published in Countryside in 2014 and regularly vetted for accuracy.