If you have seen any of Gordon Ramsay’s television shows, especially “Hell’s Kitchen,” then you already know how he does not like to mince words or sugarcoat his opinions. The Michelin-starred chef has praised numerous dishes and ingredients over his career, and he’s also very vocal about the foods he avoids at all costs. So when he says one luxury trend has been pushed too far to the state of ubiquity, he badly means it.
In an interview with PopSugar, Ramsay did not hold back when asked what food fads should disappear from restaurant menus. “Everywhere you go now, there’s f*cking Wagyu meatballs,” he said, voicing his frustration with how chefs are preparing the imported meat. In case you still don’t know what Wagyu is, it’s basically meat from different breeds of Japanese cattle, including Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn.
Wagyu is expensive because of how the cattle are reared and fed under specific conditions to ensure their meat achieves rich marbling and melt-in-your-mouth texture. While the celebrity chef does not loathe the meat itself, he’s irked by how its popularity has seemingly watered down its prestige and ruined the delectable experience it offers when prepared the right way. “Because it’s a special cut. It needs to be treated with a little bit of respect,” he quipped before adding, “Preserve it a little bit. Rest it. Allow it to become special.”
How Gordon Ramsay serves Wagyu
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While Gordon Ramsay has an issue with the trend-ification of Wagyu beef and its indiscriminate use in many restaurants today, he himself offers the once-rare premium ingredient on select menus at his restaurants. On his Gordon Ramsay Restaurants website, the “MasterChef” star even shared some tips on how to cook a Wagyu steak without screwing it up. For him, the key lies in proper preparation, restraint, and understanding of what makes Wagyu different from other beefs.
Compared to Western steaks, Wagyu’s fat or marbling is not limited to the outer layer. Instead, it is woven throughout the muscle so it is spread evenly, giving the beef its signature soft texture and buttery taste. Because the meat source is well-nourished and taken care of during the raising stage, the fat in Wagyu is packed with heart-healthy fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6. This might help explain why many people simply slice the meat very thinly and eat it raw.
For people who find it too fatty, Ramsay advises mincing the meat or cutting it into thin strips for easier consumption. Meanwhile, when cooking Wagyu as a steak, Ramsay recommends thawing it at room temperature for at least an hour after removing it from the fridge. Because the fat content of this type of beef has a low melting point, he suggests turning it constantly when grilling or barbecuing.
