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My Smoked Wagyu Steak Recipe is one of the best ways to cook wagyu steak! This incredible wagyu ribeye recipe is ready in under an hour, cooked to perfection in the smoker and a cast iron skillet. Simple salt seasoning is all you need!
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Wagyu Beef
My family and I love a good steak dinner over just about any other meal. There is nothing like a tender, perfectly cooked cut of steak served with a pat of truffle butter and classic steakhouse sides like sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions.
Wagyu beef is the most tender, decadent steak, with plenty of natural beef flavor. It is even more tender than a filet mignon. All you need to make this cut of beef shine is some simple coarse salt seasoning. A rub or a marinade isn't necessary to bring out the best flavors of this cut!
I guarantee you and your family are going to love this Wagyu steak recipe as much as mine does. Treat yourself to a steak dinner experience unlike any other!
Wagyu Steak Recipe Ingredients
- A5 Wagyu Ribeye
- Coarse sea salt
- Black Pepper, optional
Unlike other steak recipes, wagyu steak recipes do not need any seasoning more than coarse salt. The flavor of the beef shines best when the seasoning is kept simple.
How to Cook Wagyu Steak in the Smoker
- Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Cut off a small portion of the fat from your wagyu steak and set it aside (about 2 Tablespoons worth of fat). Salt both sides of the steak generously.
- Place the steak on the smoker and insert a meat thermometer. Smoke to an internal temperature of 115°F, for about 30 minutes or so.
- As the steak approaches the internal temperature goal, preheat a cast iron skillet to high heat on the stove. Use the fat you cut from the steak to grease the pan. As soon as the steak finishes cooking in the smoker, place it in the skillet and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes until it reaches your desired degree of doneness as measured by a meat thermometer.
- Let the steak cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain and serving. Enjoy!
For even more flavor, serve wagyu with black truffle butter. This is a truly incredible combination your family will love.
Why is Wagyu beef so expensive?
Wagyu beef is more expensive than other varieties of meat due to how the cattle are raised. They are raised by hand under specific conditions designed to give them stress-free, healthy, and comfortable lives. In Japan, wagyu beef production is kept under regulation to ensure these requirements are being met.
How is Wagyu beef raised?
Although wagyu beef originates from Japan, wagyu beef actually refers to two types of wagyu: American wagyu, and Japanese wagyu.
Both American and Japanese wagyu farms follow special techniques used to raise their livestock in order to produce the decadent wagyu beef we know and love. These techniques are focused on keeping the cows healthy and comfortable, with low levels of stress, open living conditions, and a high-quality diet.
This easygoing approach to raising the cattle results in premium beef with the best flavor, texture, and quality compared to other cuts, which is measured on a scoring scale from A3 to A5, with A5 being the highest quality wagyu beef.
Any wagyu beef measured between A3 and A5 is guaranteed to have plenty of marbling and incredible flavor.
Wagyu vs Kobe beef - what's the difference?
Kobe is actually a variety of wagyu beef, rather than a separate cut of meat. Kobe beef comes from the Tajima-Gyu strain of wagyu beef strictly originating from the Hyōgo prefecture of Japan, of which the capital city is Kobe. Only a few thousand cows are certified Kobe beef every year, making the cut prized and valuable.
See my guide to Steak Cuts for info on every cut of steak!
Wagyu Steak FAQs
Cook wagyu steak rare to medium-rare, seasoned with simple coarse salt. Use coarse salt, not table salt or other fine salt, for best results. Before cooking the beef, allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Use a cast iron pan for searing the beef, whether searing beforehand or reverse-searing. Slice into thin strips when serving and always slice against the grain.
Directly before cooking wagyu beef, salt it generously on both sides using coarse salt. Do not use fine or table salt to season the beef.
Wagyu steak has a naturally buttery, rich taste, and does not need butter for cooking. However, if you're cooking wagyu steak in a pan, you will want to grease the pan first using butter, oil, or even some of the fat cut from the steak itself. To use the fat from the steak, rub the fat on the inside of the pan to grease it, then cook the steak.
Cook wagyu steak in the smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 115°F as read by a meat thermometer, about 30 minutes. Always use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature. Then, transfer the steak to a greased cast iron skillet and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes according to your preferred degree of doneness. See: Steak Temperature Chart
Wagyu Beef Recipe Tips
- Pellet smokers like this Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker are perfect for smoked beef recipes.
- Salting the steak and letting it come up to room temperature before cooking it results in an even more tender and flavorful experience. This process adds on an extra hour. But it is worth the wait.
- This same exact cooking method works just as well in an oven. It is called the reverse sear method and is a method used by professionals all over the world. Just heat the oven to the same temperature as you would the smoker and remove once it reaches the internal temperature.
- If your steak is smaller or bigger, it doesn’t matter as long as it reaches the internal temperature of 115 degrees.
- There are many great things to accompany this steak while you are searing, such as high-quality butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and even black truffle oil. Try it in whatever fashion fits your taste!
- See What to Serve with Steak for side dish ideas - and don't forget my guides on Tenderizing Steak and Salting Steak for other cuts!
- Try pan searing wagyu steak here: How to Cook Wagyu Steak
Side Dishes for Wagyu Steak
Smoked Beef Recipes
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Smoked Wagyu Steak
Equipment
- 1 Smoker
Ingredients
- 16 Ounce A5 Wagyu Ribeye
- Coarse Sea Salt to taste
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees. Cut off a small portion of the fat from the steak and set aside (about 2 tablespoons worth). Salt both sides of the steak liberally.16 Ounce A5 Wagyu Ribeye, Coarse Sea Salt
- Place the steak on the smoker and insert a meat thermometer. Smoke to an internal temperature of 115 degrees. This took about 30 minutes, but will vary.
- As the steak approaches the internal temp goal, preheat a cast iron skillet to high heat. Use the fat you cut off of the steak to grease the pan. As soon as the steak finishes in the smoker, place on the skillet. Sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes.
- Let the steak cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Salting the steak and letting it come up to room temperature before cooking it results in an even more tender and flavorful experience. This process adds on an extra hour. But it is worth the wait.
- This same exact cooking method works just as well in an oven. It is called the reverse sear method and is a method used by professionals all over the world. Just heat the oven to the same temperature as you would the smoker and remove once it reaches the internal temperature.
- If your steak is smaller or bigger, it doesn’t matter as long as it reaches the internal temperature of 115 degrees.
- There are many great things to accompany this steak while you are searing, such as a high quality butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and even black truffle oil. Try it in whatever fashion fits your taste!
Nutrition
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