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When Kobe beef isn't Kobe beef
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Unless you're not really "in" to food, you've probably heard of Kobe Beef, and of how great it is, even in burger form. For those just learning about it, Kobe beef (real Kobe beef) is from the Wagyu cattle, and is raised in a specific region of Japan. In that, it's sort of like champagne ("real" champagne comes from the Champagne region of France - everything else is technically sparkling wine); however you've also probably noticed that for a product that is only produced in one tiny region of a small country that doesn't have a lot of agricultural output, there sure is a lot of Kobe beef on the market. The reason for that is because in recent years due to the high demand for Kobe beef outside of Japan and the 2001 embargo on beef products from Japan (which ended in 2005), the US saw the introduction of "Kobe-style" beef.
Kobe-style beef is grown domestically on ranches in the US by crossbreeding the Wagyu cattle with American Black Angus cattle to produce a type of beef similar, but not the same, as the Japanese produced Kobe. The cattle may be slaughtered domestically, or shipped to Japan for slaughter, however it's not true Kobe beef. The Kobe-style cattle are the source of much of the alleged Kobe beef that you see on the US market, especially for restaurants that serve Kobe burgers. The advantages of the Kobe-style beef is that it produces a beef which is similar to true Kobe in terms of lean-to-fat ratio, but with a much lower overhead due to the local production of the beef. Unfortunately, it also suffers from the same drawbacks as Kobe beef, which is that it's very temperature sensitive when it's overcooked.
My first experience with a Kobe-style burger was at a national chain restaurant, where instead of the burger coming out medium rare (as requested) the burger came out well done; which not only ruined the beef but was a tremendous disappointment for me. Like regular Kobe, the domestically produced Kobe-style beef should not be cooked past medium, because of the nature of the fat, this will effectively ruin your burger.
Kobe-style meat is a great option for someone who is looking to create a gourmet-style burger in the comfort of your own home. Make sure you follow the cooking tips for good meat and you'll be able to enjoy a top notch quality burger for a fraction of the price of true Kobe beef.
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