Japanese Wagyu Preparations: The Original Way to Honor the Beef

In Japan, wagyu isn't treated as a massive centerpiece steak. It's served in thin slices, small bites, and shared dishes — an approach that makes perfect sense when you understand the richness of highly marbled beef. A 3-ounce portion of A5 wagyu delivers more flavor and satisfaction than a 16-ounce conventional steak. Japanese cuisine embraces this, building entire dining traditions around small, deliberate portions of exceptional quality.

These four preparations are the cornerstones of how Japanese chefs and home cooks have prepared wagyu for generations. Each one is surprisingly simple to recreate at home.

Yakiniku (焼肉) — Japanese BBQ

Yakiniku translates to “grilled meat,” and it's Japan's answer to barbecue — though the experience couldn't be more different from American-style BBQ. Each person grills thin slices of beef on a small tabletop grill, cooking one or two pieces at a time. The meat goes from raw to perfectly seared in under 30 seconds.

Selecting and Slicing the Beef

For yakiniku, choose well-marbled cuts like ribeye (karubi), short rib, or sirloin. Slice against the grain into pieces about ⅛-inch thick and 2–3 inches across. Partially freezing the beef for 30–45 minutes makes thin slicing much easier. Many Japanese butchers and online retailers sell wagyu pre-sliced for yakiniku — look for packages labeled “yakiniku cut.”

Classic Yakiniku Tare (Dipping Sauce)

Tare is the soul of yakiniku. This sweet-savory sauce is used for dipping — not as a marinade on the meat before cooking. Make it ahead; it keeps refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Grilling Technique

• Heat: Get your grill screaming hot. The grate should be lightly oiled (though with wagyu, you won't need much).
• Timing: Place slices flat on the grill. Cook 15–20 seconds per side — just until the edges brown and the fat begins to render. Don't walk away; this happens fast.
• One at a time: Cook only what you'll eat immediately. Yakiniku is a slow, social meal — grill, dip, eat, repeat.
• Season simply: Some purists skip tare entirely for top-quality wagyu, using only a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt.

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) — Sweet Soy Hot Pot

Sukiyaki is a communal hot pot where thinly sliced wagyu simmers in a sweet soy broth alongside tofu, vegetables, and noodles. It's Japan's quintessential winter comfort food — rich, warming, and deeply satisfying. Traditionally, each piece of cooked beef is dipped into a bowl of beaten raw egg before eating, which creates a silky, custard-like coating that tempers the sweetness of the broth.

Warishita (Sukiyaki Broth)

Ingredients and Assembly Order

The order matters. Start by rendering a small piece of wagyu fat (or a lightly oiled pan), then sear a few slices of beef briefly. Add the warishita, then build layers:

• Beef: 1 lb thinly sliced wagyu (ribeye or chuck work beautifully)
• Negi (Japanese long onion): Cut into 2-inch diagonal pieces — or use leeks
• Napa cabbage: Roughly chopped, stems separate from leaves
• Firm tofu (momen-dofu): Cut into 1-inch cubes, lightly grilled or pan-seared beforehand for better texture
• Shirataki noodles: Rinsed and blanched to remove any alkaline taste
• Enoki or shiitake mushrooms: Stems trimmed
• Chrysanthemum greens (shungiku): Added at the very end — they wilt in seconds
• For dipping: 4 fresh eggs, beaten individually in small bowls

Add harder vegetables first (cabbage stems, negi), then tofu and noodles, then mushrooms and leafy greens. Add more beef in batches as you eat — never dump it all in at once. The broth concentrates as it cooks, so add a splash of dashi or water if it becomes too intense.

Shabu-Shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) — Swish and Dip

Named after the “swish-swish” sound of meat being swirled in hot broth, shabu-shabu is the most delicate of Japan's wagyu preparations. Paper-thin slices are briefly submerged in a light kombu dashi — just 2–3 seconds for highly marbled wagyu — then immediately dipped in sauce and eaten. Where sukiyaki is rich and sweet, shabu-shabu is clean and elegant.

Slicing for Shabu-Shabu

The beef must be sliced paper-thin — about 1/16 inch or roughly 1.5mm. This is nearly impossible without a meat slicer or semi-frozen beef and an extremely sharp knife. Freeze the beef for 1–2 hours until firm but not rock-hard, then slice with a long, sharp carving knife. Better yet, buy pre-sliced shabu-shabu beef from a Japanese grocery or online retailer. When properly sliced, you should be able to see through the meat.

The Broth

Fill a pot (ideally a donabe or wide, shallow pot) with water and a 4-inch piece of kombu (dried kelp). Let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour, then heat slowly. Remove the kombu just before the water boils — boiling kombu makes the broth bitter and slimy. That's it. The broth is intentionally subtle so the wagyu flavor shines through.

Two Essential Dipping Sauces

Vegetables for Shabu-Shabu

Arrange on a platter alongside the beef: napa cabbage, spinach or watercress, thinly sliced carrots, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), firm tofu cubes, and udon or harusame (glass) noodles for the end of the meal. Cook vegetables in the broth between beef slices. At the end, the broth becomes incredibly flavorful — add noodles or rice for a closing porridge (shime).

Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き) — Flat Iron Griddle Perfection

Teppanyaki — cooking on a flat iron griddle — is the Japanese method most familiar to Western diners, though the theatrical steakhouse version common in America bears little resemblance to authentic Japanese teppanyaki. In Japan, teppanyaki is quiet, precise, and focused entirely on the quality of the ingredient. A chef might cook a single piece of A5 wagyu for 90 seconds total, seasoning it with nothing more than salt and wasabi.

Home Teppanyaki Technique

You don't need a professional teppan grill. A heavy cast iron skillet or griddle works perfectly.

• Cut: Use a thick-cut steak (1–1.5 inches) like ribeye, striploin, or tenderloin. BMS 6+ recommended.
• Temperature: Bring beef to room temperature (30 minutes out of the fridge). Get your skillet screaming hot — a drop of water should evaporate instantly.
• Fat: With highly marbled wagyu, you don't need added oil. The beef renders its own fat. For leaner cuts, use a tiny amount of neutral oil.
• Sear: Place the steak on the dry, hot surface. Cook 60–90 seconds per side for a 1-inch steak. Don't press down — let the heat do the work. You want a deep golden crust with a rare-to-medium-rare center.
• Rest: Transfer to a cutting board and rest 3–5 minutes. Slice into ½-inch strips against the grain.
• Season: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (Maldon or fleur de sel). Serve with a dab of fresh wasabi and a wedge of lemon.

Equipment and Ingredients to Source

You don't need specialty equipment for most of these preparations, but a few items make the experience more authentic and enjoyable.

Essential Equipment

• Tabletop gas grill or electric grill: For yakiniku. Iwatani makes excellent portable butane grills (~$30–$60) that are standard in Japanese homes.
• Donabe or wide shallow pot: For shabu-shabu. A Dutch oven or any wide pot works as a substitute.
• Cast iron skillet: For teppanyaki. 10–12 inch, well-seasoned.
• Sharp slicing knife: A yanagiba or long carving knife for thin cuts.
• Small dipping bowls: Individual sauce dishes are essential — everyone gets their own.

Pantry Essentials

Stock these and you can make any of the four preparations on a whim:

• Japanese soy sauce (shoyu): Kikkoman is reliable; Yamasa or Marunaka for a step up
• Mirin: True hon-mirin (look for rice, koji, and shochu on the label — not corn syrup)
• Sake: Cooking-grade is fine; avoid “cooking sake” with added salt
• Rice vinegar: Mild and slightly sweet
• Dashi ingredients: Kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) — or instant dashi powder
• Toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds
• Yuzu juice or ponzu: Bottled yuzu juice or pre-made ponzu (Mizkan brand is excellent)
• Fresh wasabi: If you can find it (it's expensive). Otherwise, quality wasabi paste in a tube — look for real wasabi in the ingredients, not just horseradish

Which Cut for Which Preparation?