Wagyu Burgers — Recipes From the Internet

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Story

I was first introduced to Wagyu beef at my wife's company's Christmas Dinner. It was one of my first fine dining experiences ever at The Capital Grille. While my wife was ordering the Wagyu, something I knew nothing of, I thought for sure my Filet Mignon Oscar would top whatever she had on the way. How can you lose with Filet and Crab Meat? Wow was I wrong. I was graciously given a single bite of this amazing Wagyu Filet, but that one bite was all I needed to be hooked.

Inspiration

Since I can't afford $80 steaks on the reg I decided to find a local place that sells Wagyu for cooking. I lucked out and found Strip District Meats in Pittsburgh's Strip District. For $55 a pound I could recreate that magical dining experience in my home, about $20-$30 a steak. After I made a few tenderloin steaks I started playing around with other cuts and eventually found myself using ground Wagyu Chuck to make burgers. When I stumbled on this Reddit post of the Bacon Egg Burger from Kuma Kafe in Osaka I had my mind made up I was going to try recreating it using Wagyu.

MADNESS

1 pound of ground Wagyu chuck divided into 3 patties.
Cooked bacon.
One slice cheese of your choice (I used America and Colby Jack).
Iceberg Lettuce.
2 thin slices of tomato.
Toasted bun.
Salt and Pepper.
Over easy egg, Kewpie Mayo, Grated Parmesan (all optional).

METHOD

Mix a few generous dashes of salt and pepper with your thawed chuck and mix. Make patties.
Preheat oven to 375F/190C
Begin getting your cast iron pan hot on a medium to medium high heat.
Grind more fresh pepper and salt onto the top side of the patties and throw that side down onto the hot cast iron for 3-5 minutes. Grind salt and pepper on the other side of the patties as they begin cooking.
Flip the patties.
Put on bacon, cover patties with cheese, put into the 375F/190C preheated oven for 5-8 minutes depending on how done you like your burgers.
Toast your bun. Bagel setting on a regular toaster is perfect.
Remove the patties from the oven and allow them to rest for a few minutes.
Construct your burger and enjoy! Serve with fries.

Similar to the popularity of craft beers, I have noticed an increase in restaurants specializing in gourmet burgers. Don't get me wrong, a good burger can be a great thing, I just don't typically categorize burgers as an unforgettable dining experience. That being said, I've enjoyed my few times at these local burger places, but they can't top what came out of my kitchen with these Wagyu burgers. It's an experience I look forward to sharing with friends and family in the future.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

If you're a fan of juicy burgers then giving this recipe a try is an absolute must. Don't let your life pass you by without making a burger like this! I attribute the amazing juiciness of these burgers to the 80/20 lean meat to Wagyu's famous marbled fat. As you can see I used a cast iron pan with grill marks to make these burgers. That being said, I firmly believe that these burgers would taste even better if cooked on a grill. Either way, it was a great experience making the best burger I ever tasted in my own home. I hope you can do the same!