Carving out a niche for wagyu afficionados
A cut of chilled Australian wagyu beef can take as little as 15 days to reach the refrigeration cabinets at Meat Mate, a chain of modern butcher shops in Beijing specializing in the delicacy.
Japanese wagyu is one of the world’s finest meat products and is famous for its signature marbling, but it is not readily available on the Chinese market.
Australia received its first wagyu genetics in 1990 and has been successfully breeding the cattle ever since. Australian wagyu producers currently export up to 90 percent of their beef globally.
Meat Mate, which opened in Sanyuanqiao in October 2016, was the first outlet in the capital focusing on selling chilled Australian wagyu.
The group’s newly-opened second store at the Indigo mall in Chaoyang sells every cut of Australian wagyu beef, other than organs and tongues.
Frozen beef is commonly found in Beijing restaurants and used in home cooking, but chilled beef is much more difficult to find.
Chilled wagyu beef is freshly cut and deboned from the cattle and stored at a temperature of between 0 C and 4 C within 24 hours, before being transported in refrigerated containers for export.
The low temperature helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria and gives the beef its tender taste.
Meat Mate’s brand spokesperson Guo Mian explains the difference between frozen and chilled meat.
“When you freeze beef, the water within the beef turns to ice. After you defrost it, the water drains from the meat as it dries before cooking. So, its texture is not as moist and juicy as chilled beef.”
Chilled beef usually comes with a 120-day warranty after being vacuum-packed at source. The usual transportation time from the slaughterhouse in Australia to Beijing is around 40 days by sea.
Noticing the growing demand for high quality beef in the capital, Guo’s team sparked on the idea of opening up a high-end meat outlet.
“We want to cut the link between retailers and restaurants, and bring the premium meat directly to our customers,” says Guo.
Meat Mate provides every type of cut of Australian wagyu, including sirloin, ribeye, and filet mignon for beef steaks, while also selling short ribs for hotpots and barbecues.
Customers can buy chilled wagyu beef freshly delivered every day and choose to either to take it home to cook, or have it cooked for them in the store.
A grill chef is on duty to cook the beef to order and offer culinary advice, and customers can order side dishes such as french fries, salads and soft drinks with their food.
“We also plan on running steak cooking classes for our clients,” Guo says.
A meat-matching array of sea salts, cheeses and a selection of red wines are also available at the store.
“We provide everything customers will need to cook the steak when they take it back home,” Guo says. “We are also preparing beef soup for the winter time.”