Five cuts of full-blood Wagyu from one Tennessee herd, with a board to carve them on. A holiday gift for anyone who takes their steak seriously.
Bella Cattle raises full-blood Japanese Black Tajima Wagyu in the hills around Hartsville, Tennessee, on genetics drawn from Australia’s Mayura Station. Most full-blood Wagyu sold in this country is imported. The Bella Cattle herd is born and raised here, then grain-finished for more than 400 days on a Japanese-style program, longer than any comparable American operation. You can taste the time in the fat. It renders at a lower temperature, the marbling runs fine through the muscle, and the flavor has a depth shorter programs can’t match.
This box gathers a little of everything the herd does well, from a cowboy ribeye you’ll carve at the table to the zabuton most people have never cooked. [Every cut comes from the same ranch.]
Inside the Box
Cowboy Bone-In Ribeye, 22–25oz
The centerpiece. It’s cut thick and left on the bone, which slows the cook near the rib and keeps the meat beside it rich and juicy. Reverse-sear it, give it a proper rest, and carve it at the table on the board that comes with it.
Filet Mignon, 2 × 8oz
Center-cut tenderloin. Filet is usually the lean cut on the plate, but full-blood genetics run fine marbling through it, so it eats silky and rich without feeling heavy. A hard sear and a butter baste are all it needs.
Boneless New York Strip, 2 × 12oz
Thick enough that the fat has time to render before the outside overcooks, so you get a crust that holds and an interior that finishes smooth. It has the firmer, beefier bite that strip people keep coming back for.
Zabuton, 2 × 6oz
The one you probably haven’t cooked. Zabuton comes off the shoulder, a small cut from the chuck that rarely makes it into a retail case, and on full-blood Wagyu it’s marbled edge to edge. Cook it hot and fast, build the crust, and slice across the grain.
Wagyu Burger Patties
For the night after the big dinner. Wagyu fat keeps a burger juicy at medium and gives it a deep brown crust on a flat-top. Salt the outside just before they hit the heat.
Cutting Board
Half an inch thick and sized for carving the cowboy at the table. It stays in the kitchen long after the steaks are gone.
A Few Notes from the Block
Take everything out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before cooking and salt it well. For the ribeye, a reverse sear gives you edge-to-edge medium-rare: a 250°F oven until the center reads about 120°F, then a hard sear in a ripping-hot pan. Rest every cut at least five minutes before you slice. Full-blood Wagyu doesn’t need much from you. Good heat, patience, and salt.
