As steak aficionados, there are a lot of things we could find ourselves doing simply to get a mouthful of a scorching hot, mouthwatering, smoked, or grilled piece of steak.
Perhaps you made the additional trip to the supermarket where your preferred steak cut is sold, or you skipped a barbeque to enjoy the flavor of this particular cut of meat.
Have you ever questioned how much money you are prepared to spend in order to be included in the group of people who have had the most costly steak in spite of all these efforts?
In this article, we’ll examine the priciest steak and the elements that influence its cost.
After doing rounds in physical and online meat stores, our top pick had to be the A5 Kobe steak, going for around 250 dollars.
Let’s dive deeper into it to get an understanding of why you should not feel a pinch while buying it.
A5 Kobe Beef New York Strip Steak
Every talk about the most expensive steak starts and ends with the Kobe Beef, propelled by the steak’s high quality.
It is not only the finest in terms of texture and flavors but also the highest graded beef cut in existence.
The meat continues to have a high reputation as it is derived from well-bred cattle known as the Kuroge Washu. This is the same breed responsible for the Wagyu beef cuts. The intramuscular fat present in the cattle’s system is fine-grained. This contributes to the rich flavor of butter in the A5 Kobe Beef as well as its smooth texture.
With all the creamy fat and buttery richness, the steak is soft to touch and savory to taste.
Another factor that makes this steak the most expensive, is the strict guidelines followed during its grading process.
Of the symbols used to quantify the grading system of meat, A5 is the highest. It is also a rare level to achieve, explaining why the annual number of cattle slaughtered, to produce it, is only 3000.
To add to its authenticity and uniqueness, each of the cattle slaughtered has a serial number consisting of 10 digits attached to it before it is cut. Afterward, every package derived from it is given a similar serial number, making it easy to trace the meat back to the slaughter date, location, and other important details.
The meat is exclusively produced in Japan and its exportation to other parts of the world is highly regulated.
Due to its scarcity, quality, and high ratings, Kobe Beef is the top pick in our list of most priced steaks.
You can order it straight from Japan where it is manufactured, or buy it from certified online retailers such as Crowd Cow. The cost of a package weighing 11oz and ¾ inches thick ranges between 255 to 270 dollars.
Be on the lookout for the steak’s quality, sustainability, and packaging, to ensure that it is worth your top dollar.
Other Expensive Steaks
Japanese A5 Olive Wagyu New York Strip Steak
Another steak brand that made it to our list of expensive cuts is the Japanese A5 Olive Wagyu New York Strip Steak. With about 156 to 165 dollars, you get a richly flavored beef steak, perfectly balanced with tenderness and a soft texture.
The beef steak is flavored with olives to add to its uniqueness and make it more savory.
It also consists of oleic acid which is recommended for your heart’s health. As the name suggests, the steak has attained the A5 level of the grading system. This is the highest quality of beef cuts.
The Wagyu cattle from which this steak is derived are purely bred in Japan and fed on special diets consisting of natural grains, straw, grass and other exotic animal feeds.
Despite its high price, the Olive Wagyu beef steak is high on demand and sells out almost as fast as it is imported by outlets such as Crowd Cow and other online meat sellers. Its scarcity is the biggest contributor to this.
Rolled Cap Of Ribeye (10 oz.) – 2 Pack
A 2-pack 10 Oz worth of Rolled Cap of Ribeye steak sells at around 179 U.S dollars.
The meat is highly graded, rolled, and hand-cut in a manner that is easy to prepare as soon as you purchase it.
Rolling the steak gives it an appealing and appetizing display as well as highlights its unique fully-flavored marbling.
The rolled caps are well configured and easy to serve. You can grill it in that form and share it as a single portion or divide it, into measured portions, as desired.
Unlike most of the other expensive Japanese steaks, this one is made from Kuroge Washu cattle bred in the U.S.
A number of them were imported from Japan in the 1970s, then crossbred with Angus cattle. This resulted in the rise of American Wagyu Beef, with a larger variety and less scarcity.
The meat’s quality may not be at the same level or grade as the pure-bred Japanese wagyu, but its authenticity is also a force to reckon with.
It is more budget-friendly owing to its availability and ease of sourcing.
The meat turns out savory and mouth-watering, no matter the mode of preparation.
The Most Expensive Beef Cut Ever
The types of steak covered by our context may be expensive, but they are not entirely out of reach for home cookouts or too expensive to afford on the average once-a-year situation. There are, however, other types of beef steaks that are so rare that they can only be acquired in select restaurants at hefty amounts of money.
The Vintage Cote De Boeuf Rib Steak is in this bracket. It is only available in a Paris meat-selling outlet called Polmard Eleveur Boucher.
After slaughtering, the beef is hibernated and left to age for 15 years.
During its storage in the food laboratory in Boucherie Polmard, the steak is kept under a temperature of -45 °F, which is fanned at a speed of 47 mph.
Throughout this time, the steak gains rich flavors and a unique taste.
High-end eateries with this type of meat include the Épure and Savoy, where the steak is back-ordered years before its maturity time.
A serving weighing 2lb costs about 4,000 dollars, and it can only be prepared on order in restaurants such as Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. This amount is enough for six servings.
Affordable Picks Among the Most Expensive Steak Cuts
Despite the hefty price tags on all the listed steaks, there are other beef cuts that you can enjoy without denting your bank account.
While $4,000 and 15 years of waiting may be a bit too much to bear, several choices are pocket-friendly and also delicious when prepared.
Here are our collection of affordable beef steaks:
New York Strip
This strip is cut from the loins. It is rich in flavor and has a soft texture. Compared to other cuts on this list, New York Strip has more fat, making it chewy and rich with beefy flavors.
Bone-in Ribeye
Due to its high levels of marbling and tenderness, this beef cut has been branded king of the steakhouse.
It is derived from the ribcage on the upper end.
The meat is prepared with the bone still running through it, hence the label, bone-in.
Read further and find out the difference between New York strip and Ribeye steak
Filet Mignon
The Filet Mignon steak is cut from the cattle’s narrow end of the tenderloins. Due to the muscle’s inactivity, this part of the cow is tender and smooth.
Compared to the other cuts, it is less fatty and might require you to moisten it with seasoning or oil if you plan to prepare it under high temperatures.
Also, check our comparison between Filet Mignon and Ribeye steak
Porterhouse
This steak is cut from the loin. The T-Bone is similar to the Porterhouse, despite being derived from another part of the loin.
Both steaks have a bone running across them, separating a section of the strip steak and tenderloin. The T-Bone is more inclined towards the strip steak while the Porterhouse is more of the tenderloin section.
They both have meaty flavors and smooth textures.
Conclusion
Having a bite of the most expensive steak is a luxury most steak lovers dream of enjoying one day. These steaks are high quality, perfectly graded, rare, savory, but above all, relatively expensive.
They are not readily available in many restaurants, and even those who have them may have a hard time regulating the long queues of people who would pay any amount to have a taste of them.
If you are privileged enough to have visited high-end eateries and gotten a chance to sample the authentic steaks, then maybe you can attest to their goodness and worth.
Similarly, you can bring that high-end luxurious feeling to your backyard or balcony by preparing some pocket-friendly steaks with utmost perfection. It’s the thought that counts.