There are wagyu ribs which are a highly prized cut meat.
Wagyu ribs are available as both back ribs and short ribs and the short Wagyu ribs come from the plate and are great for smoking and braising and the back Wagyu ribs come from the rib primal, which are great for smoking and roasting and are known for their incredible tenderness and rich buttery flavor due to intense marbling.
Both back Wagyu ribs and short Wagyu ribs can be found in specialty butcher shops and online retailers.
Wagyu short ribs are cut from the lower rib section also known as the plate and are meaty, thick and are ideal for low and slow cooking like smoking or braising to achieve fall apart tenderness.
Wagyu back ribs come from the rib primal, which offers generous marbling between the bones, which are perfect BBQ enthusiasts.
The hallmark of Wagyu ribs is that they have significant fat marbling that melts during cooking and creates exceptional juiciness and flavor and they have a rich, buttery taste and a far more tender result than conventional beef ribs.
Braising for short ribs or smoking for back ribs are popular methods to break down the connective tissue and render the fat.
You should also aim for low temperatures when cooking Wagyu ribs like 200 F to 275 F for several hours until they reach an internal temperature where the meat is probe tender which is around 205 F for short ribs.
The kind of cow that has Wagyu meat is the Japanese cow.
The word Wagyu means Japanese Cow.
The most common Japanese cow or Wagyu is the Japanese black cow, the Japanese brown cow, the Japanese shorthorn cow and the Japanese Polled cow breeds, which are known for their intense intramuscular fat or marbling that gives Wagyu a buttery and tender texture
The 4 Wagyu cow breeds include.
Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) which is the dominant breed, making up about 90% of Wagyu, prized for its exceptional marbling.
Japanese Brown (Akage Washu/Akaushi) which is a leaner, less marbled breed with a mild flavor, raised in southern Japan.
Japanese Shorthorn (Nihon Tankaku Washu) which is a rare breed of cow from northern Japan, making up less than 1% of Wagyu.
Japanese Polled (Mukaku Washu) is another rare breed, found mainly in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Marbling in the Wagyu meat is the defining feature of Wagyu meat, which is where the fat runs through muscle and creates tenderness.
Unique genetics also promote higher fat content and a lower melting point for the fat.
And Japanese cows or Wagyu are also often raised in low stressed environments with specialized diets to enhance the marbling.
Wagyu cattle were introduced to the United States in the 1980s, which lead to American Wagyu which can be purebred or crossbred, (50% to 100% Wagyu genetics.