The Reason You Should Never Order A Well Done Wagyu Steak
For many of us hoi polloi who indulge in carnivore cravings, dining out on the town at a nice steak restaurant is a special and rare occasion. Depending on the cut and the quality, steak can put a dent in your wallet, so when you do have the opportunity to eat it, you want to have the best experience possible.
Steak is so highly coveted that a Linz Consumer Steak Report survey revealed that two-thirds of Americans would order it as their "last meal." We are also very opinionated about how steak should and shouldn't be cooked, with 41% of consumers in that same survey acknowledging they have been critical of someone who orders a steak well done. Chefs tend to agree that ordering a steak well done is committing a mortal culinary sin that renders the meat tough and inedible.
That sin only becomes compounded when you overcook a high-end, expensive steak such as Wagyu, a marbled beef masterpiece primarily associated with Japan, that when cooked right provides a rapturous, melt-in-your-mouth experience (via Real Simple).
Friends don't let friends eat well-done Wagyu
Wagyu comes only from certain specific breeds of cow and selected cuts involve rigorous standards of marbling and color, contributing to a hefty price tag in the range of $80 for a 4-ounce portion (per Real Simple). The last thing you want to do with a steak this exquisite is risk ruining the taste and quality.
Durham Ranch, which raises cattle for Wagyu beef, describes the flavor as "much richer than regular beef." Wagyu is typically cooked rare or medium rare since its "fat melts at a lower temperature than traditional beef." They caution that a person should never have a Wagyu steak that is well done because it will detract from the tenderness and flavor.
Generally, a properly-cooked Wagyu steak is one you don't have to wait long for, seared for no more than three or four minutes on each side or until it is medium rare (via Lone Mountain Wagyu). Of course, there are valid concerns about undercooking, but it is safe to enjoy steak that is served medium rare as long as it reaches the proper internal temperature and you follow the necessary precautions (per Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).
And lest you find this cooking rule trivial or a matter of personal choice, consider that friendships have been fractured over this Wagyu well-done steak issue (per Newsweek). Friends don't let friends eat a well-done piece of superior steak. Even if it means not being friends anymore.