Deep-Frying Wagyu Steak Just Feels Illegal

If you've ever had the pleasure of eating wagyu beef, you know it's not just like any old ribeye or strip steak. No, the wagyu is a heavily prized type of beef that wears an equally heavy price tag. It refers to the purebred Japanese cattle it comes from, which offer beautifully marbled cuts of meat. 

This is why seeing someone toss a wagyu steak that they value at $1,000 into a vat of frying oil is, well, a little distressing. Yes, one TikTokker deep-fried a Wagyu steak. The internet collectively cringed. As one commenter wrote, "That's a waste of a perfectly fine wagyu." But we wondered if their repulsion was legitimate — after all, how different is deep frying from pan frying a steak in butter and oil? 

The knee-jerk reaction is tied at least a little to the cultural connotations of deep frying; it tends to be associated with county fairs, fast food joints, and usually cheap cuts of meat. So it's hard to see a culinary delicacy get the same treatment as a corndog. The key difference between pan frying and deep frying is that deep frying requires a greater quantity of oil, which can give the exterior layer an added crunch but can overwhelm the flavor of the steak. The TikTokker says it melts like butter but gives no real indication of whether the rich meaty flavors of the beef shine through. 

Again, it's easy to turn your nose up to deep frying without giving it due credit. After all, it's responsible for the beauty that is fried chicken and even donuts. But even professional chefs balked at the deep-fried wagyu. Chef Marwan Sardouk commented, "I feel sorry for the wagyu." 

Other commenters noted that while the outside looked plenty browned and crispy, the inside was on the, shall we say, rare side. And we do mean blue rare. A few commenters were shocked at just how rare, with one saying, "Bro that ain't rare, [that's] mythical." Blue rare isn't totally uncommon for a super expensive cut of meat, but this deep frying method definitely pushes the limit, even for a $1,000 cut. 

@eitan

Deep Frying $1000 Wagyu Steak 🥩🤤🤯 #cooking #wagyu #wagyubeef #steak #deepfrying #chef

♬ original sound – Eitan Bernath

That's the other thing we are struggling with in this video. While the video creator claims the steak is worth $1,000, some are having a hard time buying it. Chef Joe Sasto wrote, "Wait, that's 1000$? Homie who is selling you steaks?" It seems unlikely that this cut is really worth that much considering how thin the strip is, and some commenters noted that the marbling was not on par with similarly priced steaks. So, while it hurts a little to see any steak get the carnival food treatment, it at least seems that this deep-fried steak didn't destroy a thousand-dollar steak, and that helps everyone to sleep a little easier.