The Saku Cut: A Chef’s Secret Weapon

At Meat N' Bone, we sell some truly marvelous products, but Japanese Wagyu A5 might just be the most special of them all. Some people like to call it the best beef in the world—and they aren’t wrong. But in my experience, A5 Wagyu is more than just beef. It's an ingredient, an experience, and a canvas for culinary creativity.

Recently, a friend approached us for advice. He was opening a Japanese restaurant and wanted to feature A5 Wagyu as a star ingredient in an appetizer. The challenge? With the price points of Japanese A5, serving it as an appetizer without charging sky-high prices seemed almost impossible.

Enter the Saku Cut (Buy here). This beautifully uniform block of sirloin is trimmed to perfection, offering a precise shape that makes it incredibly versatile. Whether sliced into steaks, thin strips, or smaller portions, its consistency ensures even cooking and maximizes yield.

With just one 1lb block, we created four distinct dishes—all simple, delicious, and designed to highlight Wagyu’s exceptional quality. Best of all? They’re easy enough to recreate at home, so you can savor the luxury of A5 Wagyu without overindulging.

Here is a guide to some of those dishes created by our executive Chef Chucho Rojas:

A5 Wagyu Bites

You’ve probably seen videos of chefs slicing A5 Wagyu into cubes and giving them a quick sear. The problem? Cutting most cuts of beef—like Ribeye, Filet Mignon, or Striploin—into cubes is both impractical and expensive. Those cuts just aren’t naturally suited for the cube shape.

That’s where the Saku block shines. Its perfectly uniform shape makes it ideal for creating bite-sized pieces with ease. You can even customize the thickness of your bites. Personally, I prefer smaller cubes—the smaller, the better—to ensure every bite is packed with flavor and melts in your mouth.

Cook them evenly in a cast iron skillet. Once you see grill marks, they should be ready.

 

Add some of finishing salt (we used Rose Gold Salt to enhance presentation)and serve.

 

 

A5 Japanese Wagyu Nigiris

At The Wagyu Bar, we began serving Wagyu A5 Nigiri four years ago. Today, about half the restaurants in Miami have followed suit. We don’t mind—we take it as a form of flattery! That said, many of these places use lower-quality Wagyu to make it work. But here’s the good news: at home, you don’t have to compromise.

Start by preparing (or ordering) some Japanese sushi rice. Personally, I like to keep it simple and grab a portion from a nearby Japanese restaurant—it’s usually just $5. Once you’ve got the rice, it’s time to focus on the fun part: slicing that luxurious A5 Wagyu.

The key is to slice thin, but not too thin. You want the piece to be something you can easily chew. 

At The Wagyu Bar we torch the nigiris, but this time around we decided to just finish them with our Butcher's Maldon Salt and glaze them with a bit of ponzu sauce and then ate them raw.

Yes, that simple. Right, Chef Chucho?

A5 Sirloin Rolls with Black Garlic Butter and Japanese Garlic flower