About two years ago we started talking to the guys from INTOKU. They offer a very interesting product... Beef from an Akaushi (Red Wagyu), 30 Day Dry Aged (Whole carcass), older cow...  the product is super rare and exclusive. It's like nothing we have seen before.

We are usually VERY reluctant to add prepared products from their parties to our lineup but I have to say this is the best Roast Beef I have tried in my life. 

Given the nature of the cow, its age, and process the roast beef looks a little darker than your "traditional" roast beef. But the flavor... oh, its just spectacular.

ABOUT INTOKU

We are always looking for new and interesting products, and this is where we met the guys from INTOKU. A small cattle farm in Texas that is raising Akaushi Wagyu, but more interestingly... they are grabbing their older cows (8-12 years old), dry aging them for 30 days and then processing them. So effectively, you have a Dry Aged Vaca vieja. 

This process allows you to retain that flavor of vaca vieja, but it makes it REALLY tender. On top of that you have a bit of that dry aged flavor that we all love so much. 

So you get a cool mix of three cultures:  Japanese (Breed), American (feed), Spanish (Vaca Vieja).

AKAUSHI WAGYU?

If you have read our blog then you know that the word "Wagyu" translates to "Japanese Cow"  ("Wa" means Japanese and "gyu" means cow). So, Wagyu does not really mean a lot as a term. That said the term groups up the four top cattle breeds in Japan:

• Wagyu: Kuroge Washu (Japanese Black)
• Mukaku Washu (Japanese Polled)
• Akage Washu (Japanese Brown)
• Nihon Tankaku Washu (Japanese Shorthorn). 

Typically most Wagyu beef comes from Tajima Kuroge Wagyu, at least most of the Wagyu we sell does. Which is one of the reasons we like this INTOKU product as it allows us to try a different type of Wagyu: Akaushi (Japanese Brown) which is typically from the prefecture of Kumamoto.