B&B Butchers receives Kobe beef certification

USDA Prime in-house dry-aged 80 oz Porterhouse for 2 at B&B Butchers & Restaurant.

USDA Prime in-house dry-aged 80 oz Porterhouse for 2 at B&B Butchers & Restaurant. Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close B&B Butchers receives Kobe beef certification 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

Houston's B&B Butchers & Restaurant on Washington Avenue recently earned the distinction of being one of only nine U.S. restaurants licensed by the Kobe Beef Association in Japan. The certification allows the steakhouse to offer 100 percent authentic A5 Kobe Beef (A5 is the highest grade); B&B is the only operation in Houston to have the certification.

"My goal is always to serve the very best beef available in the world and that meant going through the process of becoming one of the only U.S. members of the Kobe Beef Association to get Kobe Beef on our menu," said B&B owner Benjamin Berg. "B&B is dedicated to providing only the finest USDA Prime beef and superior meats – all dry-aged in-house – and adding authentic certified Kobe beef to the menu was a natural next step in serving the best steaks globally obtainable."

The most exclusive Wagyu beef in the world is from Kobe, Japan, from tajima-gyu cattle raised in the Hyogo Prefecture. The highly coveted beef is known for its intense marbling that produces rich flavor. And while many people in the U.S. use the words Kobe and Wagyu interchangeably, the general rule is this: all Kobe beef is Wagyu but not all Wagyu is Kobe.

Consumers have a right to be confused: Many see the words "Japanese beef," "Japanese Wagyu" and "American Kobe" and assume it's all the same. But authentic Kobe beef meets meticulous standards in Japan and only about 10 percent of Kobe is exported outside of Japan (only about 400 pounds is shipped to the U.S. each month to licensed members of the Kobe Beef Association in Japan).

There is, of course, American Wagyu and Texas Wagyu, sometimes called Texas Kobe.

B&B has both A5 Kobe and Texas Wagyu. On the menu the A5 Kobe from Hyogo Prefecture (served as tenderloin, New York strip, ribeye and rib cap) for $220 for 4 ounces and an additional $55 for 2 ounce increments. Also on the menu: A5 Wagyu from the Kagoshima Prefecture (served tableside on pink Himalayan salt block) for $120 for four ounces ($30 per additional ounce). Compare that to Gearhart Ranch Wagyu on menu: $69 for an 8-ounce filet; $78 for 20-ounce ribeye, and $38 for a Wagyu skirt steak.

Even Texas Wagyu is more expensive than USDA Prime: an 18 ounce bone-in New York strip steak and a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye are both priced at $51.

In addition to its Kobe certification, B&B also announced its 55-day dry-aged beef program, a more intense aging process over its 28-day program. Offered on the menu: 55-day dry-aged Prime ribeye for $75 for a 22-ounce cut; and 55-day Wagyu ribeye from Marfa for $135 for a 22-ounce portion.

Overall, B&B offers 22 different cuts of meat from the meat cellar of its in-store Butcher Shop.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant is at 1814 Washington, 713-862-1814; bbbutchers.com.