Wagyu ribeye is a flavorful and juicy steak, marbled to perfection. Learn how to cook wagyu ribeye steak with a rich and decadent red wine wagyu bacon bordelaise sauce.
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If you have never tried a wagyu ribeye, you are in for a treat! The wagyu ribeye steak is different than a traditional steak and is quickly growing in popularity. And since you are getting fancy, you better start your dinner party out with this Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board! Making this for date night? If you need another great idea for next time, be sure to check out this Lobster Mushroom Recipe (with a creamy dreamy garlic cream sauce) and this Reverse Sear Tomahawk Steak.
Due to the rich and delicious fat marbling which produces a flavor unlike any other steak! You can buy delicious American wagyu online for the perfect steak to eat any time! For my meat lovers, you will also love this Instant Pot Trip Tip!
It is also incredibly juicy with a strong beefy flavor. The best of all worlds! I promise that you will fall in love with Wagyu beef and when you do, be sure to check out this Wagyu Burger and definitely make your next wagyu steak using my Asian Steak Marinade for a rich umami, spicy, sweet and deliciously bold flavor!
Wagyu ribeye can be referred to by a few different names such as wagyu ribeye, wagyu ribeye steak, wagyu beef ribeye, wagyu tomahawk ribeye and American wagyu ribeye.
You may have also heard wagyu ribeye referred to by some names of the original Japanese wagyu cuts such as A5 wagyu ribeye, Japanese a5 wagyu or Japanese wagyu ribeye. I will explain more about these variations below.
Why this recipe works
- This recipe will teach you how to cook wagyu ribeye to perfection with your choice of steak temperatures that you can customize to your preference. Don’t forget to enjoy your steak with a Cherry Manhattan with homemade Bourbon Cherries. Just sayin!
- The Wagyu bacon bordelaise sauce is a rich and decedent addition that balances perfectly with this steak. If you really want to wow your friends, family or significant other, this is the way to go! You will also love this Pistachio Crusted Salmon.
- Wagyu ribeye is a very versatile cut of meat. It works well with many different seasonings and marinades and sauces such as this Asian Steak Marinade. You can also serve with a delicious dipping sauce such as this garlic Chili Crisp or herbaceous and spicy jalapeno Zhoug dipping sauce.
- Serve this steak with a side of Instant Pot Risotto or Whole30 Mashed Potatoes, Diced Potatoes in Air Fryer and a delicious side of Roasted Asparagus.
Where to buy wagyu beef?
If you are looking to buy American Wagyu beef, which has all the delicious marbling, juiciness and beefy flavor of its A5 counterpart, for a much more affordable price, I definitely recommend Black Hawk Farms!
Black Hawk Farms is a family owned business that produces an amazing product that tastes superior and is also ethically and humanely raised and renewably produced. I have tried my fair share of Wagyu and in my opinion, Black Hawk produces a consistent and superior American Wagyu product.
While there are many companies online that claim to offer Japanese wagyu or American wagyu products, you have to be very careful. Many of these offerings are poorly bred and simply mislabeled to charge a higher price.
Black Hawk Farm’s cattle have been specifically bred from bloodlines descending directly from the renowned Japanese wagyu breed stock and Black Angus cattle producing a superior American Wagyu.h
Black Hawk Farms offers a wide variety of American Wagyu products such as wagyu ribeye, wagyu filet, wagyu strip steak, wagyu beef bacon, wagyu tri tip, wagyu brisket, wagyu picanha, wagyu burgers and more!
Ingredients for this recipe
Wagyu Ribeye
- Wagyu Ribeye (American or Japanese): I recommend American Wagyu beef from Black Hawk Farms. The quality and taste are exceptional!
- Oil or Wagyu Beef Bacon Fat: You can sear your ribeye in beef bacon fat or any cooking oil.
- Salt
Wagyu Beef Bacon Bordelaise
- Wagyu Bacon: I recommend American Wagyu beef bacon from Black Hawk Farms. I have not been able to find good wagyu bacon in any of my local grocery stores. However, the wagyu bacon comes frozen and I just pull it the day before I want to cook with it!
- Garlic
- Bordeaux: You can use a true Bordeaux which is a dry French red wine. Alternatively, you can use a dry red wine (I like cabernet sauvignon).
- Beef Demi Glace: I recommend Minor’s Brand sauce concentrate/demi-glace.
- Thyme
- Shallot
- Carrot
- Bay Leaf
- Salt and Black Pepper
General cooking tips for wagyu ribeye steak
While none of these tips are mandatory, they will help create the most delicious wagyu ribeye preparation!
- Let wagyu steak come to room temperature before cooking. A wagyu ribeye is a thicker steak so allowing it to come to room temperature will help it cook evenly, especially if you are a rare or medium rare lover! No hard sear on the outside with a cold inside thank you!
- Pat your wagyu ribeye steak dry. This is an easy tip that will help you get that beautiful golden brown crust on your steak. A towel or paper towels work just fine.
- Pre salt your wagyu ribeye steak prior to cooking. If you can pre salt 10-20 minutes ahead of time, this allows the salt to draw the moisture out of the meat and then reabsorb for maximum flavor.
- If you have an extra fat on your steak, you can trim it and render it to cook your steak. Again, not mandatory but a great option for extra concentrated beef flavor.
How to cook wagyu ribeye steak
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Pat dry your wagyu ribeye with a paper towel. This will help the outside get a nice crust.
- Season your wagyu ribeye with salt and pepper to taste.
- In large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil or wagyu bacon fat until hot.
- Do not overcrowd your steaks in the pan. Cook 1 or 2 at a time depending on the size of your pan.
- Once oil or fat is hot, add your steak to the pan.
- Sear for 3-4 minutes per side until each side has a golden brown caramelized crust.
- Transfer to oven (in cast iron skillet, cast iron pan or oven safe pan/baking sheet).
- Cook in oven until internal meat temperature reaches your desired temperature (see notes for cook times).
- Allow the steak to rest 5-10 minutes. During the resting time, the steak should continue cooking (called carryover cooking), this should bring your steak to your final desired cook time (see notes for cook times).
Why is wagyu steak so expensive?
Wagyu steak is renowned for its exceptional tenderness and rich flavor, but its high price tag is largely due to its genetics, breeding, and careful handling.
Wagyu cattle are a rare and specific breed from Japan, fed a specialized diet for an extended period to enhance marbling, which contributes to its tender and flavorful characteristics.
The strict certification process, labor-intensive hand-raising, and expert processing also drive up costs, positioning Wagyu as a luxury product.
As a result, prices range from $50 to $600 per pound, depending on factors like origin, quality, and aging process.
What is wagyu beef?
Wagyu beef is a type of beef derived from specialty breeds of Japanese black cattle. This beef is known for its exceptional flavor and extensive fat marbling and rich flavor. The cattle are raised on a special diet and in superior conditions to produce the best quality meat and are required to have a certificate of authenticity.
Should you marinate wagyu ribeye?
You don’t need to marinate Wagyu ribeye, as its naturally rich flavor due to marbling and can overwhelmed by strong flavors. The delicate flavors of Wagyu are best showcased when cooked simply, allowing its inherent qualities to shine. Marinating could mask the unique characteristics that make Wagyu so prized.
What is wagyu bacon?
When you think of bacon, you probably think of cured and smoked pork bacon from a pig. Am I right? Well, you can also enjoy beef bacon from a cow!
Wagyu beef bacon is cured and smoked bacon from the belly of a cow (specifically, wagyu cattle). Beef fat has a higher melting point than pork fat with a very intense and rich beefy flavor.
It is absolutely delicious eaten solo and is also perfect to add some extra beefy flavor to your dishes. Great in sauces or to cook vegetables, you really can’t go wrong with a thick slab of wagyu beef bacon.
Best way to cook wagyu steak?
The best way to cook wagyu steak is typically to pan sear or grill the steak in a pan or cast iron skillet on high heat to medium rare. It can then be finished in the oven or butter basted in the pan until fully cooked.
Other delicious wagyu steak preparations include grilled wagyu (ex: wagyu flank steak, wagyu skirt steak or wagyu flat iron steak), smoked wagyu (ex: smoked wagyu trip tip or smoked wagyu beef brisket) or sous vide (ex: filet or sirloin).
These are just suggestions and many of these cooking methods are interchangeable and excellent with many different cuts of meat.
What is bordelaise sauce?
Bordelaise is a classic French sauce originating in the Bordeaux region of France.
While there are many different recipe versions of bordelaise, a classic French preparation will generally consist of a reduction of Bordeaux (a dry French red wine), herbs, shallots, beef stock or demi-glace and finished with bone marrow or butter.
My spin on a classic French red wine bordelaise provides some red wine options if you don’t have a classic Bordeaux.
I also added some more herbs and vegetables for extra depth and the best part is the addition of the beefy wagyu bacon to sauté the aromatics and use as a finisher instead of bone marrow or butter.
How do you pronounce Wagyu?
Wagyu is pronounced Waa-gyuu. The “y” in Wagyu is pronounced normally and the “u” sound is extended in length.
How to grill Wagyu steak?
Grill wagyu steak by hard searing the outside of the steak on both sides on the grill. Then, depending on the thickness of the steak, finish in the oven until the steak reaches your desired internal temperature.
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Wagyu Ribeye Steak Recipe
Equipment
- Grill, large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, sauce pan, meat thermometer, fine mesh sieve or colander, whisk
Ingredients
Wagyu Ribeye
- 4 lbs Ribeye (4 steaks)
- 2 tablespoon Oil or Wagyu Beef Bacon Fat (per steak)
- Salt (to taste), fresh ground black pepper (optional)
Wagyu Beef Bacon Bordelaise
- 2 slices Wagyu bacon (and wagyu bacon fat from cooking)
- 3 large cloves Garlic (finely minced or garlic pressed)
- 1½ cups Bordeaux (or dry red wine of choice)
- 1½ cups Beef Demi Glace (prepared, see notes) I recommend Minor's Brand
- 6 sprigs Thyme
- 1 Shallot (thinly sliced)
- 1 large Carrot (chopped)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Salt and Black Pepper (to your tastes)
Instructions
Wagyu Beef Bacon Bordelaise
- Prepare your bordelaise sauce before you start cooking your steak as it will take some time to reduce.
- Prepare demi glace according to product container. See notes below.
- Note: Use a large sauté pan that is deep so you can cook your sauce in the same pan.
- In large sauté pan, on medium high heat, cook wagyu bacon slices until fully cooked. Set wagyu bacon aside
- Set wagyu bacon aside (on plate covered with a paper towel). Leave ¼ of the bacon fat in the pan and spoon ¾ of the bacon fat into a small bowl (set aside in refrigerator). You want your bacon fat to return to a solid state in the refrigerator.
- Add shallot and carrot to wagyu bacon fat and cook until carrots start to soften. During the cooking process, if needed, you can add additional olive oil if you run out of wagyu bacon fat (amount can vary).
- Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but do not overcook garlic.
- Add Bordeaux or dry red wine. Cook until liquid is reduced by half.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain sauce to remove carrot, shallot, thyme and bay leaf. Add liquid back to pan.
- Add demi glace and reduce until thickened.
- Remove from heat and quickly whisk in remaining wagyu beef bacon fat. Season with salt to your taste.
Wagyu Ribeye
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Pat dry your wagyu ribeye with a paper towel. This will help the outside get a nice crust.
- Season your wagyu ribeye with salt and pepper to taste.
- In large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil or wagyu bacon fat until hot.
- Do not overcrowd your steaks in the pan. Cook 1 or 2 at a time depending on the size of your pan.
- Once oil or fat is hot, add your steak to the pan.
- Sear for 3-4 minutes per side until each side has a golden brown caramelized crust.
- Transfer to oven (in cast iron skillet or oven safe pan/baking sheet).
- Cook in oven until internal meat temperature reaches your desired temperature (see notes for cook times).
- Allow the steak to rest 5-10 minutes. During the resting time, the steak should continue cooking (called carryover cooking), this should bring your steak to your final desired cook time (see notes for cook times).°
Manny
Delicious recipe. Sauce definitely elevates the Wagyu ribeye.
Joe
Wagyu where have you been all my life? If you have never tried wagyu, it is very tender and super super flavorful. I didn’t buy Japanese Wagyu, I got american Wagyu and it was definitely better than even some of the highest grade grocery store steak. This bordelaise sauce was
sumptuous and the perfect match for the Wagyu. Fat and happy!
Rochelle
This recipe is so good. I used a dry red blend for the bordelaise. The sauce is the perfect compliment to the wagyu and I wasn’t sure that could get even more delicious.
Austin
I made my wagyu ribeye last night with this bordelaise sauce and it was insane. The wagyu bacon adds next level beef flavor to the sauce. The ribeye was American wagyu and it was way better than any steak you get in a grocery store.
Aubrey
Thanks Austin! So happy you enjoyed!