Angus, Kobe, Wagyu, oh my!

7/13/2016 Review of the BurgerFi CEO Burger by Aurora Baksh-Espinal

Today my taste buds take me to the South Beach neighborhood of Miami, FL. I took a break from work to explore the menu at BurgerFi. One particular item sparked my interest. The new CEO Burger, The menu stated it was made from Wagyu. What on earth is Wagyu? Upon further inspection (Googling) I found a site that outlined the differences of American and Japanese beef grading.

It turns out that the whole fuss is about fat! Yuck, is my first reaction. But, fat or rather marbling is the content of fat troughtout the meat and the way it is spread. Chewing on a mouthful of fat may not seem appealing but without it a burger can be rather dry and tasteless. Wagyu literally means Japanese cow. It is a way to determine if the beef being used originated from pure bred Japanese cattle. Unlike the United States, the term Kobe is highly regulated in Japan. In the United States it is not and it is thrown about liberally regardless if the meat is up to Japanese standards. What is so special about this fat is the way it naturally occurs in this breed of Japanese cattle. It also is not highly saturated.

BugerFi attempts to give us a high end burger by blending Wagyu meat with brisket. Eating this burger after it is freshly prepared is an experience. But, something interesting happened when I ordered my CEO Burger. I had to leave and was unable to eat it right away. After about an hour and a half I returned to BurgerFi and picked up my burger. I took a bite out of it and was surprised at how juicy and flavorful it was after being prepared so long ago. So it turns out a mouthful of fat was pretty tasty. I found the burger to be very filling and satisfying. The pairing of cheese and sauces made it rather rich. It was delicious and I would highly recommend it.