Japanese vs Australian Wagyu

So what is the actual difference between Australian Wagyu and Japanese Wagyu?  They are both delicious and have great marbling.  

Full Blood vs. Crossbred 

Australian Wagyu's bloodline comes from Japan.  They are bred, fed, grown and processed in Australia.

Japanese Wagyu bloodlines come from the Japanese provinces of Tajima, Tottori, Shimane and Okayama.

However, most Australian Wagyu cattle are crossbred.

In fact, over 95% of Australian Wagyu comes from crossbred cattle with other breeds. This makes them Crossbred or Purebred Wagyu.

On the other hand, Japanese Wagyu cattle has no crossbreeding which makes them 100% full blood Wagyu.

Because Japanese Wagyu is fed, grown and processed in Japan, this makes it more exclusive and expensive than Australian Wagyu.

Wagyu Marbling

Wagyu is famed for its high levels of marbling.  

Australian Wagyu has large amounts of intramuscular fat and it is not to the same extent as Japanese Wagyu’s marbling.

Japanese Wagyu is more marbled than Australian Wagyu.

Australian full blood, purebred and crossbred Wagyu cattle all have different marbling levels.

The Australian beef grading systems are also different from the Japanese grading system.

Australian Wagyu has a marble score from 0 to 9. 

In comparison, Japanese Wagyu is world famous for its high levels of marbling.

Japanese Wagyu is graded according to the Japanese Beef Grading System which looks at ranges from A to C and beef quality from 1 to 5 with a beef marble score from 3 to 12.  It is considered the Ferrari of beef and also the most marbled. This is why A5 Wagyu is the best.