Gyudon
A popular Japanese rice bowl topped with thinly sliced simmered beef and onions — an everyday comfort food that showcases even modest grades of Wagyu.
Gyudon (牛丼, "beef bowl") is Japan's quintessential fast food — thinly sliced beef simmered with onions in a sweet soy-dashi broth, served over steaming white rice. While chain restaurants like Yoshinoya use commodity beef, traditional gyudon made with Wagyu is a revelation.
The dish is simple: slice beef thin, simmer with onions in a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar until the onions soften, then pour over rice. Pickled ginger (beni shoga) and a raw egg yolk on top are traditional garnishes.
Why Wagyu elevates gyudon: Even at BMS 5-6 (not necessarily top-tier Wagyu), the intramuscular fat renders into the broth during simmering, creating an impossibly rich, silky sauce. The beef stays tender despite the cooking, and the overall richness is something commodity beef simply cannot replicate.
For cooking at home, gyudon is one of the best uses for less expensive Wagyu cuts — chuck, shoulder clod, or round from Japanese or American Wagyu. The thin slicing and gentle simmering make even tougher cuts tender, and the marbling enriches the broth.
The entire dish takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. It's weeknight simple but deeply satisfying — the kind of meal that makes you understand why Japan treats beef with such reverence, even in its most humble preparations.