Wagyu Tongue Prep at Kuro5

Have you ever wondered why a plate of tongue served at a premium Yakiniku restaurant can melt so wonderfully in your mouth?

Hello, everyone. This is Sondo of Kuro5.

When you visit a Yakiniku restaurant, the very first dish you order is almost always “Tongue with Salt (Tan-shio)”. Squeezing a bit of fresh lemon juice over the hot, charcoal-grilled tongue and taking that first bite is the ultimate prologue to an extraordinary dining experience. The crisp bite followed by the rich sweetness of the beef fat represents a perfect moment of culinary joy.

However, have you ever experienced beef tongue that was slightly too tough to chew, or perhaps carried a hint of a metallic off-flavor? In reality, beef tongue is a highly delicate and scarce cut, yielding only 1 to 1.5 kilograms per head. It is a cut that truly tests the skill and commitment of the kitchen staff, as the preparation method completely changes its flavor and texture.

At Kuro5, to deliver an experience that completely rewrites your expectations of tongue, we have adhered to a strict, non-compromising preparation process since the day we opened. Today, I would like to explain the hidden masterly skills that go into preparing our Wagyu tongue behind the kitchen doors.

Eliminating Odor and Toughness: The Signature Gurumuki Trimming Process

Our guests frequently praise our tongue for being incredibly tender and completely free of any gamey odor. The biggest secret behind this quality lies in our signature “Gurumuki” trimming process.

Beef tongue is covered with a rough, tough outer skin. The outer red meat directly beneath this skin easily absorbs juices and blood, which causes a strong off-flavor over time. Furthermore, the red meat near the outer layer has extremely tough fibers, which results in a chewy, unpleasant texture if served as is.

To prevent this, regardless of the sourcing or origin (whether domestic raw Wagyu or strictly selected premium US beef tongue), our first step is to shave off the outer skin and red meat completely. We call this deep trimming “Gurumuki” (meaning to peel all around). By the time this process is finished, nearly half of the tongue’s volume has been discarded, leaving only the “pure, tender white core rich in sweet marbling” at the center.

From a business standpoint, discarding half of the meat is a major loss. However, we believe there should be absolutely no compromises when it comes to the quality served on our guests’ plates. Removing the sources of off-flavor and preserving only the finest marbling is the foundation of Kuro5’s exceptional taste.

Raw Black Wagyu Tongue Root and the Art of Thick Hand-cut Slices

In addition to our popular premium tongue, Kuro5 offers an absolute masterpiece: “Tokusen Tan-shio” (Special Tongue Salt), made using domestic raw Black Wagyu tongue, which is extremely rare and only available in quantities of one or two per branch each day.

Delivered fresh and never frozen, this raw Black Wagyu tongue has perfectly intact cells, locking in all its natural juices and rich flavors. We select only the prime core of the tongue root (the back 15 cm), which is the most tender section due to its minimal movement, featuring marble-likeサシ (frosting) of fat.

When slicing this premium section, we never use mechanical slicers. Instead, our chefs slice each piece by hand, adjusting the angle and thickness based on the grain of the meat and the distribution of fat. Hand-cut slices have micro-ridges on their surfaces, which allow the charcoal heat to cook the meat evenly, making it rise beautifully without shrinking.

Because thick-cut tongue root can easily char on the outside while remaining undercooked inside, grilling it requires masterly control. To solve this, Kuro5 utilizes a “Full-Attend style” where our trained staff grills the meat for you right at your table. Our staff cooks the thick-cut tongue to a perfect golden-brown on the outside and a beautiful, juicy medium-rare on the inside, ensuring that you experience the absolute potential of this premium cut.

From Tip to Bottom: Making the Most of Every Single Section

A single tongue features completely different characteristics from the root to the tip. Kuro5 classifies the tongue into four distinct sections, applying specific preparation methods to each to respect the ingredient and minimize waste:

• Tongue Root (Tan-moto): The most tender, premium section. We serve selected US tongue root as “Premium Tongue Salt” and raw domestic Wagyu root as “Special Tongue Salt (Thick-cut).”
• Tongue Center (Tan-naka): A balanced section with moderate fat and a pleasant bite. We serve this as “Standard Tongue Salt.” Because we process a large volume of raw Wagyu tongue daily, our guests occasionally find slices of premium Wagyu center mixed into their standard order—a special treat unique to Kuro5.
• Tongue Tip (Tan-saki): A highly active section containing dense muscle fibers and very little fat. Because it is too tough for grilling, we never serve it as Yakiniku. Instead, we grind it into premium mince to create staff meals like our signature Keema Curry and spicy ramen meat paste.
• Tongue Bottom (Tan-gela): The underside of the tongue where blood vessels pass. While US beef tongue bottom can have a strong odor and is slow-cooked for hours to make our sweet, savory beef stew, domestic raw Wagyu bottom has zero off-flavor and offers a light, crispy texture. We serve this raw Wagyu bottom as a special grilled dish highly prized by Yakiniku enthusiasts.

Turning Toughness into Umami: The Art of Precision Scoring

One of the finest skills of our kitchen staff is “scoring” (putting fine incisions into the meat). For sections with dense muscle fibers like the tongue center and bottom, this technique is a true game-changer.

Instead of leaving the meat tough and chewy, our chefs make microscopic, shallow cuts in a grid pattern on both sides of the slice, cutting across the muscle fibers. The depth of these cuts requires extreme precision: if too deep, the meat will tear apart on the grill; if too shallow, the fibers will remain tough. Our chefs control the blade with millimeter accuracy, sensing the meat’s resistance with their fingertips.

These fine cuts allow the heat of the charcoal to penetrate the core instantly, causing the meat to expand evenly and tenderizing it to a wonderfully crisp, tender texture. It also increases the surface area, allowing the rich Wagyu juices to release instantly upon chewing, harmonizing beautifully with our special salt marinade. This masterly touch is what transforms ordinary slices into an extraordinary dining experience.

Experience Our Masterly Prepared Yakiniku in Person

From the moment a fresh tongue arrives at our kitchen to the final plating, every step is filled with the dedication and passion of Kuro5’s staff. Combining our meticulous preparation with our tableside grilling service, we ensure that every guest enjoys a flawless dinner.

We invite you to experience the dedication behind our Yakiniku tonight, surrounded by the warm glow and aroma of our Binchotan charcoal.

• Charcoal Yakiniku Kuro5 Main Branch (Honten)
  1F Nishi-Ikebukuro Bill, 2-46-3 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / 5 min walk from JR Ikebukuro Station
• Charcoal Yakiniku Kuro5 East Exit Branch (Higashiguchi)
  1F Tsukiji Bill, 1-42-16 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / 3 min walk from JR Ikebukuro Station East Exit
• Charcoal Yakiniku Kuro5 Kabukicho Branch
  1F Sankyo Akagawa Bill, 2-21-4 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Tonight, at our Main Branch (Honten), East Exit Branch (Higashiguchi), and Shinjuku Kabukicho Branch, we are ready with freshly prepared tongue and hot charcoal, waiting to welcome you.