Behind the Counter at a Japanese Wagyu Texas BBQ Restaurant

Behind the Counter at a Japanese Wagyu Texas BBQ Restaurant

This is Texas barbecue,
but it’s made with Wagyu beef here in Japan. You ever wonder if Japanese
could ever barbecue better than Texans? Well, I’m traveling all the way to
Karuizawa, Nagano to get the answers. A 2-hour door-to-door trip from Tokyo
to go behind the counter at Smokemanship, a unique Texas-style barbecue restaurant. Apparently, after years of study
in this remote mountainous area, a local man developed his own way to blend Texas barbecue techniques
with select cuts of Japanese beef. Wagyu – known for its richness and tender marbling. A one-of-a-kind experience that locals swear is undeniable. And today, I get to find out firsthand if a Japanese man running this shop
has taken barbecue to the next level. Let’s get cooking! Good morning! Good morning. That’s the owner,  Masa-san. Oh, what’s that? This is a Minemura beef… wagyu brisket. Awesome!
How heavy is it? This is 15kg (33lbs). Dope! Apparently, Masa-san
drives to the farm in the morning to get it himself. This morning, he starts with preparing their pulled pork, since his wagyu brisket has been cooking through the night. So, what part do you use? It’s pork shoulder loin. Masa-san is originally from Hyogo. After working in Tokyo, he decided to
settle down here 13 years ago in Karuizawa. Once in the area, Texas barbecue
turned into a small passion hobby. But over time, as he honed his craft, it grew into an obsession which
led him 3 years ago to sell his barbecue online, eventually building enough success
where he could finally open up this shop a year ago. Hey, do you have any family? I have two kids. A 5yr old and 0yr old… almost 1. Oh, congrats! Thank you. So do you live nearby? Yeah, like 10 mins by car. I literally live in the forest. Oh, that’s cool! Now, he carefully seasons the meat before placing it into the smoker. So, how did you get into barbecue? Everything got started from a video I watched online. He says that he happened across
a brisket video by Aaron Franklin and it sparked a curiosity inside of him. Living in Japan, he wondered
how it tasted and if he could make it himself. And it began. He started to barbecue in his free time
while reading books on Texas barbecue, watching more videos, and
consuming whatever materials he can get his hands on. He studied, he tested, he studied more. His passion continued to grow. So, what’s in your dry rub? Salt, pepper, paprika powder, garlic powder…
a lot of spices are mixed in. Secret recipe, huh? Yes, I guess it’s a secret. What’s next? Now I’m going to turn on the grill. It’ll get super smokey. Do you wear contacts? No. Then your eyes might sting. I… think we’ll be okay? One of the first lessons Masa-san
quickly learned about Texas barbecue is that he’s not in Texas! The weather here is extremely humid in the summer and the winters are snowy and dry,
forcing him to adapt. And as they say, everything’s bigger in Texas. Well, it’s just the opposite in Japan,
as he’s had to work with a smaller smoker. Yet, this hasn’t discouraged him. Instead, it’s helped focus him
as he diligently refines the process for this country. Including how he adjusts the fire
throughout the day, and even the night! The smoke here is no joke. My eyes are watering right now. Now, he places the meat on the grill. It takes about 12 hours to barbecue. First, as is and then later it’s wrapped in foil. His Wagyu brisket is also
cooked at low heat, but for 16 hours. The process is long,
but wait until you see the result from last night! By the way, do you drink? I can’t really drink. Oh, really? Yeah, I don’t drink that often.
Eating is more of my thing. I see, but what about those bottles? This one is empty but we smoke this whiskey
and serve it as smoked whiskey. Oh, that’s cool! Your eyes must hurt, right? Yeah, it’s intense. Now he moves on to trimming their Wagyu brisket. So why Wagyu? First of all, I wanted to introduce the delicious beef
we have here in Nagano. Also, it’s difficult for us to get US beef in Japan. So traditional Texas barbecue is made with US beef and seasoned with a dry rub of salt and pepper. Sometimes, also with mixed spices for added flavor. But as touched upon earlier, since Masa-san crafts his brisket with Wagyu beef, known for its rich umami, the delicate sweetness, and its marbled fat and exceptional tenderness and packed with flavor, his rub only consists of salt and pepper. Hey, so what was your dream when you were a kid? Dream? I don’t think I had any. Really? Nothing at all? Well, that would be a lie. When I was super young,
I wanted to become a professional golfer. Oh, nice!
Did it stay the same as you got older? I actually started American Football in high school. He says he played football in university, too. What was your position? I was a DB, Defence Back. Wow, you must be fast then! Nah… not THAT fast but I I still did it. Okay. He says that he owes
a lot of his current success in business to football as he learned, when playing, 
how important it is to game plan. To make adjustments when situations change. He also carries with him the mindset that,
no matter how difficult things get, he’s able to get through it. So what now? Umm… I’m going to let this sit overnight. And tomorrow, I’ll smoke it in this smoker. Oh, okay. Oh, a worker’s here! Hello.
Nice to meet you. – Nice to meet you.
– I’m Steve. Steve, do you speak Japanese? No, I only speak English. Oh, really? Yeah. Steve, where are you from? I spent my childhood in Canada, the last 18 years in Taiwan, and I arrived to Nagano beginning of this year. Oh, why’d you come here? Well, my wife is Japanese
and then we wanted a new environment for the kids. When he moved here,
he came across a job opening and, with his love for barbecue, decided to give it a try. Masa-san says that
his experience in other fields, along with his skills,
has been a big help to the team. Nice!
That’s their homemade cornbread. It smells so good! Oh, cool!
The Crunch Bros cookbook! Masa-san, are these your own sauces? Yes, we make our own original sauce. Nice!
Which one is your favorite? The Coffee sauce goes with our brisket of course, but
I personally like to use Hot & Sour on pork. This is pretty spicy, though. Oh, you like hot sauce? I do like hot sauce. You make it, right? Yeah. Hold on one sec. Here you go. Wow. Do you want to try it? May I? Of course! SPICY! It IS spicy but it’s super good. Yeah!
Time to cut up the brisket. It’s been cooking all through the night and it’s been cooling down since the morning, but it’s finally ready. Look at that bark! Although Masa-san started with Texas barbecue, he also made the time to
study other styles like Kansas barbecue. But, at the end of the day,
Texas-style barbecue is where his heart is. Despite living in Japan, he doesn’t believe in changing its 
flavors to suit the Japanese palette, but instead tries to remain true 
to the style as much as possible, making only adjustments needed for 
local timber and ingredients. Happily calling his approach
‘a Japanese-fusion Texas barbecue.’ Oh, it’s super smoky in here! Right? On rainy days like today, the humidity
makes the smoke even heavier. Also, the firewood burns differently
depending on the temperature. He says that basically, when it comes to following 
Texas-style barbecuing methods, he can completely recreate it. But one major difference is the wood. In Texas, they often use oak and mesquite but oak is a little different in Japan and mesquite doesn’t grow here. Instead, he mixes in cherry and applewood, which gives the barbecue
a softer and more delicate aroma. So, in a way, it’s like his own Japanese 
twist on Texas-style smokemanship. Hey, before we continue on,
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by using my code “PAOLO” at the link in the description. At 11:30, the shop is officially open 
and the customers start to come in. As soon as the doors open, 
the kitchen gets even busier. One of the things Masa values most in barbecue is honoring the Wagyu itself, making sure not a single gram is wasted, out of respect for the farmers who raised it with such care. Wow, they look busy so
let’s go talk to the customers! Hi, can I ask you a few questions? Sure. You come here often? I DO come here often. Cool.
So, what’s your favorite here? I love the Pulled Pork Burger
and I order this almost every time. Nice!
And why do you like this shop? Texas BBQ is hard to find in Tokyo or anywhere else. Cool, thank you! Excuse me.
Do you come here often? I live in Karuizawa. I come here twice or 3 times a week. Oh! Why do you
like this restaurant so much? First of all, the staff and Masa-san are super kind. Also, you can bring your dogs in here. I have 2 dogs, so I either order ribs or this pulled pork burger. They are extremely delicious. Nice. Their signature pulled pork burger is 
made with a healthy amount of their juicy pulled pork. Their original barbecue sauce, apple slices, pecan nuts, maple syrup, and blue cheese topped with baby greens. A perfect combination of saltiness, sweetness, with just a subtle hint of sourness. Hey, nice tattoo! Thanks! What does it mean? It’s for my work. Well, it’ll be complete after I do this arm. I’m planning to tattoo a living cow with a knife
on this side. He says that, as a chef,
he wanted to have a tattoo which reminds him that he should always be thankful to animals 
and not to waste any of its parts. My brother is a tattoo artist in Tokyo and did this for me. It means a lot to me. That’s dope!
What did you do before this? I was a salaryman. It’s my first time working in the food industry. Wow!
How old are you? I just turned 30. Oh, congrats! Thank you! Oh, dope!
He’s preparing the pulled pork! It looks insane! Look at this! This is the pulled pork! It seems like the lunch rush is over. So tell me, do you have any future goals? Expanding to more restaurants isn’t really my goal. But I do have a food truck in Tokyo… With this place and the food truck, I want to make
Texas well-known food in Japan. Oh, so this is going to be your only shop? I’m actually opening up a new spot in Niseko. He says that his new food truck will
open from December until March. Even though the restaurant is a bit slow now,
the kitchen doesn’t seem to slow down. To keep the pork moist,
the shop sprays it with apple vinegar. Apparently, other places use water
or other spice mixtures, but here they try to keep it simple, 
just like in Texas. – Yeah, pretty sure.
– Yeah. Midway through,
they wrap the pork with foil to keep the moisture in. So, what do you like best about this job? What I like… At the end of the day, I just want to eat it. The best part about this job is getting to eat
the BBQ we make. He says that even when he thinks 
he’s done everything he can, there’s always subtle differences in the results and
at times, he’s not completely satisfied. But when he does manage to craft the perfect barbecue,
it’s really his greatest joy. Look at this Texas barbecue! Woah. Try some of this brisket.
Let’s see. Is it better? Now, this is a
Wagyu Texas-style barbecue. Pretty crazy that a small town – hidden away in the mountains of Japan,
away from the big city – lies this little barbecue shop. It’s run by this Japanese man
who’s devoted his life in the honor of crafting
authentic Texas-style barbecue. With a will and mental toughness forged on the 
field of one of Japan’s least likely sports, he’s channeled the same focus into 
creating the best Wagyu briskets, umami-packed ribs,
and perfectly-done pulled pork. Ultimately taking Japan’s barbecue to the next level. And that’s another one in the books. If you want to try this place for yourself,
I’ll be sure to leave a link in the description. 6 7!

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Can Japanese BBQ rival the legendary flavors of Texas? I travel from Tokyo to Karuizawa to uncover Smokemanship, a hidden BBQ shop serving wagyu brisket, ribs, and pulled pork like you’ve never seen before by a local Japanese pit master.
Masa-san, originally from Hyogo moved to Karuizawa 13 years ago where a small passion for barbecue slowly grew into an obsession turned into a full-fledged restaurant just one year ago. His mission: to blend authentic Texas techniques with Japan’s prized wagyu beef, known for its rich umami flavor and delicate marbling.
But making Texas BBQ in Japan is no easy task. The climate in Karuizawa brings humid summers and snowy, dry winters, forcing Masa-san to adapt his smoking process. With a smaller smoker and different local conditions, he carefully controls the fire day and night. And while Texas BBQ often relies on oak and mesquite, Japan’s wood is different, so he uses a mix of cherry and apple wood to create a softer, more delicate aroma.
From slow-smoked pork that stays moist over 12 hours, to wagyu brisket cooked for 16 hours with just a simple salt and pepper rub, Masa-san proves that great barbecue is all about patience, precision, and respect for the craft. His brisket, ribs, and pulled pork deliver bold Texas-style flavors while incorporating Japan’s own local character.
Hidden in the mountains of Nagano, this small BBQ shop is raising the bar for what Japanese barbecue can be. With discipline, focus, and the heart of a craftsman, Masa-san has created a true Texas BBQ experience in Japan, one that food lovers from all over can appreciate.

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