"Wow!" When the cloth was lifted, a whole cow, its head, skin, and tail removed, appeared before everyone. The perfect distribution of muscle and fat within the beef was immediately visible.
For most people, even a relatively poor marbled pattern would still be considered valuable. Marble patterns are indicative of special-grade beef, and such meat is usually wrapped in other muscles.
But when the cloth was lifted, the back, chest, and joints of all four hooves of Jiang Hai's cow were visibly marbled.
From the beef's distribution, it was clear that almost the entire cow was perfectly symmetrical.
The size of the beef rivaled that of a Belgian Blue Bull, but the quality and internal fat distribution were far superior. Jiang Hai's cow seemed to have marble patterns pressed together, unlike any whole cow seen before.
Upon seeing this, the audience, including the judges, erupted in amazement.
"This, this is impossible! The beef must be fake!" Roslin Carlett, backstage, couldn't help but exclaim loudly. The mere sight of it nearly stunned everyone into silence.
"Please, cut it open," Jiang Hai, standing at the booth, overheard Roslin's words but simply chuckled. It seemed this person was underestimating him. Was such beef really rare? Jiang Hai, with a hint of pride, casually claimed, "I have plenty."
Upon hearing Jiang Hai's voice, the butcher, initially taken aback, finally reacted. He smiled at Jiang Hai before turning his full attention to the task at hand. Butchering a cow is a skilled job, after all. The ancient Chinese even coined an idiom specifically for it. While there's mythological meaning behind the phrase, it also speaks to the complexity of understanding cattle.
This master chef had spent decades butchering cows and was specially invited to this exhibition.
At first, he hesitated to cut Jiang Hai's cow, as it almost seemed sacrilegious to disrupt such perfect marbled beef. But he couldn't stall forever, so after some deliberation, he picked up his knife and cut along the cow's back.
This cut exposed not only the bones of the cow's neck but also revealed the white beef on both sides.
"This beef is at least top quality. And mind you, this is just the neck!" A middle-aged judge exclaimed as he marveled at the sight.
"It's more than just top quality. This stripe, it's something special!" A woman next to him responded, equally astonished. If the neck had this quality, what would the rest of the cow look like?
As the butcher continued, the beef from the shoulder revealed itself. While the neck was great, the shoulder was unmistakably top-tier beef.
The texture and lines of the meat were flawless, causing everyone in the crowd to salivate.
The butcher then cut into the top of the cow's back, where the most tender beef resided. As the knife sliced through, the entire piece of beef gleamed with perfection. The marbled fat inside was arranged so beautifully, it almost seemed unreal.
"No, this can't be real, 5A special-grade marbled beef! My God, it's enormous!" The staff from the Japanese Suzuki company, who had previously thought they had the winning cow, were now in shock.
Roslin Carlett, too, was speechless after the first cut.
He couldn't comprehend how Jiang Hai's cows were raised. It seemed unscientific and impossible!
But despite his disbelief, Jiang Hai continued cutting the beef on display. As the top loin was opened, the full potential of the beef was revealed. After the top loin came the eye meat, distinct from the top loin. Then, came the tenderloin. Even the outer loin, one-third of which was top-quality beef, was impressive.
Only the final two-thirds of it was slightly lesser quality, though still considered premium beef.
Watching such a vast amount of top-tier beef, Zhang Dehai, Prawalton, and others in the crowd couldn't take their eyes off the display. Their hands shook with excitement, knowing that this represented money, wealth, and opportunity.
It wasn't until about one-third of the outer loin that the beef fell to a premium level.
The master butcher, who had been stunned into silence, took a few deep breaths before continuing his work. With each cut, the crowd gasped in awe.
Jiang Hai's cow weighed 760 kilograms in total. While larger than most Angus bulls, it was considered relatively average in size. However, the yield of 501 kilograms of beef was extraordinary, with a yield rate of less than 66%. But the quality of this beef was truly exceptional.
With the help of the staff, a large piece of beef was placed on the scale.
"Premium-grade beef, 108 kilograms…" As the number was announced, the audience was in an uproar. Jiang Hai simply smiled and touched his nose, amused.
The U.S. grading system for beef wasn't as detailed as Japan's. There, beef was classified into five levels, with 5A representing the pinnacle.
Here, 5A and 4A were combined, totaling 108 kilograms, with more than 20% of the meat being premium-grade. This shocked everyone, and many couldn't help but look at Jiang Hai with awe.
Prawalton and Zhang Dehai, who had already recognized Jiang Hai's potential, smiled knowingly. They were glad they had made the right connections before his beef became world-renowned.
"302 kilograms of premium-grade beef… 76 kilograms of special-grade beef, 24 kilograms of standard-grade beef, and 0 kilograms unsuitable for commercial use." As this information was relayed, the crowd was in complete disbelief.
With premium beef priced at around $700 per kilogram, the total value of Jiang Hai's beef was over $158,000.
To these onlookers, it felt as though Jiang Hai was bathing in greenbacks.
"Unbelievable," Zhang Dehai muttered, even though he had expected Jiang Hai's beef to be extraordinary. He never imagined it would be this exceptional—so good it was almost scary. He couldn't help but applaud, still processing the magnitude of what he was witnessing.
Zhang Dehai knew Jiang Hai owned 20,000 cows, each worth $150,000. That meant the total value of his cattle was $3 billion. After taxes, Jiang Hai would still pocket over $1.8 billion, possibly more due to certain exemptions. Zhang Dehai's throat went dry as he thought about it.
In just half a year, Jiang Hai had made nearly $2 billion. It felt like either the world or he had gone mad. Yet, the only one who seemed unfazed was Jiang Hai himself.
The judges, unsure of how to score such an overwhelming display, were left speechless. They had never seen beef of this caliber. While they could only give a perfect score of 10, Jiang Hai's beef was so far beyond the competition that, if they could, they would have awarded him more.
"Impossible, this is impossible!" Roslin Carlett, backstage, was beside himself. Bribery was rare in the U.S., and the integrity of the competition was paramount. There could be no blatant favoritism. If the levels were close, some bias might be expected, but Jiang Hai's beef was clearly superior, leaving no room for doubt.
This was the controversy Roslin couldn't accept. In a rush, he moved toward the front desk, where the tenth cow was about to be moved forward. He charged ahead, determined to investigate further.
(To be continued...)