Quick answer: plan a Christmas steak dinner around the size of your table. For two to four guests, one 16 oz A5 Japanese Miyazaki ribeye, seared and sliced thin, serves three to four people at 4 to 5 ounces each. For six to eight, carve two 32 oz Purebred Australian Wagyu tomahawks at the table. For a long tasting course, serve A5 first and an Australian Wagyu steak as the main. Allow 3 to 5 ounces of A5 or 7 to 10 ounces of Australian Wagyu per person, move everything to the refrigerator one to two days ahead, and order by Friday, December 18 for Christmas delivery. We recommend FedEx Overnight.
Prime rib is the traditional centerpiece, but it fills the oven for hours on the busiest cooking day of the year. Steak is faster and easier to plan. A5 Japanese Wagyu cooks in about a minute a side. A tomahawk needs one slow hour and a hard sear. That leaves the oven free for the sides, and it lets you serve more than one origin on the same table. Here's how to choose the cuts, size the order and time the cook so dinner lands on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Pick Your Christmas Steak by Table Size
Start with how many people you're feeding and how you want to serve them: one shared course of A5, a carved centerpiece, or a steak for each guest. Every price below is live on our site today.
| Your table | How to serve it | What to order | Price | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner for two | One luxurious filet, shared and sliced | A5 Japanese Kobe Wine Filet, 8 oz, BMS 11 (Hyogo) | $160 | 1–2 |
| Two, steakhouse style | One full steak each | Two Full Blood Australian Wagyu Ribeyes, 16 oz, BMS 9+ | $125 each | 2 per steak |
| Three to four | A5 seared, sliced and passed as the main | A5 Japanese Miyazaki Ribeye, 16 oz, BMS 11 | $175 | 3–4 |
| Six to eight | Carved centerpiece at the table | Two Purebred Australian Wagyu Tomahawks, 32 oz each | $195 each | 3–4 per steak |
| Seven to eleven | An A5 tasting course before the main | Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Tasting Collection, 34 oz, BMS 11 | $460 | 7–11 |
| Eight to ten | Mixed steaks for a family table | Australian Wagyu Experience Box, six cuts, 72 oz | $445 | 8–10 |
If you want the A5 moment without building the whole dinner around it, the A5 Japanese Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye is the simplest place to start. Miyazaki Prefecture won the Prime Minister's Award at four consecutive national Wagyu competitions (2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022), and this 16 oz ribeye is graded A5 with a BMS of 11. Every A5 Japanese order ships with its JPGA certificate, so you can tell your guests exactly where the beef came from.
For a centerpiece, the Purebred Australian Wagyu Tomahawk is a 32 oz bone-in ribeye with a long Frenched bone. Carved on a board in front of everyone, it does the job a standing rib roast usually does, in a fraction of the time.
How Much Wagyu Per Person for Christmas Dinner
Wagyu is richer than the steak most guests are used to, so plan smaller portions than you would for a USDA ribeye night.
- A5 Japanese Wagyu (Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Kobe Wine): 3 to 5 ounces per person. Use 3 ounces when A5 is one course of several, and up to 5 ounces when it's the main.
- Full Blood Australian Wagyu, BMS 9+, the highest Australian marble score: 7 to 8 ounces per person as a main course.
- Purebred Australian Wagyu tomahawk: 8 to 10 ounces per person on the bone. One 32 oz tomahawk feeds three to four.
Holiday tables usually carry more sides, appetizers and dessert than a normal steak dinner, so the low end of each range is often enough. If you're serving both A5 and Australian Wagyu, cut the A5 portion to about 2 to 3 ounces and treat it as a tasting course.
Three Christmas Steak Dinner Menus
The intimate dinner for two
Open with a small salad of bitter greens, then serve the Kobe Wine filet sliced across the grain and finished with flaky salt. Kobe Wine is A5 Japanese Black cattle from Hyogo, fed fermented grape pomace left over from Kobe winemaking. It's its own program, not certified Kobe Beef, and the filet is its most delicate cut. Keep the sides simple: roasted mushrooms and a small potato gratin are plenty next to A5.
The carved centerpiece for six to eight
Two tomahawks, reverse-seared and carved off the bone, with the bones served on the board. Pair them with roasted root vegetables, creamed spinach and a sharp horseradish cream. This menu feels the most like a traditional Christmas roast while still cooking in about an hour.
The two-course tasting menu
Serve A5 first: thin slices from the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Tasting Collection, seared 10 to 20 seconds a side and passed with salt and fresh wasabi. Follow with a Full Blood Australian Wagyu Ribeye as the main, sliced for the table. Tasting the two side by side shows guests the difference between Japanese A5 and Australian Wagyu better than any description. To see every cut we carry from Japan, browse our A5 Japanese Wagyu collection.
Your Christmas Steak Cooking Timeline
Most holiday steak problems start with the thaw, not the pan. Wagyu fat melts at a low temperature, so it wants a slow, cold thaw in the refrigerator, still in its vacuum seal. Our guide to thawing Wagyu has the full table by cut.
| When | A5 Japanese steaks | Australian ribeye | Tomahawk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two days before | Keep frozen | Keep frozen | Move to the refrigerator (36–48 hours) |
| The day before | Move to the refrigerator (18–24 hours) | Move to the refrigerator (about 24 hours) | Still thawing |
| Before cooking | Out of the fridge 20–30 minutes | Out of the fridge 30 minutes, salted | Salted, out 45 minutes |
| Cook | Dry cast iron, about 1 minute a side | Hot sear to medium-rare | 250°F to 115–120°F inside, then sear |
| Rest | 3–5 minutes | 5 minutes | 10 minutes |
Cooking A5 Japanese Wagyu
Heat a dry cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and render a small piece of the steak's own fat as the cooking fat. Sear thinner A5 steaks for about 45 seconds on the first side and 30 on the second, and thicker ones for about a minute a side. You're building color, not cooking it through. Rest it for three to five minutes, slice it thin across the grain and salt at the end. For a crowd, slice the raw steak into strips first and sear them in batches, 10 to 20 seconds a side, so every guest gets a hot piece.
Cooking Australian Wagyu ribeye
Pat the steak dry, salt it and let it sit out for about 30 minutes. Sear it hard in a hot pan or over a hot grill, turning every minute or so, until the center reaches about 125°F for medium-rare. Rest it for five minutes, then slice it against the grain.
Cooking the tomahawk
Salt it all over and let it sit out for 45 minutes. Cook it in a 250°F oven, or on the cool side of the grill, until the center reads 115 to 120°F. Plan on 45 to 75 minutes, but go by the thermometer. Finish over very high heat or in a hot cast-iron pan for one to two minutes a side, standing it up to render the fat edge. Rest it for 10 minutes, cut the meat off the bone and slice it across the grain.
When to Order Wagyu for Christmas Delivery
Order by Friday, December 18 for delivery before Christmas, and choose FedEx Overnight. Carriers run slower in December, and overnight gives you the most room. We ship Monday through Thursday, and Thursday orders ship overnight only, to ensure weekday delivery. Order by 12 PM PT to ship the same day.
Every order ships frozen by FedEx in an insulated cooler with ice gel packs. No signature is required, so the box can wait at the door while you're out. Orders of $250 or more ship free by FedEx 2-Day, and orders of $500 or more ship free by FedEx Overnight. Every order arrives perfect, and if anything isn't right, text us within 24 hours of delivery and we will always make it right.
Not sure which cuts fit your table or your date? Text your concierge at (310) 683-7078 with the number of guests and the day you're cooking, and we'll plan the order and the shipping with you. If you're sending the dinner to someone else instead of cooking it, start with our Wagyu gift boxes.
Christmas Steak Dinner FAQ
What steak is good for Christmas dinner?
It depends on the table. A bone-in tomahawk gives you a carved centerpiece for a group. A ribeye brings rich marbling and deep flavor to a steak-per-person dinner, and a filet suits a smaller, more delicate meal. For a special occasion, A5 Japanese Wagyu from Miyazaki, Kagoshima or the Kobe Wine program works well as a sliced, shared course.
Is steak or prime rib better for Christmas dinner?
Prime rib is the tradition, but it takes hours of oven time and is hard to time with sides. Steaks cook in minutes, or about an hour for a tomahawk, so they free up the oven and let you serve more than one cut or origin. A carved tomahawk gives you the same look on the board as a rib roast.
How much wagyu do I need per person?
Plan 3 to 5 ounces of A5 Japanese Wagyu per person, 7 to 8 ounces of Full Blood Australian Wagyu, or 8 to 10 ounces of bone-in tomahawk. Use the lower end on a holiday table with plenty of sides.
When should I order wagyu for Christmas?
Order by Friday, December 18, and choose FedEx Overnight. Earlier is better if you want time to thaw a tomahawk, which needs 36 to 48 hours in the refrigerator.
Does someone need to be home to sign for the delivery?
No. No signature is required. Your order ships frozen in an insulated cooler with ice gel packs, so put it in the freezer or refrigerator when you get home. If anything isn't right, text us within 24 hours and we will always make it right.
Can I cook A5 wagyu for a large group?
Yes. Slice the raw A5 into thin strips, sear them in batches for 10 to 20 seconds a side and serve them right away. At 3 ounces per guest, the 34 oz Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Tasting Collection covers a tasting course for up to eleven people.
