Harami

The rib-side portion of the diaphragm. It looks and chews like lean meat but is classed as offal — thick-cut and juicy, with juices that spill out readily on the bite. Its cross-section is close in color to lean meat, with fine flecks of fat that make it hard to distinguish from a proper cut by sight alone. Only a few kilograms are said to come from each animal, a smaller supply than proper cuts.

At yakiniku it's usually cut thick and grilled; cooking it slowly over medium heat without rendering out too much fat is said to keep it juicy. It sits next to sagari on the diaphragm, though it's said to reach the market in greater volume. Slicing it along the grain is said to improve the bite, texture shifting noticeably with how it's cut. A quick sear over high heat is said to brown the surface while keeping the inside juicy.

Because it looks like lean meat yet is classed as offal, it's often priced more affordably than proper cuts, and is said to have become a familiar staple with broad appeal at yakiniku restaurants. Among offal cuts it's said to be especially well distributed and widely known. Its odd position — offal treated like lean meat — is said to be part of why it has found such broad appeal. At yakiniku restaurants it sits alongside the regular cuts as a standard order, prized for a tenderness that eats almost like lean meat.