Choice

[SmokinEdge]

Our Holsteins were pretty fatty,. Heifers that ate the same as our beef. Finished in 18 months. They were fed well thou. Corn silage, haylage and chop.

I’ll back that up all day. We raised and ate many holstein cattle. They were delicious, we raised and ate every color and mix you could imagine. Some were better than others, but Holsteins were always solid good eats, not the best but they were sure good, a bit heavy boned though.

 

[smokerjim]

I haven't, despite the hype. Technically an animal only has to be more than 50% black to be called angus. I'm sure more than a few are being "mis-identified" at the plant.
I can taste sweet, bitter, sour, hot ect. but I can't taste color.

Although this may be true, to be certified black angus there is pretty strict breeding that they need to follow. That being said I can't taste the difference between choice, black angus or certified black angus.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Aside from tenderness and dryness, has anyone really noticed a difference in taste between Standard Choice and Angus Choice?
Thanks

A couple of years ago, I read an article online about the different breeds of cows sold here in America for consumption. For the life of me I can't find that article again and I've tried numerous times, but the one thing that I remember most was that over 60% of beef sold in grocery stores and restaurants, regardless of grade, is Angus, specifically Black Angus, and has been for decades. Suddenly years ago, there was this huge marketing campaign promoting something we'd all been eating all along and trying to make us think it was something special, something different, something better, something new. I wish I could find that article again...

It all started in the 70's when beef market share was falling due to competition from other meat sources and a perceived decrease in tenderness and value. It was around that time that a suddenly health conscious public was switching to leaner, "healthier" sources of meat such as B/S chicken breast, fish, and pork. Remember the marketing slogan "Pork...the other white meat"? It was also around that time when beef and pork were being bred to have less fat because of the public perception that fat was unhealthy. I remember when the standard trim for pork chops and steaks was ½" of fat LEFT ON. Now you can't find any commercially available untrimmed beef or pork with that much fat. Remember when you could buy pork fatback that was 3"-4" thick or thicker...or thickerer...?

So along came the CAB, Certified Angus Beef, program in 1978. The USDA regulates the criteria by which Angus beef must meet in order to earn the CAB label. The CAB program was one of the main promoters of this new marketing strategy to increase or gain back beef market share. Their expectation was that by 2005, have 50% of beef all sold be branded as CAB. There was THIS study done by Ok St. (OSU) in 1999 and commissioned by CAB where blind tasting resulted in a better Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) tenderness score for CAB steaks over commodity choice steaks. As for juiciness, tenderness, connective tissue amount, and flavor intensity, the final ranking was CAB first, then commodity choice, and then select. A summary of sorts of the study as well as some other info can be read HERE. Interesting fact about CAB is there's not a Wikipedia page for them. Go figure.

One more interesting fact about Angus cattle. The breeders/ranchers DO NOT have to prove lineage, pedigree, or genetics to be called Angus. The cows only have to exhibit the Angus characteristics with hair color being the primary one. Here's a FAQ article from CAB explaining it. Another article that reiterates the same info. But all Angus beef will not be CAB.

So to answer your question directly, I don't think I could tell the difference between commodity choice, which is most likely Angus, and CAB. But there was a study done where others could. And don't confuse breed with grade, one does not necessarily equate with the other. Prime, Choice, Select, and sometimes Standard and Commercial grades are sold directly for consumption as beef. The lesser grades end up in some kind of processed food such as hotdogs, bologna, soup, pasta sauce with meat, pet food, etc.

My take on it all is I don't spend the money at the grocery store on CAB, but rather I buy choice grade. I find it interesting that stores that sell CAB don't sell another choice grade, only select. No competition allowed?

Enough of my rambling, time to cook a steak...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Technically an animal only has to be more than 50% black to be called angus.

Mostly true, the color standard changed in 2017 and can be read here. Quote from the proposal..."The proposed changes will require that cattle—evaluated phenotypically—have a main body that is solid black with no color behind the shoulder, above the flanks, or breaking the midline behind the shoulder (excluding the tail)."

Although this may be true, to be certified black angus there is pretty strict breeding that they need to follow. That being said I can't taste the difference between choice, black angus or certified black angus.

I respectfully disagree. The breeders/ranchers DO NOT have to prove lineage, pedigree, or genetics to be called Angus. The cows only have to exhibit the Angus characteristics with hair color being the primary one. Here's a FAQ article from CAB explaining it...

 

[smokerjim]

Mostly true, the color standard changed in 2017 and can be read here. Quote from the proposal..."The proposed changes will require that cattle—evaluated phenotypically—have a main body that is solid black with no color behind the shoulder, above the flanks, or breaking the midline behind the shoulder (excluding the tail)."

I respectfully disagree. The breeders/ranchers DO NOT have to prove lineage, pedigree, or genetics to be called Angus. The cows only have to exhibit the Angus characteristics with hair color being the primary one. Here's a FAQ article from CAB explaining it...

I agree after reading that, you are correct. I just remember years ago when cab was coming into the stores and the federal inspector stopped by to see if it was cab beef in our case or were we passing other beef off as cab, I asked him what made the angus better and he went on about how it was a breed from Scotland and the breeding was tightly controlled, so either he lied to me or something changed over the years.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I agree after reading that, you are correct. I just remember years ago when cab was coming into the stores and the federal inspector stopped by to see if it was cab beef in our case or were we passing other beef off as cab, I asked him what made the angus better and he went on about how it was a breed from Scotland and the breeding was tightly controlled, so either he lied to me or something changed over the years.

The inspector was correct about the origin of the Angus breed. I'm not so sure about the tightly controlled breeding because they have been crossbred a lot. It was developed in the 12th century in Scotland. They were brought to America in the 1870's and the rest, as they say, is history. To ranchers in America the breed was considered better because of its hardiness, they survived the first winters here very easily. It has become the most popular breed in America and now there are large populations in other countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South America. Tons and tons of reading out there about the breed and some of it is even interesting...

 

[Fueling Around]

...
So along came the CAB, Certified Angus Beef, program in 1978. The USDA regulates the criteria by which Angus beef must meet in order to earn the CAB label.
...

Hmm
"Certified Angus Beef®" is a brand owned or listed by JBS USA.
Fox in charge of the henhouse or is it a licensing agreement?

 

[DougE]

Hmm
"Certified Angus Beef®" is a brand owned or listed by JBS USA.
Fox in charge of the henhouse or is it a licensing agreement?

I said it earlier. I think the Angus guys got there first, otherwise we'd have CHB (certified Herford beef) or CCB (certified Charolais beef) or some such. I've eaten beef from all the main beef breeds as well as crosses and I really don't see anyone being able to tell one from the other in a blind taste test.

 

[DougE]

Our Holsteins were pretty fatty,. Heifers that ate the same as our beef. Finished in 18 months. They were fed well thou. Corn silage, haylage and chop.

I'll defer since all I raise are beef breeds. What I was saying is based on what people I know who raise an occasional calf for beef, and every one of them prefer Jerseys over Holsteins for fattiness out of the dairy breeds.

 

[pc farmer]

I'll defer since all I raise are beef breeds. What I was saying is based on what people I know who raise an occasional calf for beef, and every one of them prefer Jerseys over Holsteins for fattiness out of the dairy breeds.

Never had Jersey, is that why they are high in butterfat? They have more fat abilities?

 

[DougE]

Never had Jersey, is that why they are high in butterfat? They have more fat abilities?

Maybe, I just know that they are preferred over Holsteins by people I know who just occasionally raise a beef to eat. The also say the fat is more yellowish than white.

 

[DougE]

Being as we are mainly beef producers rather than dairy farmers, dairy calves sell way cheaper/lb than beef calves at the stockyards, which is why some I know turn them into beef.

 

[Fueling Around]

pc farmer & SmokinEdge
I bow to you. Never had a finished Holstein. It was dairy cull. I've also had an old Hereford off the farm that went lame and while pretty dang tough it had better flavor.
Hey, free beef was still better than no beef.

DougE
Growing up in MN, Hereford was the most dominant breed. They tolerate the cold winters and are sturdier calvers.
Now that the smaller framed Angus have gotten more popular the risk of getting a bad cross from the bull is reduced.

 

[DougE]

pc farmer & SmokinEdge
I bow to you. Never had a finished Holstein. It was dairy cull. I've also had an old Hereford off the farm that went lame and while pretty dang tough it had better flavor.
Hey, free beef was still better than no beef.

DougE
Growing up in MN, Hereford was the most dominant breed. They tolerate the cold winters and are sturdier calvers.
Now that the smaller framed Angus have gotten more popular the risk of getting a bad cross from the bull is reduced.

Biggest problem see with pure bred Angus cows is that they don't milk as good as other beef breeds, or crosses.

 

[Brokenhandle]

All I know is when they ask me how thick I want my steaks cut my answer is gonna be .... thickerer!

Ryan

 

[indaswamp]

800 to 1000 lbs. on the hoof is about what we go for.

Got an opportunity to buy a whole young cow. Each side in the 150-175# range. $5-600 bucks. Grass fed for 9 months. This is a hook up deal from one of the new guys at the firehouse. I believe it is Angus.

That price is for the sides only. We'd be butchering ourselves. How does this deal sound to you? I know next to nothing about cows and pricing them.

 

[kelbro]

We switched from hereford to angus because the auction prices per pound went in their favor. It's a business.

For our personal consumption calves, it was Brangus. Brahman - angus cross. My 'pet' brahman bull sure liked the ladies :) We could cut a 1" thick medium rare porterhouse with a fork.

 

[Nodak21]

Got an opportunity to buy a whole young cow. Each side in the 150-175# range. $5-600 bucks. Grass fed for 9 months. This is a hook up deal from one of the new guys at the firehouse. I believe it is Angus.

That price is for the sides only. We'd be butchering ourselves. How does this deal sound to you? I know next to nothing about cows and pricing them.

That price seems about right. I would ask if they were on grass the entire time or grain finished. IMO grass fed beef steaks are nasty. The fat is more yellow while grain fed is bright white. However, ground beef from grass fed beef is very good.

 

[DougE]

Got an opportunity to buy a whole young cow. Each side in the 150-175# range. $5-600 bucks. Grass fed for 9 months. This is a hook up deal from one of the new guys at the firehouse. I believe it is Angus.

That price is for the sides only. We'd be butchering ourselves. How does this deal sound to you? I know next to nothing about cows and pricing them.

Seems fair. Looks like around $4.00 per pound per side at most (unless my math is off). There will, of course be some waste when butchering, but I think you'll come out ahead of retail prices and the quality of meat should be superior to anything you can buy in the store.

 

[DougE]

I don't recall the rail weight, but the last beef I had processed went about $125 for my half. Of course I lost what the calf would have brought at the stockyard if I'd sold it. I've never have figured my actual cost per pound in that respect, but I know where my beef came from, I know what it ate and I know how it was treated, so there is that.