Discussion»Questions»Food and Drink» In the mid 70s, a butcher shop I went to sold these small meaty steks that were half the price per pound of the choice meats.
In the mid 70s, a butcher shop I went to sold these small meaty steks that were half the price per pound of the choice meats.
I asked the butcher why and he said they were grade 'good'...yearlings that were grass fed. Why does grass fed beef command a premium price now? Is it just another marketing ploy?
I don't know. But very likely. A farmer a few years back, when angus meat started getting popular and expensive told me the only difference between an angus cow and any other beef cow was the color of the fur. And it was just BS....
How about someone who knows what is in the animal and can prove it? It is not only about the taste, but the health of the animal and the expense of raising one that will last and not die of cow things.
Uses
The main use of Angus cattle is for beef production and consumption. The beef can be marketed as superior due to its marbled appearance. This has led to many markets, including Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom to adopt it into the mainstream.[18] Angus cattle can also be used in crossbreeding to reduce the likelihood of dystocia (difficult calving), and because of their dominant polled gene, they can be used to crossbreed to create polled calves.[25] Angus calf with its mother Commercial
Starting in the early 2000s, the American fast food industry began running a public relations campaign to promote the supposedly superior quality of Angus beef. Beginning in 2006, McDonald's commenced testing on hamburgers made with Angus beef in several regions in the US. After this test, the company said that customer response to the burgers was positive[26] and began selling the burger made with Angus beef in all US locations in July 2009.[27] In response to the test in the US, McDonald's Australia began selling two Angus burgers, the Grand Angus and the Mighty Angus, using Australian-bred Angus, in their restaurants.[28]
The American Angus Association created the "Certified Angus Beef" (CAB) standard in 1978. The purpose of this standard was to promote the idea that Angus beef was of higher quality than beef from other breeds of cattle. Cattle are eligible for "Certified Angus Beef" evaluation if they are at least 51% black and exhibit Angus influence, which include black Simmental cattle and crossbreds. However, they must meet all 10 of the following criteria, which were refined in January 2007 to further enhance product consistency, in order to be labeled "Certified Angus Beef" by USDA Graders:[29]
Modest or higher degree of marbling Medium or fine marbling texture "A" maturity 10 to 16 square-inch ribeye area Less than 1,000-pound hot carcass weight Less than 1-inch fat thickness Moderately thick or thicker muscling No hump on the neck exceeding 5 cm (2") Practically free of capillary rupture No dark cutting characteristics Usually black or red in color
I really don't and didn't care enough to investigate farther. Especially since I don't even like the taste of angus beef. I think it tastes like beef that has been frozen for a really long time and then cooked. So I actually believe there is a difference.
It would seem to me that it has a huge impact on the quality of meat. Whatever you eat your body has to either use or excrete. Take your own body for example. If you were to eat McDonalds every day, you would lack nutrition and become blubbery. Why? Because your body can't use most of the ingredients they call food. The whole idea of eating is to sustain the body you are traveling around in. It needs nutriment, vitamins, minerals, and water, to name a few things. It needs sunlight and fresh air. It needs exercise. In order for you to have healthy muscles, you need to feed it what it needs to remain in pristine shape. The same with the cow and any other mammal or living creature.
"Aging" has a big impact on the quality and flavor of beef. It sound disgusting but that aging process actually allows "rot" to start which breaks down the connective tissues and that is a natural tenderizer. While a lot of the flavor is in the fat (marbling) dehydration that occurs during the aging process makes for a more concentrated flavor.
my2cents 