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30 replies

Angus-what makes it?

T tomMember
Here on the forums I recently notice folks buying briskets that claim to be "angus",or at least have a stamp on them.I got to wondering what that meant,since every piece of beef in the store had that stamp.Hmmm?

Now we drive by all the fast food burger joints and they have "angus" ground steak burgers.
I noticed a pizza chain with "angus"?

Now,a few of us older cooks are aware when the marketing folks decided to advertise Certified Angus Beef-CAB.

We learned that it could come from a cow that was at least 1/2 black.They claimed that since choice cut was now about 3/4 of the cow they claimed their's was at least the upper part of choice.Angus,red or black, is the largest beef breed in the country and Holstein which could be black with white is the largest dairy breed,so there is a good chance of seeing at least a half black cow at the stockyard.

Then, in 2004, a gene research firm checked some TX stockyards that were selling "angus" and found about 1/2 had other than angus background.Hmmm?

Next,I see the largest hotdog brands selling premium priced"angus" beef hotdogs right beside the all beef hotdog.I bet you can tell a big difference?

Now I like a good classic hotdog and often purchase one of three or four of these major brands.

Last week the co-cook sent me to Publix to buy a pack of these.

As I look over the premium brands,there was Nathan's that most of us know.

They were promoting their NEW "angus" pork hotdog? Confused

Guess that means that to be a good cook these days,we must know something about the product and not just read the marketing label?

What next,fresh fish with feathers? Eeker

Just something to think about. Smiler
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P pagsMember
What with your post and all the Angus labels I've seen lately...although I haven't yet seen Angus Pork Hot Dogs (shame on Nathan's)...I thought I'd get myself more information on it. Then decided to share this article with everyone since it does a pretty good job of explaining CAB vs Angus and the liberties taken by folks in their marketing efforts.

The answers to these 3 questions focuses on the issue pretty well:

Q: Okay. Got it. So what is Certified Angus Beef?
Q: Is there a difference?
Q: Okay. So what’s the problem?

Thanks for starting this cause I've been meaning to get a better understanding like you have.

About Angus, I was certainly glad to find out "It’s not, as some have suggested, bovine anus." Big Grin
T tomMember
My boys are still pretty good size cattle ranchers and do a lot of angus/ herford cross.they can't even remember when the family wasn't raising beef.

Angus are smaller,have calves easy,don't get eye disease,are gentle,handle cold weather and rocky/hilly ground.
Thus,they have become popular in the U.S. since the 70's and are likely to be bred a little bit into everything.

Dairy cows need to be bred every year to keep milking,so may be bred to cheap crossed up beef cattle and the calves quickly sold for veal or to the feed lots that will buy cheap calves.The best dairy milkers will be artificial bred for pure stock.
Thus, part angus bulls bred to black hide dairy and you have half black hide to go thru the angus slaughterhouse.

Now,we aren't talking bloodstock herds here.

Most of us have cooked better,selected CABs in comps.

Not sure if it was actually angus,but the characteristics of that cow and that brisket were there.They can cook,present,and eat well.

Just a couple of thoughts.
M mbaileyhttps://www.facebook.com/Baile...62518746394/?fref=ts
I don't have a problem with CAB in our operation except it generally costs at least 10% more. A rep from IBP once told me if it's black, it is sold as angus. It only needs to be 51% was another comment he made.

We are currently using a lot of certified herford brisket right now. At first I figured this was just a marketing scheme, but these come very consistent, trimmed nice and are all in the 11-14# range for packers briskets. My concern is when it catches on, the guidelines will become relaxed to get the needed volume necessary to fill the demand, or the price will start jumping. I don't use any high end steaks but I know someone who does and he is already seeing the quality dropping off in the CHB program from our supplier.

Got to give them credit for coming up with new ways to market their product, but we as users also need to be able to recognize when things are heading south.

Never seen any "angus pork hotdogs" yet but I think it would be fun to put a sign up at the next farm sale we do advertising them just to listen to the old timers chat about it.
M maxqMember
quote:
Originally posted by mbailey:
I don't have a problem with CAB in our operation except it generally costs at least 10% more. A rep from IBP once told me if it's black, it is sold as angus. It only needs to be 51% was another comment he made.



Angus marketing aside, the premium price you pay for CAB represents the top third of the Choice grade, which is selected and sold as CAB. At least that's their story.
FM Former Member
For many years I have cooked a whole boneless PR for Christmas dinner. I would drive 70 miles one way to purchase a COV USDA Choice grade Certified Angus beef prime rib. And make no mistake, they were always moist, tender well marbeled and delicious!!!! Then one year I wascaught short on time and decided to just get a choice grade PR from Sams. First thing I noticed was about a $3 per pound savings from Sams. The second thing I noticed was no significient difference in the moistness, marbling, and tase of the Sams Choice grade and the Certified Angus Prime rib.( I should add that all the beef in my local Sams is either IBP or Excel) From that point to now, I have bought the Sams Choice grade PR for Christmas dinner and never been disappointed. I also buy them and slice into ribeys, FS and freeze and thaw and use as needed.(currentlypaying about 6.75 Per lb) Only complaint is they do not carry packer briskets in choice grade, only select. Although I must say that I have had good luck with their select grade packers. Bottom line, stick with USDA choice grade or higher and it will be excellent 95% of the time regardless of the breed of cattle. Just my 2 cents
R randye 2Member
Frog, It seems that ever Sam's has sopmething different. We don't get PR in our Sam's.

But one of the stores from time to time will have packers. Not always, just sometimes. But when they do have packers they have been CAB choice. Bouth the last two I saw there and have them frozen right now. Nice and thick in the flat. Very rare to find around here.

RandyE
FM Former Member
Randy Seems like it is a local thing based on what sellls in different parts of the country. My Sams does not carry tri tip. Recently all of the COV beef primal cuts havebeen labeled "Premium Angus Beef", not the original CAB as referred to by Tom. Looks like the big processing plants that supply Sams and others have discovered the advantage of labeling what is hot with consumers at the time. The only label that really matters to me is USDA Choice or Prime. BTW does anyone remember what the grades were before the grading standards were changed in the late 70's or early 80's Before the change there was not even a select grade. Select grade was a result of consumers demanding leaner cuts of beef for health reasons.(Baah Humbug fat = flavor plain and simple!!!)
cal 2cal 2Member
The local store that I buy some CAB meat from has a sticker on the steaks/PRs that say only 8% of all beef qualifies.

While they generally carry select briskets,I have on more than one occasion found CAB briskets, for the same price, in the brisket cooler. They do seem to cook up a little nicer then most choice that I find at Sam's...so I keep looking!
T tomMember
As to the comment above about "black 51%",as it runs through the ramps at the stockyard,all that dairy black can help.

If you fall into the CAB lot,it was paying the seller an extra nickle a pound.

Yes,there is some great Hereford out there.
Teammate Ribdog buys it at whole foods and they consider it "upper choice".

It still comes down to picking the good brisket from the good cow.

Of course,as Smokin' keeps saying ,you need to learn how to cook the product before the better ones do you much good. Smiler

We, like a number of teams, have had a sponsor that supplied non USDA graded Herford from their select ranch suppliers.

They also supplied better restaurants and guaranteed their product.
FM Former Member
Why is Angus so good? Marketing.

My family has raised cattle for over 100 years, we've mostly been into Herefords but have got into Angus in the last 40 years and Wagyu more recently.

Some other posters have answered lot. Angus are relatively easy to raise. They're hardy, good calving ease, decent mothers, good milkers, and quick to get going when born in cold weather. We cross Angus with Hereford to get the best of both. Hereford are better mothers, very adaptable, and they're easier to work with than Angus.

CAB is decent, but it doesn't have to be pure Angus. The animal just needs to be black. As far as grading, if you take the select/choice/prime category that the USDA provides and divide it up into 10 categories (10 being high), I believe anything 6-10 and black will qualify for CAB.

If I feed and finish a Hereford and Angus the same way, you won't be able to tell me the difference. Cross with Wagyu and it's a different story.
T tomMember
Yep,that is why you see most of the beef raised for sale black and white face[Hereford/Angus]cross.

Gentlemen farmers with 100 head may raise the Angus as bloodstock and the pride of showing them off in their front pasture.
Yes,there are some fine ,large bloodstock operations, but you don't see their calves poured thru the slaughter houses.

They are handsome to look at.
FM Former Member
It's all about the Marketing...

this started back in the 60's with "danish baby back ribs" and Chili's made a lot of money in the last 20 years on ribs that a small, with little meat. How else can the butcher get away with charging twice the price for it over spares?

Yeah, same with brisket. In the 60's we bought it for .10 cents a pd, yes, really. The butcher just charged that for a processing fee since he didn't know what to do it with.

Now each year the pork/beef council come out with some "new" term to sell us inferior meat. Flat iron steak, for example.
M maxqMember
Really? You don't like Flatirons? I've used SRF Waygu at the restaurant and customers love it. Granted, it's nearly impossible to find Wagyu in the local supermarket.

I'll look for the thickest I can find with the heaviest marbling. Marinated and grilled hot and fast, rare of course, rested and sliced I find it to be a great alternative to Sirloin Strip at 2x the price.

Just my .02
cal 2cal 2Member
Yep, had some that I swear were straight out of a barrel of bourbon, didn't even realize that there were parts of the country that ate brisket like that?

What is really sad is when you get a product that the fine cook did an excellent job on and it tastes like what the product should, but your fellow judge is disappointed cause there was no "WOW" factor...they wanted a West Coast marinaded flat steak,oh well!
J jdanielsMember
We just shipped some our ranch raised angus steers to USPB. Of the 83 steers in this lot, only 13 qualified for CAB. They are all out of Angus bulls and predominately Angus cows. This seems to be about the percentage that qualifies each time we ship. Being black hided is not the only thing that determines CAB.
quote:
Originally posted by cal:
The local store that I buy some CAB meat from has a sticker on the steaks/PRs that say only 8% of all beef qualifies.

While they generally carry select briskets,I have on more than one occasion found CAB briskets, for the same price, in the brisket cooler. They do seem to cook up a little nicer then most choice that I find at Sam's...so I keep looking!

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