What Breed Makes the best Beef?

[ruhtram]

IMO crossbreeds seem to have the best quality beef.

 

[kfacres]

interesting thoughts here..

First off, I don't think any one breed, is superior to any other.. I think the difference b/w pleasant, and untasty eating experiences vary within the  breed, as much as they do across breeds...  I think it's more bloodlines, enviroment, and post harvest care.. that effect the eating experience most, positive, or negitive.

It's also very intriquing that jersey has been mentioned so many times..  Take a steer to the sale barn, and you'll get discounted up to .50 as compared to anything black hided.. sucks! 
I have a cousin who runs/ owns a butcher shop, and we have quite extensive conversations based around butchering, meat cutting, etc...  He tells me that Jersey, if fed too long, will become so marbled, it cannot be ground.  The meat just turns to mush, and plugs up the grinder...  take that for what it's worth...

I've always wanted to try Waygu, or something of the extremely highly marbled cattle, I grew up on damned ole Holstein, cooked well done.. and wasn't in college until I had a positive meat eating experience.  I avoided steak for all those years, and now looking back that sure was dumb!

 

[mainecattlemother]

IN response to Garybob about 1 page back in the responses.  He mentioned the breed South Devon.  Not to knock the breed or anything, my children so in a county that is predominately South Devon and they dont like us because we show Maines and Simmental influenced animals but every year that try to make us there followers and we have a picnic at each county fair and every year is the same.  This is by far hands down the worst meat I have ever eaten.  There is absolutely no juice and it is the driest meat and it doesnt appear that there would be a lot of marbling.  Has a Devon ever won a bid show?  I know we did have one in Denver last year that I believe was a reserve in her age category but it looked more like something we can a Devonal in our county (Devon/Simmi cross).  Dont mean to be mean about the devons but maybe they need to step up to the plate.

 

[[email protected]]

The best beef is a tbone or ribeye setting on a plate cooked Medium,  just a little pink in the inside,  sitting on the side will be corn on the cob and a baked potatoe with sour cream and butter.  On a little plate to the side would be Jalepeno peppers cut in half stuffed with cream cheese wrapped in bacon.  I can smell it now.  That is the best beef.

Can you tell I am on a diet.  Can't wait till I am off the diet. (clapping)

Forgot to add.  NO SNOW.  Bright sunny day.

 

[AAOK]

I don't believe the Breed has near as much to do with the meat, as does the way the calf is handled during the feeding/finishing process.  Kobe beef is the concensus best by the greatest Chefs around the world, and refers to cuts of beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The meat is generally considered to be a delicacy, renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture.  I've had it Kona, HI, straight from Japan, and didn't care for it; way too much Fat!  However, this process, with far less restriction, may work wonders for the outcome of a great steak from most any breed.

I've fed for personal use several different crosses, and all the way to purebred Hereford, Simmental, and Maine-Anjou.  The Best Beef ever came from a Purebred Maine-Anjou Bull calf,  Draftpick X a FR Magic X Stinger cow.  Needless to say, this was way before I ever heard about PHA or TH.  The calf was born unassisited, crippled in his front legs, and double muscled.  He could walk, but never traveled more than about 10 steps at a time.  I weaned him from the cow at 30 days, and started him on our Show Ration.  He always had plenty of fresh, clean water, but never ate much hay.  He would easily handle 25-30 lbs of grain daily from the time he hit 200 lbs.  I got him all the way to 1150 lbs(13 months old, still a bull) when I decided I couldn't load him in the trailer if I let him get any larger.  This Beef was marbled just right, tender, jucy, and Red.  Even overdone, it was still incredible!  To this day, I believe the all grain diet from a very early age, very limited movement, and the double muscling all made for the Perfect Beef.

 

[newcomer]

Heartbrandbeef.com to order it.

12oz rib eyes are $45.

what  breed makes up heartland beef

 

[knabe]

I believe the all grain diet from a very early age, very limited movement, and the double muscling all made for the Perfect Beef.

you aren't alone.  there's some research including late weaning and weaning to feed to support that hair brained idea.

 

[JTM]

In a round-about way, I agree with Diamond.  For the longest time, I was die hard angus eater.  Then we got a few shorthorn cows and was very high on the shorthorn steaks we raised.  We began crossing the angus cows with shorthorn bulls and this is where its at folks!  We butchered the first angus x shorthorn critter for our own freezer last spring and WOW!  It is awesome - just how you like it, tender, juicy, no extra fat, just perfect.  Our carcass data was astounding on the angus x shorty cattle and our eating experience has been second to none.  The Murray Grey breed was developed in Australia when somehow a grey critter was produced when a white shorthorn cow was mated to a black angus bull - or vise versa? I don't remember exactly, but the Murray Grey is in-fact a true British composite of shorthorn and angus and from my experience, I totally buy the story Diamond tells of the MG bull scoring so well on the genetic tests for marbling and tenderness.  Just my ramble.

I agree with this quote. We are building our commercial herd on this breeding. The beef in my freezer is the best I've ever had.

 

[Shorthorns4us]

Great topic!  Each breed brings it's own special values to the table in the feedyard-- but you have to consider the feedyard and/or feedlot protocol also-- What are they fed, how are they fed, etc.
Growing up- we always got the runts, injured, blinds, etc. to finish out at home for our own use-- too much of a discount if you tried to take them to the sale barn and sell them as a feeder calf.  We had several different breed bulls going in the pastures when Dad had a large herd-- for the most part- they all pretty much were the same when we got the meat home from the locker.  I attribute that to the way we fed them out to a consistent weight, made sure they were finished, but not overly finished and used a good diet-- Sorry grass folks-- corn is king.  You could sometimes tell by the steak size that this calf had possibly some continental in him-- but we sure enjoyed the heck out of our home grown meat. 
Still do it-- but consistently focusing on Shorthorns and their cross with Red Angus.
My son's Durham Red steer "Joe"  that he showed this summer sold as a carcass to 4 different friends and they love their "Joe" burgers.  Great experience with our first butchered Durham Red.  He had great Rib eye area  16". 
EF

 

[Show Steaks]

I have heard coriente tastes pretty good just takes awhile to get it.
I think flavor juicyness and tenderness are more determined on age of beef, how they were fed, and hanging age, and raised stress free.
we had a really nice who made who x angus steer few years ago, usually we have an angus or angus cross

Im not a fan of gluten fed beef, its gotta be corn