What is Angus Beef?

 

Angus Beef comes from Angus cattle, known as Aberdeen Angus. They were first brought over to the USA from Scotland in 1873.

What part of the cow does Angus Beef come from?

Well, the truth is, that any part of an Angus cow can be called Angus Beef.  So, if you really wanted to, you could buy the cheapest, nastiest part of an Angus cow and be well within your rights to call it Angus beef. (I am sure that some of the constituent parts of an Angus burger that they serve in certain fastfood chains are highly dubious – but that’s just my personal opinion!)

What is Certified Angus Beef ^®

The Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB) brand has been marketing CAB since 1978 when a group of farmers got together and came up with their slogan:

“From our family ranchers to your family table.^™”

Since then, they have sold their CAB as incredibly flavorful, tender and juicy because of the high amounts of marbling in every cut .

This video is interesting if you want to really ‘geek’ out on Certified Angus Beef ^®  (you have to hand it to the CAB for their excellent marketing!)

Is Angus Beef all about the Marbling?

Ok, so beef is graded according to how much marbling there is, the more there is, the more flavor and juiciness you can expect.  Now, I LOVE my steak, so it seemed a good idea to look further into this marbling thing … you know when sometimes you wish you hadn’t even started, stay with me, we’ll get there!!

I’m going to concentrate on USDA ‘Choice’ & ‘Prime’ beef – as that is where Certified Angus Beef sits,

The grading goes like this:

As you can see, there are actually three numbered levels of USDA Choice, and they all come back to the percent of marbling. So I think, the key thing to remember is, marbling impacts flavor, juiciness, and mouthfeel, and if you get a good sear it can have a major impact on flavor. It’s also worth noting that CAB is only present in the top two USDA Choice levels and the USDA Prime level.

All this thinking about steak and good quality beef makes me want to go eat steak!  Do I choose Angus Beef or Kobe or Wagyu Beef?  In an ideal world, I’d like to head down to my local farmer’s market and pick up some locally-sourced, organic steak and fresh, just-picked local veg to accompany it.

A great alternative is to find some online steak excellence, my favorite is Chicago Steaks or Omaha Steaks, where you can pick up exactly what you want.

 

 

 

 

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