What is Angus Meat and Black Angus

If you're buying ground beef at the supermarket or ordering a steak at a restaurant - whether it's a steakhouse or a fast food chain - you'll likely see the "Angus beef" label listed. Angus is often rated better on the USDA scale, but that doesn't mean Angus is a quality grade or that anything you buy with an Angus label will be better than any other cut. In fact, Angus beef has nothing to do with the quality of the meat. Rather, Angus is the name of a breed of cattle. The beef is then inspected and graded (Prime or Choice), and then marketed to manufacturers, shops, and restaurants. It is also set at a higher price than other types of beef.

What is Angus beef

The term Angus beef does not mean that the beef is organic, natural, or superior to any other type of beef. Angus is the name of a breed of cattle that was specifically bred from cattle native to Scotland by a man named Hugh Watson in the mid-nineteenth century. It is believed that almost all of the Black Angus cattle living today came from the results of Watson's attempts to maximize the black skin of these animals. In the 1870s these cattle were brought to the United States and by the 1880s, the American Angus Society was founded.

Black and Red Angus exist, but Red Angus is not recognized by the American Angus Society and is a much rarer breed. (In fact, breeders are not allowed to register their Red Angus cattle with the American Angus Society.) Black Angus, or more commonly, Angus, is a black-coloured breed with no horns. The Angus breed has a number of advantages in meat quality and production, and is quickly becoming a preferred breeding breed to reduce the problems of overbreeding in other breeds of cattle. Because of this, and the general popularity of the Angus by ranchers, it has become the most popular breed in the United States.

What does Angus beef taste like?

Angus beef has a better development (the amount of intramuscular fat) than most cattle. Most people agree that marbling improves flavor and keeps meat moist during cooking, especially at higher temperatures. Beef is graded on the basis of its marble, with the highest grade of marble being reserved for the premium grade. (Prime accounts for less than three percent of all beef produced.)

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How to Cook Angus Beef

Since Angus beef is a specific breed of cattle and not a specific type of beef, You cook it the same way you would any other meat. If you buy angus steak or ground beef, you need to cook it until it's no longer pink (unless you're using it to make burgers - you can simply cook it to your liking); If you're frying or grilling a steak, cook it until it's done to your liking. Since Black Angus beef is generally more expensive than other beef, you want to make sure you don't overcook the cut, drying out the meat and ruining your meal.

Angus beef vs. other breeds

All beef in the United States is inspected by the USDA; This is mandatory and implemented for food safety reasons. However, when it comes to determining whether or not the beef is Angus, it is the responsibility of the breeder to prove to the USDA that the beef is Angus—and this is as basic as showing that the cattle's skin is at least 51 percent black. To classify cattle as Angus, the breed of cattle is legally determined by visual inspection only (known as the phenotype). There is no genetic test performed to determine the exact breed.

This means that meat and meat products labeled Angus may or may not be predominantly Angus. Since Angus is the most popular breed of cattle in the United States, you can feel confident that most of the meat you buy is Angus or at least partially Angus. Of the 86 USDA-certified brands representing 25 percent of all beef produced in the United States, 63 contain the term Angus. Angus is the magic word for marketing beef, and with this Angus tag, you'll pay more for your beef.

There is a lot of deception in beef labeling. Stores sell low-quality meat with labels bearing phrases such as "butcher's choice" or "core value." Likewise, low-rated beef or ungraded beef often gets the Angus seal and is sold to food chains.