Australian Angus Beef

Australian Angus Beef - Grass Fed vs Grain Fed

2022-09-07T05:17:00.000+10:00

Grass Fed Australian Angus Beef vs Grain Fed Australian Angus Beef

The debate rages on! Google anything to do with this topic and you will see the pros and cons of this issue seesawing back and forth from world ecology and sustainability, to choice and cost.

Suffice to say it is beyond the scope of this blog to enter into those discussions in depth. So, a summary of how I see it.

What is grass fed Australian Angus Beef?

Typically most Australian Angus Beef, are grass fed for the majority of their lives. This means that the cattle graze in open paddocks on grass that grows naturally in that region such as at Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

Australian Angus cattle, particularly Black Angus seem suited to the grasslands of Australia, whereas some of stronger European bloodline breeds fare less well. Generally speaking, the opinion in country Australia, this translates into a product which is less suited to their markets.

What is grain fed Australian Angus Beef?

Some of the criticism levelled at grain fed beef is that the grain that is fed to the cattle is from poor sources full of impurities and even hormones. This is certainly not true of producers like at Kerwee in Queensland who produce fine export beef to the world.

Also Australian Angus grain fed cattle must be sourced from a grain feedlot accredited under the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme by AUS-MEAT and come from animals which are fed for a minimum number of days on a nutritionally balanced, high energy feed.

Grain Fed Steak Left Grass Fed Steak Right

Alright! Now, what is it that your eating, eating?

Why grass fed?

Fat content:

Overall there seems a lower overall quantity of fat in grass fed beef compared to grain fed beef . The "type" of fat that also seems the issue. It professed that the fat in grass fed beef has more content of Omega 3 fatty acids which are said to be beneficial to human health.

Antioxidants and Vitamin A:

Furthermore, other "good" antioxidants and trace elements are present in the grass fed variety including Beta Carotene which gives not to much but just enough Vitamin A to the body.

Appearance:

It is the Beta Carotene that gives the fat in grass fed beef its telltale slightly yellow hue and grass fed beef to to have lower levels of intramuscular fat.

Why grain fed?

Fat content:

Grain fed animals gain weight faster and have higher levels of intramuscular fat "Marbling"! Combined with this the fat turns white under grain feeding giving the impression to some that the product is less "dirty".

Cost:

Feedlots can produce market ready cattle faster and more cost effectively than most grass fed beef, this cost saving is passed on to the consumer.

Quality control:

Whilst the grass fed cattle are generally subject to the whims of mother nature for their feed, grain fed beef producers can manage a consistent product year round.

Ok! So which one tastes better?

As long as it is a quality product, the choice, happily, is yours!

Grass Fed

Some prefer the taste of grass fed beef with its "greener" taste. Great texture with a robust earthiness that can vary dependant on the pasture type.

Grain Fed

Others prefer the smooth, consistent flavour of grain fed Australian Angus Beef.

Best of both worlds? Well, what about?

Grass Fed and Grain Finished

A lot of producers have grown their cattle on open paddocks and in the last few weeks introduced the animals to feedlots. This gives some of the benefits of grain feeding and reduces the stress on animals that might be "suddenly" introduced to the confines of a slaughter yard.
The debate continues.........................!

Australian Angus Beef - Cuts to the Chase

2022-08-03T14:04:00.000+10:00

Australian Angus beef cuts or indeed any beef cuts vary slightly to each other depending on local history and traditions.

This pictorial chart sums up the basics.

All very well, but what do we do with this assortment.

The MSA has grouped cuts by their optimal cooking methods based on their standards. The groupings run as follows:

Steaks to Grill or Fry

Fillet Steak

Rib Fillet

Rump Steak

Sirloin

Roast Cuts

Rib Fillet

Rump

Round

Blade

Stir Fry

Oyster Blade
Rump
Blade

Thin Slice
Oyster Blade
Topside
Round

Casserole

Chuck Tender

Chuck

Chuck Shin

Corned Beef
Silverside

Bon Appetit!

Butchers on Macquarie

2021-02-11T09:08:00.001+11:00

Australian Angus Beef sourced from their own farm as in their statement "From our paddock to your plate"

Butchers on Macquarie at Dubbo on the edge of Australia's wide open inland is avowed by many locals as the cities best butcher. Plenty of cuts of meat from roasts, eye fillets and cutlets, down to crumbed lamb cutlets and marinated ready to go stir-frys and fillet mignons.

Most of the produce this business comes from local suppliers including fresh chickens from Gilgandra (45 minutes drive north of Dubbo.)

The type of meat primarily used Australian Black Angus Beef, this hardy breed has adapted superbly to Australian grass and conditions. Local farmers like the Black Angus in particular because it alters the coarse Australian plain grass into tender beef like no other breed.

The Angus Cattle are transferred to a feedlot and gradually moved into smaller pens to ensure that the cattle are relaxed and in the best possible condition before slaughter. The Angus Beef is then hung and transferred to the premises at Dubbo for further hanging and butchering. Some clients also have the Butchers on Macquarie hang their cut for a longer period to improve the tenderness.

The retail outlets are at:

Shop 9, Riverdale Mall, Dubbo, NSW, Australia

612-6882-9955

Australian Angus Beef - The Great Steak!

2011-01-15T14:59:00.002+11:00

How do you cook an Australian Angus Beef steak and how do you like it cooked?

First, what cut do you choose? Check out this previous post Australian Angus Beef - Cuts to the chase.

This handy pictorial diagram will give the goods on how you might like your steak, from blue to well done.

How do you test how done your steak is?

Great! Well, we have decided how well to cook our steak. Time to hand over to the experts! This is from "How to - Steak from Jamie does..."

Australian Angus Beef a great steak!

Australian Angus Beef - Standards

2011-01-14T15:06:00.002+11:00

In the early 1990's the Australian Beef Industry investigated declining consumption and after research found that a major contributing factor was the variations of eating quality of cooked beef.

The challenge was to identify the eating quality of beef before it was sold to the consumer.

Unlike the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) beef standards which grade the beef on the degree of marbling and age of the animal at slaughter.

The Australian beef standards are set by a meticulously monitored consumer response system.

What was found after extensive research under the Australian beef industry's Eating Quality Assurance (EQA) program, was that the consumer expectation of eating quality was basically the same the world over.

With this score sheet Meat Standards Australia (MSA) established a meat grading system based on a meat quality score (MQ4) . This score is a numeric representation of the customers rating of a piece of beef.

Tenderness 40%
Juiciness 10%
Flavor 20%
Overall liking 30%
MQ4 (meat quality score) 100%

Beef graded EQA must have a MQ4 score of at least 46 guaranteeing "good everyday quality".

The Australian Angus Beef benefits from the EQA program by not only factoring the standard of the beef from the primary producer but also taking into account the the processes of transport, slaughter, chilling and even cooking of the end product.

History of Australian Angus Beef

2011-01-13T14:09:00.001+11:00

The breed of Angus cattle traces its roots to a breed from Scotland around the shires of Aberdeenshire and Angus. The breed is often called "Aberdeen Angus".

A scotsman by the name of Hugh Watson is considered to be the breeds founder and most of the Angus cattle today can be traced back to the animals he developed.

In Hobart, Tasmania on January 20th 1824 aboard the ship "Triton" 8 black cattle, then known as Fifeshires, disembarked. These are regarded as the first of what is now called the Angus breed to reach Australian shores.

Years of selective breeding and rigorous quality control progressed Australian Angus Cattle into one of the finest table meats available in the world today.