# Angus Beef: What is so special about them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179 "2007-05-31T12:01:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/1 "2007-05-31T12:01:38Z")
Fast Food places, like Mcdonalds, Burger King, Carl’s jr and Harvey’s advertise angus burgers. Are they really that different from regular beef? ---
**Author:** ![Lambo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lambo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lambo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/2 "2007-05-31T12:30:50Z")
[QUOTE=BluePitbull] Fast Food places, like Mcdonalds, Burger King, Carl’s jr and Harvey’s advertise angus burgers. Are they really that different from regular beef? [/QUOTE] It seems to be mostly marketing. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that the Angus breed was chosen because it has a shorter, easily pronounced name than most other beef cattle breeds (Hereford, Simmental, Charolais, Limousin, etc.). It is bred to be eaten, but so are many other cattle breeds that that can taste as good or better, depending on the individual beef. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/3 "2007-05-31T12:35:59Z")
Right. Angus cattle _are_ especially good for beef, that’s true; they have good marbling, calve easily, mature quickly, etc. But it’s marketing that’s got them the high profile they have today. My family raised Registered Angus for a number of years, though mostly for show and breeding purposes. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/4 "2007-05-31T12:44:00Z")
They have been around a long time so I don’t know that the name thing is true but it would be a smart move for someone to come up with a cool name for a beef cattle variety. I started a thread some time ago about an Australian tampon company that started making coloured tampons. Now obviously the colour makes **NO** difference at all, it simply serves as a vehicle with which to advertise the brand. Just wait around for\*\* 100% Big Dick Beef \*\*. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/5 "2007-05-31T12:59:45Z")
Anyone else read that as “anus burgers”? No? No, me neither. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/6 "2007-05-31T14:37:31Z")
Related to this and something I’m unsure of is Kobe Beef. Is so called kobe beef a process and geography or is it a particular breed? Unlike angus, which is a breed … so, could you hypothetically have kobe angus beef? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/7 "2007-05-31T14:41:59Z")
Yeah, it’s not only a particular breed (Waygu), but also a method of raising them, in a particular provice(?) of Japan, which is a fairly guarded secret. It no doubt involves cruelty along the lines of what they do to geese to get their livers right for pate, which is likely why it’s a guarded secret. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/8 "2007-05-31T15:17:44Z")
It’s all about how it sounds and look on TV. So, marketing, yeah. Step One: People have the (largely true) idea that hamburger is what’s left after all the good cuts are taken. Specifying a breed helps overcome the “meat scraps” concept by giving the illusion that the beef is somehow more “pure” because it all comes from one breed. It’s still Angus scraps, but the illusion is there. This step also could be accomplished by specifying any breed, but they used the word Angus because: Step Two: The word Angus is perfect for marketing. It starts with “A”, which gives it aural and visual primacy; two syllables with accent on the first syllable; glottal stop in the middle of the word gives it hardness and substance; overall look and sound of the word makes it beefy and substantive. Compare that with Hereford; it just sounds soft, and it’s too close to “heifer,” which most Americans know is a female – when you want to convey “beefiness,” you want masculine images. See, Prof. Melanson, I really was awake during those advertising classes! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/9 "2007-05-31T15:18:19Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] could you hypothetically have kobe angus beef? [/QUOTE] Thanks to the Travel Channel, I’ve heard of a restaurant in Philly that serves [a high-class cheesesteak made with American Kobe (a cross between Waygu and Angus), melted Taleggio cheese, shaved truffles, sauteed foie gras, caramelized onions and heirloom shaved tomatoes on a homemade brioche roll brushed with truffle butter and squirted with homemade mustard.](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6187408/) ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/10 "2007-05-31T16:06:49Z")
There was a staff report about Angus beef done a couple of years ago. [See here.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mangusbeef.html) ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/11 "2007-05-31T16:36:16Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Yeah, it’s not only a particular breed (Waygu), but also a method of raising them, in a particular provice(?) of Japan, which is a fairly guarded secret. It no doubt involves cruelty along the lines of what they do to geese to get their livers right for pate, which is likely why it’s a guarded secret. [/QUOTE] Actually its quite the opposite. These cattle are treated like gods! Ive even heard that they get messages! > **[Kobe beef: a special grade from Wagyu cattle in Kobe, Japan](https://www.foodreference.com/html/artkobebeef.html)** ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/12 "2007-05-31T18:09:49Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Yeah, it’s not only a particular breed (Waygu), but also a method of raising them, in a particular provice(?) of Japan, which is a fairly guarded secret. It no doubt involves cruelty along the lines of what they do to geese to get their livers right for pate, which is likely why it’s a guarded secret. [/QUOTE] [The Guardian had an interesting story about one reporter’s efforts to find out.](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,889220,00.html) I’ve never heard any stories about being it being particularly cruel, personally; quite the opposite as **d1a1s1** says. The one catch is that they don’t get to move very much (Japan is a small place, and letting them roam would be exceedingly inefficient); the rub-downs are supposedly to relieve muscle tension from not getting as much exercise as they would normally. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/13 "2007-05-31T20:11:09Z")
[QUOTE=d1a1s1] Actually its quite the opposite. These cattle are treated like gods! Ive even heard that they get messages! [/QUOTE] I’m not sure how wise it is to let them get messages. _Pssst! They’re only pretending to treat you nice because they’re afraid you’ll freak out if you find out they’re planning to kill you and eat you!_ ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/14 "2007-05-31T22:26:49Z")
I’m sorry…my assertion about Kobe beef was ignorant and probably a little bigoted. Mea Culpa… :o ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/15 "2007-06-01T02:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I’m not sure how wise it is to let them get messages. _Pssst! They’re only pretending to treat you nice because they’re afraid you’ll freak out if you find out they’re planning to kill you and eat you!_ [/QUOTE] It’s okay, they can’t read. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/16 "2007-06-01T03:40:16Z")
[QUOTE=Manduck] It’s okay, they can’t read. [/QUOTE] Okay, but how about _voice_ messaging? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/17 "2007-06-01T05:47:41Z")
A large portion of Japan’s Kobe beef is actually raised in [California](http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/wagyu.html) > [@](#): > > However, land and grain are expensive in Japan. So what is happening is that the beef production houses in Kobe have been contracting out to other producers to custom raise their cattle for them. Most specifically, Harris Ranch in California ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angus-beef-what-is-so-special-about-them/406179/18 "2007-06-01T12:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] A large portion of Japan’s Kobe beef is actually raised in [California](http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/wagyu.html) [/QUOTE] No it isn’t. That page is dated (1998) and confused. “Kobe beef” is a term that appears to be used quite freely in America. In Japan, however, the difinition is strict and this definition includes the fact that the cow must be born, raised and slaughtered in Hyogo prefecture. If it was raised in California, it is not Kobe beef (in Japan) and if California-raised beef _is_ sold as “Kobe beef” it would only be fraudulently so. Harris Ranch, mentioned in the linked article, did raise Japanese cattle, and it’s true that it was raised to specific standards. While what they raised would probably be sold as “Kobe beef” in America, it wasn’t, as the author claims, sold as brand beef in Japan. As a matter of fact, he himself states: > [@](#): > > And true Kobe beef? Overrated. At ten times the price because the cow was raised on expensive land eating expensive Japanese grain and beer, the quality is not noticeably better than ordinary Wagyu beef that grades out to super-prime. “True Kobe beef” - born, fed and slaughtered in Hyogo, is the only sort that gets marketed as “Kobe beef” in Japan.