# What is Angus Beef? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357 "2004-09-21T18:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/1 "2004-09-21T18:06:50Z")
A year ago, I’d never heard of “Angus Beef” (I don’t pay much attention to meat, other than the “sell by” date). But now, every grocery store, restaurant, or any other group wants me to be sure to know that they sell _Angus Beef_ and only Angus Beef, and no other beef product will do. What is it? Why should I care? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/2 "2004-09-21T18:09:40Z")
Black Angus is a type of cattle specifically bred for meat production. In other words, you aren’t getting meat from dairy cattle. ---
**Author:** ![mbacko1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@mbacko1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbacko1)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/3 "2004-09-21T18:09:48Z")
Angus is a certain breed of steer, I believe they are black in color. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/4 "2004-09-21T18:10:37Z")
Or it’s Aberdeen Angus. Much nicer 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/5 "2004-09-21T18:27:05Z")
Chances are pretty good **amarinth** ’s not buying beef imported from the UK… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/6 "2004-09-21T18:36:28Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Chances are pretty good **amarinth** ’s not buying beef imported from the UK… Wouldn’t have to. American Aberdeen-Anguses outnumber British ones 40:1. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/7 "2004-09-21T18:49:33Z")
Angus beef is beef from Angus cows. _Certified_ Angus Beef, OTOH, is what all the hype’s about, and comes from cows that are 51% black-hided, and whose carcasses yield beef that has a modest (Middle Choice) or higher marbling degree, comes from the “A” maturity range (9-30 mos., the youngest maturity classification for beef), and has a USDA Yield Grade of 3.9 or less (out of 5 – this rejects the very fattest carcasses, which have thick fat everywhere). [http://www.cbbqa.com/meat/beef/CertifiedAngusBeef.html](http://www.cbbqa.com/meat/beef/CertifiedAngusBeef.html) [http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html](http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html) ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/8 "2004-09-21T18:54:09Z")
How about certified “no mad cow disease” in it beef? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/9 "2004-09-21T18:56:58Z")
I don’t have anything useful to add. I just wanted to thank **amarinth** on such an insightful and tasy question. Mmmmm … beef … ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/10 "2004-09-21T19:07:01Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > _Certified_ Angus Beef, OTOH, is what all the hype’s about… [_Certified Angus Beef_](http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/news/2004/08/08_2004_NotEqual.html) is a brand name. Fast food restaurants like Hardee’s and now Burger King are capitalizing on the success of this brand by marketing their burgers using ordinary Black Angus beef, which may or may not meet the USDA specifications for the CAB brand, according to [this article](http://www.mycattle.com/news/dsp_national_article.cfm?storyid=13963): > [@](#): > > Officials at the Certified Angus Beef office emphasize that those fast-food promotions are not tied to their program. The restaurants may very well be using Black Angus animals, officials said, but those cattle are not certified through the industry group. > > “There’s definitely an element of what we call Angus confusion,” said Eileen Keller, a spokeswoman for the Certified Angus Beef program. “There are some folks who, when they see the word ‘Angus,’ automatically identify it with our program. They also make the assumption that it’s all the same quality, and it’s not.” ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/11 "2004-09-21T19:33:07Z")
My high school biology teacher alwasy expressed displeasure about how little the general public was aware of “common sense” biology. To fix this problem, once a week we took time off from studying genetics or microbiology or whatever to learn how to identify cow breed or other such vitally important facts. One of the little tidbits that I remember was that somebody has crossed the Angus with the Brahma to produce the Brangus, a breed which can survive in the desert but still produces more meat than an ordinary Brahma. It hasn’t caught on much, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/12 "2004-09-21T19:59:07Z")
And the more important point, IMO, Angus beef DOES taste better. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/13 "2004-09-21T20:04:45Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > And the more important point, IMO, Angus beef DOES taste better. Angus beef definitely tastes better than dairy beef (ie: beef from breeds bred for milk production, NOT necessarilly played-out old dairy cows\*). However, there are many other beef breeds, including Charlois, Hereford, etc. All of them taste fine. The “Angus Beef” campaign is just marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/14 "2004-09-21T20:15:11Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > How about certified “no mad cow disease” in it beef? 😛 Oh ho, I see you’ve fallen for this “low-prion” diet fad that’s all the rage. Such fretting over an eensy-weensy little protein, just because it can colonize and destroy your brain. Pshaw! Don’t let it go to your head. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/15 "2004-09-21T20:57:10Z")
It’s not like you _need_ superoxide dismutase to destroy all the oxidative free radicals in your body. Everyone knows that free radicals come from a modern diet full of MEAT and CHEMICALS. All you need to do is to eat foods that are high in NATURAL antioxidants, like ORGANIC carrots and tomatoes. Oh, and send me $99.95 a week. Since this is a health issue I should make it clear I’m being sarcastic. Destroying the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one possible mechanism for CJD/Mad Cow. SOD is indeed responsible for neutralizing free radicals, but normal metabolism still produces large amounts of free radicals regardless of your diet. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/16 "2004-09-21T21:03:15Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Angus beef definitely tastes better than dairy beef (ie: beef from breeds bred for milk production, NOT necessarilly played-out old dairy cows\*). However, there are many other beef breeds, including Charlois, Hereford, etc. All of them taste fine. The “Angus Beef” campaign is just marketing. And if you look carefully at links like **Nametag** ’s you will notice that the “Certified Angus” label specifies “Angus type” cattle, not purebred Angus - 51% black in color being one of the criteria. Most of the CAB spec has to do with the qualities of the carcass, and much of it comes from crossbred cattle, not pure Angus stock. In particular, ranchers have crossed Hereford (whiteface) and Angus for years, and many of these animals will qualify for the CAB label. This quote illustrates why they do it: > [@](#): > > “Herefords don’t grade as well as Angus, and straight Hereford steers are pretty significantly discounted,” Hoagland says. “But a Hereford-Angus cross will bring as much or more than an Angus and qualify for CAB status, as well as for the Certified Hereford Beef program.” [http://www.mbrservices.com/cooppartners/viewArticle.cfm?ID=1451](http://www.mbrservices.com/cooppartners/viewArticle.cfm?ID=1451) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/17 "2004-09-21T22:30:34Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > [R]anchers have crossed Hereford (whiteface) and Angus for years, and many of these animals will qualify for the CAB label. The Angus-Hereford cross usually has a black body and a white face, very nice looking animals. They are known as “Black Baldies”. By the way, I understand that the bulk of MickyD’s beef is dairy beef of the type I described upthread as “played out old dairy cows”. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/18 "2004-09-21T23:48:01Z")
Well, I have to tell ya… I’ve met Angus, and he’s a rather sweaty and hairy fella. I don’t care to put my lips on his burgers. More seriously, [here](http://www.cabprogram.com/product/grades.html) is a website explaining the difference between Certified Angus Beef and the impostor Anguses… (no… it’s _not_ Angii…) There are a couple of links on that page to good general references on beef quality grades, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/19 "2004-09-22T00:20:50Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > A year ago, I’d never heard of “Angus Beef” (I don’t pay much attention to meat, other than the “sell by” date). But now, every grocery store, restaurant, or any other group wants me to be sure to know that they sell _Angus Beef_ and only Angus Beef, and no other beef product will do. > > What is it? Why should I care? As any fule kno, the best beef in the World is British beef that has been awarded the British Seal of Excellence. You should ask your butcher to give you meat with BSE. Truly it is to die for. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357/20 "2004-09-22T00:34:55Z")
> [@mbacko1](#): > > Angus is a certain breed of steer, I believe they are black in color. Those steer do have some trouble breeding. Perhaps that is why the beef is more expensive? Peace, mangeorge [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-angus-beef/265357.md?page=2)