Longhorn vs Angus meat

[TedH71]

I've had Angus meat quite often then tried Longhorn twice...and the Longhorn meat was more flavorable than the Angus! Was wondering if anyone has noticed this difference?

[wr]

That's a little like comparing apples and oranges. Angus meat has more fat and that includes marbelling and the longhorn meat is much leaner with greater health benefits. I find that longhorn meat closer resembles bison than traditional beef in flavor and texture. Since we raise longhorns, that's pretty well what we eat but the youngest has a beef herd and once in a while we butcher one of his and I find it so much more fatty than what I'm used to. It is important to know that cooking a leaner meat like that, you must cook it with a bit more care but with proper hanging time and a good butcher I think it's the best meat going and that's without exploring the reduction in colestrol.

[unioncreek]

I raise longhorn cows and crossbreed with Angus. I agree with WR about the apples and oranges difference. We just butchered a steer last month. I talked to the guy that owns the packing plant just after he slaughtered it and he said it didn't have hardly any exterior carcass fat on it. Talked to him two weeks later when he said he had it cut up. It graded high "Choice", he was very surprised at that. I fed him 5 pounds of grain for 5 month and the meat is very good. The fatty acid profile on longhorns is healthier than the English cattle breeds, which is a good selling point for my customers.

Bobg

[littlebitfarm]

Don't you think feed has a lot to do with flavor? I raise Angus but they are grass fed (Ok, I split a coffee can of corn between 8 of them once a day so they learn to come when I rattle the can). People have been very happy with the flavor of this meat. My butcher is amazed that I can get marbling without the grain. I've never had longhorn so I can't compare but this grass fed is good eating!

Kathie

[unioncreek]

Feed has a lot to do with it. I feed mainly barley and canola meal. I have had beef that were fed potatoes and the flavor wasn't very good. Being able to fatten beef on grass depends a lot on the the breed and lineage of the cattle. I know a lot of the British breeds will not marble very well on grass. I have been reading about beef Devon and they are supposed to marble very well on grass, it's just that there are not very many of them around.

Bobg

[wr]

Finish makes a difference in flavor but will not create marbelling in longhorn meat but will give you a layer of outer fat which helps reduce shrinkage if you hang your meat. Finish techniques aside, most will find longhorn meat to have a bit coarser grain to the meat but that doesn't make it tough or stringy.