Producing the perfect steak

Help Support CattleToday:

lead_dog

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
123
Reaction score
0
Location
Georgia
I expect there will be a lot of opinions on this. If you wanted to set out to produce consistently high quality beef, what would be your top 3-4 most important attributes in PRIORITY order?

For example?

1. Average daily gain
2. Breed
3. Type of feed
4. Age at processing

or something else?
 
I think all the things you listed are important. I would add
DNA gene testing for the tenderness genes of your seedstock,
and also docile nature of the cattle( or not!), ....and
your processor is very very important IMO.

As far as forage goes, we've been told that wheat pasture
will give beef an "off" flavor---so we finish on oats or rye
and put the weaned ones on wheat.
 
lead_dog":39d859y8 said:
I expect there will be a lot of opinions on this. If you wanted to set out to produce consistently high quality beef, what would be your top 3-4 most important attributes in PRIORITY order?

For example?

1. Average daily gain
2. Breed
3. Type of feed
4. Age at processing

or something else?

1. Breed - you can't manage marbling into an animal that's not genetically capable of marbling
2. Age at processing
3. Type of feed
4. ADG

You might also look at creep feeding. There's research showing the younger an animal starts on feed, the more likely and better he'll marble.

Implants can affect marbling.

Herd health is important. An animal that gets sick is less likely to produce quality beef.
 
If you are thinkng of a small scale grass fed production system, I think the most important factor will be sales price. It will be expensive to produce on a small scale in the best of years; quality grass fed beef would have been practically impossible to produce in our area this year - unless you irrigate.
 
lead_dog":2e0kndgv said:
I expect there will be a lot of opinions on this. If you wanted to set out to produce consistently high quality beef, what would be your top 3-4 most important attributes in PRIORITY order?

For example?

1. Average daily gain
2. Breed
3. Type of feed
4. Age at processing

or something else?

This question comes under the catagory of "When did you stop beating your wife?" type question. You can't answer it satisfactorily with minimal verbage. But here is a start:

1. Breed (Definitely)
2. Optimal Carcass (and ultrasound) EPD factors
3. Type of Feed
4. Age at Processing

Herd health and optimal management is critical.

DOC HARRIS
 
1
. Breed - you can't manage marbling into an animal that's not genetically capable of marbling
The selection of a breed may give you a higher percentage of quality beef genetics. In my opinion the selection of a breed being the only criteria in the production of high quality beef has caused an overall decline in beef quality throughout the cattle industry. The USDA had to lower it's standards just so they could grade more meat as being prime or choice.
 
Doc & Frankie gave good answers.
More specifically on breed - should be british X continental to fit the 70 - 70 grid market. The british will put better marbling/quality grade and the continental will improve the yield grade.
And more specific than that on breed - Simmental x British. Simmental is the best quality grading continental, so they compliment the british breeds, while providing the proper yield grade.
 
There are genetics within the various breeds that can do a better job of accomplishing your goal than the average of those breeds as well. I know a Hereford breeder who has achieved an average hanging weight of almost 67% while still having a majority of Choice on the quality grade, and I'm sure there are examples like this within other breeds. Pick your breed/breeds, and then find those individuals who are raising the type of cattle you want to develop.
 
It is my understanding that lead-dog wants to direct
market beef to individual customers. IMO that calls
for different management and breed selection than someone
that is selling calves at the sale barn or even retaining
ownership to the packer.,,,especially if he wants to go
organic or grass-finished. The customer will want to know
if the steak is TENDER, not how much intramuscular fat
there would be in it. Of course, grade at the packer depends
entirely on the fat. It will only make a little difference
on your bottom line lead-dog whether the animal gains
2.5 or 2.75 lbs per day----but that difference would be a big
consideration of a producer of commodity beef with
giagantic numbers of animals. If your beef is tender,
flavorful and can be marketed as antibiotic and steroid
free, then you will have more customers than you can
handle IMO.
 
Ok Jeanne is exactly right. Check out Walmart, they sell select and people think its great stuff as long as its tender, The quality grade measurment of value is essentially meaningless to the consumer today.
 
Yes, that's true, we will direct market to consumers. Cradle to grave, born on the farm, processed locally and sold by us to consumers.

As you know, I've selected Murray Grey's as our breed. I have Genestar tests for each. What I am unsure about is exactly when to plan on scheduling processing (when they reach a specific weight or time of the year or...) and what management decisions I can make in the interim to help ensure the most tender and flavorful beef.

I realize that the best management decision I can make is to keep them low stress in life and in transport to processing. But can we produce better beef by finishing them their last month or two on a specific type of forage, or does it not matter? Does it affect the flavor if they're processed coming off highly vegetative growth (spring) vs. the lower growth of late summer?

It's an art and I'm just trying to learn from others experiences.
 
If you are far enough south to have winter pasture, then
it is a plus to butcher and collect from the customer about
the time they are getting income tax refunds. You will
save yourself a ton of time/worry if you can sell by the
half all at once instead of by the piece. The downside of
that is that you can make more actual dollars selling by
the piece----but it might work out at 1.00 per hour of
your extra time.
 
sounds like your on the right track. OK jeanne as well as the others are also. With all other factors taken into account, my experience has been an excellent finish on annual rye grass in the spring. I start looking for finish when a steer weighs more than its momma. A rule of thumb for a steer is 100 pounds more than its momma. The real trick is to find a forage that will extend your growing season. ie finishing in the summer and fall. I think those of us in the south may have more options in that regard.
Wish I could figure out how to post pictures on this site. But for now, here is a link http://cattletoday.com/photos/showphoto ... puser=3269
This is a photo of what we've done on grass. Customers all brag its the best meat they've had. Trying to get the finish time down closer to 18 months. We'll get there.
 
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is how long the beef hangs after harvest and before being processed. If you can let the sides hang for 3-4 weeks before you break down into cuts it should be more tender.
 
I will let you know in a few weeks.
Here is what I am trying.

Start with Angus

I bred a Future Direction cow to 6I6 and got a bull calf. I raised him with the other bulls to be sold a breeding stock this coming February. Somewhere down the line, he got stepped on or hurt and one of his testacies enlarged. Something is wrong with his breeding ability so I plane to eat him. He stayed in with the rest of the bulls being fed along until Thanksgiving when I pulled him out and started pouring the feed to him. The feed is corn run through the grinder without a screen so it is cracked with some still whole. I mixed in 15% by weight soybean meal. I hope after 60 days feeding this as much as he can eat and him being 16 months old he should eat good.

Bull 16 months
Future Direction X 6I6
Lots of Feed


What do y'all think?
 
We finish on a winter oat forage:
Photo taken Nov 10,2007)
DCP_3815.jpg
 

Latest posts

Top