Steer Age vs Quality

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Both are a personal thing. Quality wise I feel the older animal gives as good a eating but it does take more finish. Taste wise I prefer a 5 or 6 year old because they actually have some flavor, a two year old has more flavor then a 6-7 month old calf

dun

> What if any, is the difference in
> taste and quality between 500-600
> pound calf and a 18-24 month old
> steer? Thanks.
 
Big difference is the amount of meat. Younger animal will be more tender, but may not have nearly the marbling. It's really a matter of personal preference. Around here, I do all my own butchering and I don't like dealing with a 1200 lb animal. I usually butcher at about 600 lbs, never later than 800 lbs. Butchered a year old runt bull last week that was only 400 lbs and ended up being quite pleased with the carcass. Not a lot of meat, but what was there was high quality.

Ann B

> What if any, is the difference in
> taste and quality between 500-600
> pound calf and a 18-24 month old
> steer? Thanks.



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Two major factors to consider are available pasture space (too many animals means shorting them all on graze), and winter feed costs (there goes your profit margin). Ranchers state AT THEIR OWN PERIL, All things being equal...('cause they never are). Slaughter weights are best determined by taste perferences, market preferences, feeding costs, pasture space, available time to work with cattle (many people also hold down regular jobs), length of growing season vs severity of winters, and the needs of the operation's cash flow.

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Should be some of the best flavored beef you've ever had. May be a little chewy and maybe a little over fat, but the flavor of a mature steer/bull/cow is hard to beat.
Wack him, hang him about 2 weeks and cut out a couple ofsteaks. If they're tender enough to eat, cut him just like another, if he's too tough, grind him.

dun
 
Sounds similar to a lady I once met:

She had a steer, bought it to butcher. The steer became a pet (it was their only bovine at the time), so they couldnt eat him. As a 4 year old he became a pest and didn't feel comfortable around him, so they were finally able to eat him. Said it was some of the best tasting beef they'd ever had.

Ryan
 
Ryan":1vqp4jcw said:
Sounds similar to a lady I once met:

She had a steer, bought it to butcher. The steer became a pet (it was their only bovine at the time), so they couldnt eat him. As a 4 year old he became a pest and didn't feel comfortable around him, so they were finally able to eat him. Said it was some of the best tasting beef they'd ever had.

Ryan

I thought only the Chinese and the French ate pets?
 
There are certain cuts to do with the OTM rule..... but I cannot remember, I let my butcher handle it as he knows....
 
Stocker Steve":dtt4mges said:
Ryan":dtt4mges said:
Sounds similar to a lady I once met:

She had a steer, bought it to butcher. The steer became a pet (it was their only bovine at the time), so they couldnt eat him. As a 4 year old he became a pest and didn't feel comfortable around him, so they were finally able to eat him. Said it was some of the best tasting beef they'd ever had.

Ryan

I thought only the Chinese and the French ate pets?

I thought the only thing the French ate was that dry, crusty bread and that disgusting cheese that smells like foot rot on a goat.
 
Bullbuyer":2q3pwmgp said:
Stocker Steve":2q3pwmgp said:
Ryan":2q3pwmgp said:
Sounds similar to a lady I once met:

She had a steer, bought it to butcher. The steer became a pet (it was their only bovine at the time), so they couldnt eat him. As a 4 year old he became a pest and didn't feel comfortable around him, so they were finally able to eat him. Said it was some of the best tasting beef they'd ever had.

Ryan

I thought only the Chinese and the French ate pets?

I thought the only thing the French ate was that dry, crusty bread and that disgusting cheese that smells like foot rot on a goat.

Come on now, foot rot on a goat doesn;t smell nearly as bad as that cheese

dun
 
IMO...the older the animal the more flavor it will have, the carcass quality will deteoriate with age but is still very ediable.
Some folks are not aware of what real beef tastes like and are put off by the "beefy" flavor of the older animal.
We like to slaughter at 1200 lbs+ and eighteen months, do keep the herfs longer depending on the steer.
DMc
 
Susie David":3bfl58bz said:
IMO...the older the animal the more flavor it will have, the carcass quality will deteoriate with age but is still very ediable.
DMc

That may be why we export all that 25 year old horse meat to France...
 

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