Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Steve A said:As a chef, a griller and a former meat cutter I'll weigh in on this discussion.
The breed of animal is less important than other items. Diet and exercise are HUGE indicators of the muscle's flavor and texture. Want to experiment? Put a Holstein, Angus and, perhaps, a Charlais, in same the conditions and on the same feed. IF you can tell the difference, I'd be grately surprised.
Ciao,
From personal experience, I concure with Steve. Better flavor is the result of good feed, be it high quality grass, or good corn finishing. Add to this a reasonable amount of exersice to "beef-up" the beef, bbut not so much as to make the muscles tough and too lean. In addition, the extra blood flow to the muscles gives them more flavor.
I have heard the benefits of Black Angus ever since I lived in San Diego where they had Black Angus restaurants. The breed produces a very meaty animal. But so does a Charlais. And as for the Kobe, it is exclusivity that drives the price to such an exhorbitant sum. For the beef to be Kobe, it must come from the Kobe valley at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.
American Wagyu beef is of the same breed, but has been grown in the U.S. and therefore cannot be called Kobe. It's like calling a sparkling wine Campaigne when it was actually produced in Nappa Valley. It is against the commonly accepted rules of etiquette, and indeed, is protected against by various organizations. I have not personally had the opportunity to eat Wagyu, but would love to one day.
I guess this whole thing is like trying to say that speckled trout taste better than do rainbow trout. I do know my trout. And I can testify that both species, when taken from the same stream, and of equal size, once cooked, are equal in flavor, texture, and even flesh color. But the quality of the one speckled trout versus another can vary dramatically depending on the waters from which it is caught, and by how it came into the world. Wild trout are far superior in quality to their planted brothers and sisters.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North