Marbled Beef Breeds

It is believed that all domesticated cattle evolved from a single ancestor the aurochs which is now extinct.

Marbled beef breeds. Cattle breeds such as angus herefords murray grey shorthorns and wagyu also british white cattle and dairy breeds such as the jersey holstein friesian and braunvieh have higher marbling scores on average versus other cattle such as simmentals charolais or chianina. The following factors affect marbling in beef. Marbling is determined by both genetics and nutrition. How does it happen.

The former are adapted to hot climate while the latter the typical european cattle are adapted to cooler weather. Marbling can be influenced by selective breeding. And some cattle breeds simply will not produce marbled meat no matter what they are fed how fat they get or how tender their beef is. In this article i will explain when marbling is a good gauge of beef tenderness when it is not and how else to gauge beef.

Like i said earlier some breeds are more inclined to marbling than others. Feed and finishing may also impact marbling with grass finished cattle offering a leaner beefier flavor whereas grain finished beef are much milder. Marbling can also be influenced by time on feed. Wagyu beef for example can be extremely marbled due to its genetics so much so that it s prized for that marbling.

At chiller temperatures marbled fat appears white and will become less obvious as the meat comes up to room temperature with unsaturated fats beginning to melt. But beef marbling is not always a good gauge of tenderness in grass fed beef cattle. Nowadays breeds fall into two main types bos indicus and bos taurus.