2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
The most delicious steak is made from marbled beef. And everyone knows this. But the meat of animals of what breeds has such marbling, how to achieve it and what is needed to cook a real steak, not many people know. So now is the time to sort it all out.
Black Angus: breed description
Black Angus or Aberdeen Angus is an elite breed of cattle whose meat is superior in taste to other varieties of beef. It was bred in the 19th century in the county of Angusshire in Scotland, and it was bred elsewhere - in the county of Aberdeenshire. That is why the breed of cattle was given the name "Aberdeen Angus". Animals come in red or black colors, which is the most common. It is black angus meat that is considered the best beef.
Aberdeen Angus refers to representatives of meat breeds of cattle. These are large animals with thick black withers, a distinctive feature of which is the absence of horns. Black Angus is programmed from birth to build muscle.masses. Animals of this breed grow rapidly, and under certain conditions, they can gain more than 1.5 kilograms of weight per day. The yield of meat after slaughter is up to 70% of live weight, which is much more than that of cattle of other breeds.
Black Angus Marbling
What is marbled beef? This is the name of the meat of the Black Angus or Aberdeen Angus cattle breed. In the muscle tissue of these animals, thin fatty layers are formed, from which a marble pattern is formed. The more fatty fibers there are on the meat, the juicier and more tender it is.
The formation of layers inside the muscles is explained by the genetic predisposition of the Aberdeen Angus and the correct fattening of animals. 3-4 months before slaughter, when the bull weighs at least 350 kg, it is transferred from fresh grass to grain fattening. This contributes to the formation of layers of fat inside the muscles. In cattle of other breeds, fatty layers are not formed, and fat grows on top of the muscle tissue. Their meat will be much tougher, and the finished steak will definitely taste rubbery.
It is thanks to the fat inclusions that black angus beef, when cooked, acquires the desired juiciness and rich taste. The fat melts when heated, soaking the entire piece of beef with this juice. The steak literally melts in your mouth.
How to determine the freshness of marbled beef
Black angus meat, regardless of whether it was brought from the USA or Australia or it is grown in Russia, is sold only in vacuum packaging. The shelf life isbeef is approximately 45 days. But to make sure that the meat bought for cooking black angus steak is really fresh, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- meat should have a deep red color if it came from an adult animal and be slightly paler if it came from a calf;
- when touching the beef with your hand, the palm should remain dry, there should be no mucus on the surface of the meat;
- the smell of meat is pleasant, not sour;
- marbled beef has approximately the same, uniform veins across the entire width of the steak.
After opening the package, do not immediately evaluate the meat. Let it rest for half an hour, after which you can start preparing and cutting a piece and cooking a steak.
How to properly cook a black angus steak
Both premium cuts and alternative cuts are suitable for cooking steak. The ideal option is a rib-eye steak (thick edge) or a striploin steak (thin edge). These pieces of meat from the back of the animal have the most marbling.
In addition to beef, you will need s alt, pepper and vegetable oil to cook a steak. It is strongly not recommended to marinate black angus beef. First of all, the meat must be cut into pieces at least 2 cm thick. Then leave it to “rest” on the table. You can fry steaks at room temperature and in no case from the refrigerator.
After 30 minutes, you can start frying the meat. To do this, you need to heat the pan, greasesteaks with vegetable oil and put the pieces of beef on it. Fry for 3 minutes on each side, and then a couple more minutes until the desired degree of doneness, constantly rotating the pan. Remove the steak from the heat, season with s alt and pepper, and let it cook until done, about 5 minutes. After that, the meat should be transferred to a warm plate and served.
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