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[William Russell <woodmanrussell AT gmail.com>]

You are comparing Oranges & Apples when you talk cattle & deer. But I know
a lot of beef cattle people, who raise thousands of head of
dairy"steers"would disagree about the quality that you say can not be
produced.There is documented research that shows the hang time & tenderness
that develops from it are related. Some "butcher shops" don't have the
space to hang beef, so they discount the benefits of it. Some people do
things differently than others, so I will continue as I have. My customers
will have to continue to enjoy the best freezer beef they say they have
gotten. Pastures are a whole different part of raising beef. I happen to
follow what a professor published from a 10 year university study, on all
aspects of grazing beef cattle. Remember, Agriculture feeds this nation,
just that most people don't know how lucky they are to have Ag people.

On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 1:40 AM, <lurine AT com-pair.net> wrote:

> Breeds make a difference and the pasture will also make a difference.
> If you have breed, such as dairy, you are going to have less marbling
> simply because that is the way those animals muscle up.  You could
> stick a buck or a doe in a shed and feed them corn till the cows come
> home and you wouldn't get enough marbling to grade anything but
> utility.
>
> Scottish Highlanders are extremely "thrifty" and will pack on a good
> ratio of marbling and back fat on a lot less feed than say a
> Holstein.  Highlanders pack on the fat and marbeling equally
> throughout their bodies.  Holsteins will put it on piecemeal.  So, on
> less feed you'll get a better grade out of a Highlander.
>
> Dry aging is optimum.  This new business of "wet" aging (sticking it
> in kryovac bags and sitting it on a shelf) is, well, IMNSHO,
> disgusting!  The amount of time you age your beef for depends on a
> lot of things including just how much fat there is on the quarters.
> A hind can hang longer than a front.
>
> For our butcher shop we would hang the sides we sold in the shop
> about two weeks.  Then we would break the hind down and for some
> customers leave the loin to hang another week.
>
> We had a lot of dairies bring in older cows.  These old girls hung
> about a week to 10 days.  Very little cover fat but because they came
> from old-fashioned dairies (irrigated pasture, little stress) they
> produced some real nice meat.
>
> Feed, breed, how they are raised all have input in what the output is.
>
> Lynda
>
> ---- Original Message ----
> From: woodmanrussell AT gmail.com
>
> >Grass or Corn makes no difference, the animal has to start
> >depositing intramuscular fat in order for it to become more tender&
> >higher
> >grade. I have told my beef customers, since the 80's that a young
> >beef is
> >like a teenager, they build body first then start to put on the fat
> >that
> >the meat inspector/grader looks for.After raising at least 5
> >different
> >breeds & finishing some on grain & some on grass, they can all be
> >tender if
> >finished properly . My last breed has been the Scot Hilander breed &
> >they
> >have been the best. They were raised totally on 10 year old Alfalfa
> >fields,
> >intensive rotational grazed, which I believe  is the only way to
> >raise
> >cattle that will preform at their best. Those cattle finished out at
> >1000#
> >live weight & about 1/2'" of back fat. Also I have my meat hung for
> >12 days
> >in the cooler at the slaughter house before finishing, which has been
> >shown
> >to be the optimum time for enzyme breakdown of tissue. My customers &
> >my
> >wife have raved about how good this meat is & that it really turns
> >out
> >(fork tender)!!
>
>
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