Frequently Asked Questions

What is Black Angus Beef?

The Angus breed of cattle dates back to the 1800s in Scotland, but the first Angus cows in America were imported in 1873 by George Grant.1  This new breed of cattle stood apart not only in their robust health and good demeanor, but also in their high quality beef.  Angus cattle quickly garnered attention from ranchers and grew to become the preferred breed that it is today, with the Black Angus breed gaining favor over Red Angus.

What separates Black Angus beef from other breeds is its high degree of marbling and fine texture, which determines the unique flavor and high demand.  Black Angus beef has proven to consistently have more marbling and grade higher on the USDA beef-grading standard than other breeds.  In addition, Angus cattle continuously show more evenly distributed growth and less trim than other breeds, which le2 ads to a better, more uniform cut of meat.3

Black Angus cattle also have many advantages from the ranchers’ point of view as well.  Black Angus cattle are a strong breed, able to give birth with less difficulty and grow comparatively larger and faster.  Also, because the gene that determines a Black Angus is dominant, while the gene that determines a Red Angus is recessive, Black Angus cattle tend to have more genetic diversity than Red Angus cattle, and thus are less likely to acquire genetic defects such as Osteopetrosis, which has recently become a concern in the Red Angus community.4

Naturally hearty, they are also resistant to afflictions which plague other breeds, such as cancer eye and sunburned or snow-burned udders.5  Since they are naturally hornless, dehorning, believed by many animal rights activists as cruel and stressful to the cow, need not be done.6 These advantages allow easier management and non-intrusive care of Black Angus cattle, reflecting the natural way in which Painted Creek Farm chooses to raise its cattle.

1. Oklahoma State University Board of Regents, “Breeds of Livestock: Angus Cattle”, Oklahoma State University Department of Animal Science, (accessed January 28, 2009).
2. The Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, “What’s the Big Deal About Aged Beef and Angus Beef?”, The Straight Dope (August 23, 2005),(accessed January 28, 2009).
3. American Angus Association, “Angus Advantages”, American Angus Association Publications,(accessed January 28, 2009).
4. Jerome Nietfeld, DVM, PhD, DACVP, “Osteopetrosis in Calves”, Diagnostic Insights, vol. 1, no. 2 (March, April 2007),(accessed January 31, 2009).
5. American Angus Association, “Angus Advantages”, American Angus Association Publications, (accessed January 28, 2009).
6. James R. Gillespie, Modern Livestock and Poultry Production (New York: Delmar Publishing, 2004), 22.

How Do They Chop up a Cow?

Click Here to see where the different beef cuts come from. Photo courtesy of Beef Checkoff.