These are fantastic beef cattle, sporting an extremely high quality meat.  They are naturally polled cattle, meaning they are hornless, this is a benefit to cattle ranchers today because the de-horning process causes pain and stress in beef cows, which results in weight loss and subsequently more money spent on feed.  De-horning also opens a wound for bacteria to invade and infect the site where the dehorning occurred.  Personally I am against anything that causes stress on an animal I am going to eat in the future.  Aberdeen Angus come from Scotland, and the breed was started by a man named Hugh Watson.  The red and black varieties have been separate registries in this country since the 1950’s.  They pack an impressive ten to sixteen square inch rib eye section, and have a one thousand pound carcass weight.  They are a great breed for beginners to start with and are called “The Business Breed” for good reason.

USDA prime Angus beef is highly sought after by restaurant owners and private chefs the world over.  Used to create “Kobe Style” beef in this country, it bears only marginal differences to the original Kobe beef product from Japan.  Skeptics claim the differences in the more expensive Japanese feed the cattle receive cause more than simple color differences in the meat, but I think it more likely to the breeding differences in cattle.  To be labeled certified Angus beef by USDA graders it must display all ten of the following criteria:

1.       Modest or higher degree of marbling.

2.       Ten to sixteen square inch rib eye area.

3.       Medium to fine marbling texture.

4.       “A” at maturity.

5.       Less than one thousand pound hot carcass weight.

6.       Moderately thick or thicker muscling.

7.       No neck hump ticker than two inches in height.

8.       Less than one inch of fat thickness.

9.       The carcass must be practically free of capillary breakage.

10.   No dark cutting characteristics are allowed.

The Black Angus Steakhouse was founded in 1964 by a man named Stuart Anderson in Seattle Washington.  It has been a popular steakhouse and seafood restaurant across the country in its many locations.  Due to the recession in January 2009, the parent company was forced to declare chapter eleven bankruptcies.