Angus beef can trace their lineage to the mid 1800s from a Scottish breed of cattle, called the Aberdeen Angus. Angus were bred to be robust and sturdy so they could thrive in the cold Scottish winters.
Angus are well known for their growth rate which makes them attractive to cattle ranchers. The rancher can grow a large, high quality animal, in a shorter amount of time than many other breeds. Angus beef cattle have a large amount of intramuscular fat found in between the muscle fibers. The intramuscular fat distribution is referred to as marbling, which impacts the tenderness and juiciness (read: flavor) of the beef.
The truth is, Angus are probably uber popular because of one simple thing…marketing. Sure they are big, beautiful, ruminating machines that deliver a high quality steak and burger, but like it is said, you say something loud enough and long enough, most people will believe it to be true. Angus beef are marketed VERY WELL as being superior.
At our little farm, we have raised American Wagyu (more on that later), and one of our breeding cows is part Holstein. The rest are Angus and we raise them primarily because they are brilliant converters of high quality grasses into juicy cheeseburgers, have brilliant genetics from Scotland (like me), but they they are pretty to look at (also like me).
