Anybody Else Think Ground Beef isn't as Flavorful?

[Slim11]

Its baised on export and import. Sorry. I didnt read the atrtical posted. The 40 percent is what we keep, the rest is exported because its higher quality, and we import the lower quality beef. Imports and exports is not consumption. And while not reading the artical the imports were just from one country? And as you stated we import more then we export? So even if your correct we are short 1.8b lbs of beef per year? I may have misremembering the 40 percent. It may have included lamb and veal. That we dont produce anymore , or do at a very low percent. But AI says that beef is the same as veal and lamb imports? I will look at it further in the am.

What "40% of our own beef" are you talking about? Everything I see says we import around 15% of our beef and, per the article discussed above about Australia, it is mostly low-grade beef for hamburger. Data seems to be we import about 4.6B pounds (low-grade hamburger) and export about 2.8B pounds (high-grade steaks).

 

[Slim11]

And I had to look it up , that type of beef shortage ( imports vs exports) would feed 30 million people a year. Thats what we couldnt feed if needed if the supply chains go down. Thats a lot.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Australian beef is actually healthier than US beef, as they graze on pasture. US beef are fattened with corn and whatever junk that is put in to fatten them up quickly. I would pick Australian beef over US beef every time.

 

[FIREd]

I buy mine freshly ground from the butcher and haven’t noticed a difference.

 

[Redbugdave]

Part of why prices are so high: Our country has been in a drought the past few years. That has curtailed the herds. Ranchers sold off their cattle rather than retain them for breeding, resulting in the smallest cattle herd in over 75 years.

I have noticed the change in beef, too. Don't know why. I noticed that some of the large food chains inject the beef with nitrogen in the packages to make the beef look redder. Maybe that affects taste, too?

We eat a good bit of venison here at home. As it is ground we have it mixed with about 10% beef tallow. Deer has a different taste than beef and I guess it is an acquired taste. My favorite ground meat is from hog. Very mild and tasty. No hormones and all that in wild meat.

 

[Badger]

We drastically reduced our beef consumption years ago. Now with the prices higher and the flavor seeming to be watered down it is no longer appealing. There are other tasty options available at lower cost.

 

[MichaelB]

So many misconceptions about beef production.

The US is the largest beef producer in the world. We are also the largest consumer. Right now we produce around 90% of what we consume.

Our primary source of imports is Brazil, which is the global second largest producer.

If I had to bet, I’d say the biggest reason we don’t produce more is the US$ is so strong. Beef is a commodity, so cost matters. What makes our beef more expensive is the strong dollar.

A couple of charts from the USDA

 

[Amethyst]

It’s not just beef. I’ve noticed chicken and pork have gone rather bland as well. Every now and then you get some that reminds you what it should taste like.

I find it interesting that restaurants don’t even call it “meat” any more. Now it’s “protein”. Maybe there’s a reason….

It's just advertising. Protein has been a buzz word for a while.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

OP. We get ours from Costco and it is always good. We make our own burgers with no additives, just beef and they very flavorful.

 

[MarieIG]

Over the past six months, DH found a different brand which I prefer slightly.

I noticed a big difference about two years ago when I switched from grain fed to grass fed. Initially, I did not like the grass fed, but forced myself to adjust little by little and now I don't have a problem with it.

It's been a while since I've had beef at a venue - more than six months - and I wasn't eating at one outside locale regularly to be able to judge any changes.

 

[Winemaker]

We have bought our ground beef from our privately sourced cow for the past 30+ years. When the grandkids come to visit, they always want our burgers or tacos. Their parents say that the kids complain about their ground beef at home.

Unfortuneatly, our farmer is retiring from beef production at 84, and we will have to start buying it from the grocery store. Thankfully, his son and grandkids will still contiue to produce our annual hog.

 

[Exchme]

A likely contributor is just that we don't smell as well as we age. From the NIH:

Did you know that your senses of smell and taste are connected? As you grow older, these senses can change, and you may find that certain foods aren’t as flavorful as they used to be.

They go on to point out other factors like allergies and disease that can affect the senses of smell and taste. COVID was infamous for this if you recall.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have not noticed any difference but I always buy all my meat from the same grocery store. For years I bought 93% lean but when that went up to nine dollars a pound I switched to 80% lean and I’m paying seven dollars a pound for that. I have to admit the flavor is better with a little more fat.

 

[pacergal]

When we buy meats, it is either Costco Prime or from a local butcher shop.
The butcher is by far better tasting.

 

[Lorenzo]

Australian beef is actually healthier than US beef, as they graze on pasture. US beef are fattened with corn and whatever junk that is put in to fatten them up quickly. I would pick Australian beef over US beef every time.

Grass-fed beef is widely available and very popular in the US and is always labeled "grass-fed." It costs more than the more common beef that was finished (fattened up) on corn. All cattle start their lives on grass. Some cattle are finished on grain, but some remains 100% grass-fed. I have no clue about the health effects on consumers. I get my dietary protein from a wide variety of sources, but I do love beef, and when I treat myself to beef I eat whatever suits my taste. For some applications, such as a steak, nicely marbled and mainly grass-fed would be my preference. To get the marbling, that may mean it was finished on corn. Some people find the flavor of 100% grass-fed beef too strong for their taste. To each his own.

 

[Lorenzo]

I find it interesting that restaurants don’t even call it “meat” any more. Now it’s “protein”. Maybe there’s a reason….

It's just advertising. Protein has been a buzz word for a while.

I think restaurants latched onto "protein" as an umbrella term because it's a convenient one-word term for the category that a menu 50 years ago might have listed as "meat, fish or fowl," not to mention that today's restaurants may want to acknowledge vegetarian protein options. Also, this isn't seen as much in higher-end restaurants as in fast-casual places that treat proteins as interchangeable, where you can order the same item but prepared with your "protein" of choice.

 

[flyoverstate]

View attachment 62019So many misconceptions about beef production.

The US is the largest beef producer in the world. We are also the largest consumer. Right now we produce around 90% of what we consume.

Our primary source of imports is Brazil, which is the global second largest producer.

If I had to bet, I’d say the biggest reason we don’t produce more is the US$ is so strong. Beef is a commodity, so cost matters. What makes our beef more expensive is the strong dollar.

A couple of charts from the USDA

The strength of the dollar has very little to do with how many cattle are slaughtered.

It is supply chain, like many other things.

Cost of land, labor, feed , veterinary, and transport have all skyrocketed. Then you add the middleman costs of slaughter, distribution, and retail.

The prices aren't going down any time soon. The prolonged drought in the southwest is having a huge impact on range health. This mean fewer cattle from the range flowing into the finishing facilities. Feed continues to be expensive, and the same drought hitting the range is impacting hay and grain production.
Labor costs end to end are higher, and the entire cattle industry has massive labor shortages, I wonder why? Hmmm.

A lot of cattle ranchers in my area cut back a few years ago due to not being able to make a buck. Now, when they might be able to do better than break even on range cattle, the drought is holding them back. The BLM and Forest Service do a range analysis each year and determine how many cattle can graze on public land, this year will be very low.

Feedlot producers are getting scalped by labor unavailability and the cost of feed. Feed producers are hit by drought and fertilizer prices, as well as planting/harvest/transport. Everyone from small producers to big operations have to pay more for trucks, tractors, machinery and spare parts due to tariffs.

I knew the answer to the question in my post above, I just wanted to see what people thought the reasons were. The bottom line is that there are hundreds of reasons, and most are trending negative for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, we decided to import much more beef from Argentina, widening competition from overseas even more. The domestic cattle industry is being killed the same way other industries have been killed in the US, by overseas competition. You can do your own research on that.

 

[Slim11]

I was wrong about the 40 percent beef thing above. I know I read it somewhere a year or two back, but I can not find it. I may have mixed it up with percent of cattle. We have declined from the 1970s from 132 million heads to 89 millions heads.

 

[thenameiwish]

Wait, India produces more beef than Australia? I'd have never guessed.

 

[I Yam What I Yam]

Maybe we are importing ground beef but the article says this has been going on for the past few years. That doesn't explain why ground beef tasted good to me until about 6 months ago.

Furthermore, the article states,
"American ranchers mostly focus on producing high-quality, marbled cuts like steaks and roasts,"

So American ranchers have figured out how to raise cows that only produce beef that is suitable for ribeyes, porterhouses, new york strip, prime rib, and tenderloin? I don't think so. Hamburger is chuck roast and other beef trimmings that are mixed with fat to reach the desired fat ratios.

 

[thenameiwish]

A grocer near me sells ribeye hamburger meat. It tastes as good as it always did.

 

[audreyh1]

Grass-fed beef is widely available and very popular in the US and is always labeled "grass-fed." It costs more than the more common beef that was finished (fattened up) on corn. All cattle start their lives on grass. Some cattle are finished on grain, but some remains 100% grass-fed. I have no clue about the health effects on consumers. I get my dietary protein from a wide variety of sources, but I do love beef, and when I treat myself to beef I eat whatever suits my taste. For some applications, such as a steak, nicely marbled and mainly grass-fed would be my preference. To get the marbling, that may mean it was finished on corn. Some people find the flavor of 100% grass-fed beef too strong for their taste. To each his own.

I prefer the grass fed/finished ribeyes, to me they are more flavorful. For steak I only buy ribeyes or tenderloin. To me a cut of meat that’s already quite tender doesn’t need additional marbling, there is already plenty. I once accidentally bought a prime ribeye steak and was quite mystified and disappointed because it didn’t seem as flavorful as the previous ones. I later figured out my mistake and didn’t repeat it.

The other cuts of beef I cook are for long term cooking such as smoking or instant pot/pressure cooker. I use choice for these because you are already using cooking techniques to render even a tough cut tender.

 

[Sorcerer]

My "buddy" stopped eating all beef products a year ago since cows aren't great for the environment. Or so he says.

 

[USGrant1962]

My "buddy" stopped eating all beef products a year ago since cows aren't great for the environment. Or so he says.

So if you eat one you're helping the environment, right? It's not cowfarting any more...

 

[audreyh1]

My "buddy" stopped eating all beef products a year ago since cows aren't great for the environment. Or so he says.

The environmental damage from cows has been greatly exaggerated, especially if they are only pasture-raised/grassfed. Water, gasses - recycled. Carbons released come directly from plants that were eaten and absorbed carbon from the atmosphere in the first place. These plants regenerate.