Less Tender Cows

[TromboneAl]

We paid $100 for meals at a restaurant that has been great in the past.

This time, the prime rib was chewy. Really chewy. Had to spit out a lot.

So, I guess that depends on what the cow ate and how old it was when slaughtered?

 

[Rianne]

I think so. We had steaks in a restaurant near Bologna, Italy a few years back. The waiter brought us, basically, a birth certificate of the cow. Where it grew up, what it ate. The meat was excellent as it grew up roaming the mountainside eating grass. I was happy it had a nice life.

 

[mpeirce]

So, I guess that depends on what the cow ate and how old it was when slaughtered?

When I was little and roaming the fields next to my great grandfather's house in Northern Virginia, he'd get upset when we chased the cows: "Don't make them run! That'll make them tough!"

No idea if that's true...

 

[MRG]

Good looking cows. Tender?

 

[folivier]

When I was little and roaming the fields next to my great grandfather's house in Northern Virginia, he'd get upset when we chased the cows: "Don't make them run! That'll make them tough!"

No idea if that's true...

My grandmother used to tell us it'll make the milk turn to butter!

 

[REWahoo]

I like these cows - they taste like Oreos.

 

[braumeister]

Ah, yes. Dutch Belted cows.
When I was into making cheese, I got my raw milk from a dairy farmer with a herd of them. Incredibly good milk! Very rare in the US.

 

[GrayHare]

I think so. We had steaks in a restaurant near Bologna, Italy a few years back. The waiter brought us, basically, a birth certificate of the cow. Where it grew up, what it ate. The meat was excellent as it grew up roaming the mountainside eating grass. I was happy it had a nice life.

That sounds like an SNL skit. "And here's a picture of Bessie! Wasn't she cute?!"

 

[aja8888]

We have BIG COWs in Texas.....Our steaks are 72 ounces and what doesn't go into a steak is made into BBQ.





Eat your heart out!

 

[REWahoo]

Eat your heart out!

According to dietary experts, that's exactly what happens...

 

[aja8888]

According to dietary experts, that's exactly what happens...

But not our experts here!

 

[ransil]

Ah, yes. Dutch Belted cows.

When I was into making cheese, I got my raw milk from a dairy farmer with a herd of them. Incredibly good milk! Very rare in the US.

Farm down the road had them , wondered what type they were .

 

[GravitySucks]

Exactly the two biggest factors. The other major one would be the breed of the beast.

We paid $100 for meals at a restaurant that has been great in the past.

This time, the prime rib was chewy. Really chewy. Had to spit out a lot.

So, I guess that depends on what the cow ate and how old it was when slaughtered?

 

[REWahoo]

Farm down the road had them , wondered what type they were .

I think the official name is Belted Galloway.

 

[braumeister]

Those are beef cows from Scotland. The picture you posted looked like Dutch Belted, which are dairy cows.

 

[Dtail]

We have BIG COWs in Texas.....Our steaks are 72 ounces and what doesn't go into a steak is made into BBQ.

View attachment 32851

View attachment 32850

Eat your heart out!

Do you get a prize if you finish it in a certain amount of time?

 

[REWahoo]

Those are beef cows from Scotland. The picture you posted looked like Dutch Belted, which are dairy cows.

The first photo I posted was supposed to be of Belted Galloway cattle. I got the pic from this site about the breed: Belted Galloways: The “Oreo-Cookie” Cow

The “Belted Galloway”, a hardy breed of Scottish Cattle, is distinctive because of the belted, white band evenly distributed around the mid section of the otherwise totally black animal. Many breeders and cattle fanciers refer to the “belties” as Oreo-cookie Cows.

The pic is a little fuzzy and the two breeds are very similar in appearance. I think the smaller udder on the Galloway is a clue to help differentiate.

 

[REWahoo]

Do you get a prize if you finish it in a certain amount of time?

Yes. Eat it all in under an hour and the meal is free.

 

[Red Badger]

We paid $100 for meals at a restaurant that has been great in the past.

This time, the prime rib was chewy. Really chewy. Had to spit out a lot.

So, I guess that depends on what the cow ate and how old it was when slaughtered?

Grass fed beef, while healthier than grain fed, tend to be tougher.

Stress, particularly at the end of life (think slaughterhouse) will toughen beef.

But with prime rib, neither of these should have resulted in though, chewy meat. Perhaps a poor quality cut that was improperly prepared.

Aged beef is better, but not if aged on the hoof.

Me thinks ya need a new beef monger.

 

[Winemaker]

I find beef from Australia, found in our local grocers, to be as tough as boot leather. DW had purchased some filet for some house guests a few years back and it was tough. We usually eat beef from a local farmer since '93, and it can be cut with a fork. Grass fed til a month before butchering, then fed home grown corn for a month in a smaller corral.

 

[brewer12345]

The aging and handling of the meat after slaughter matters a lot as well. I am learning that if I wait 5 to 7 days after I shoot a deer to cut it up, I get much more tender steaks.

 

[brewer12345]

We have BIG COWs in Texas.....Our steaks are 72 ounces and what doesn't go into a steak is made into BBQ.

View attachment 32851

View attachment 32850

Eat your heart out!

Nobody has the heart to tell you guys that it isn't the size, it is what you do with it that counts.

 

[Amethyst]

If I paid that much for a restaurant steak, and it was tough, I wouldn't concern myself with the cow's provenance. I'd try a new restaurant.

After all, I've read that restaurants are able to purchase better cuts of beef than are sold to us civilians in supermarkets and butcher shops. That's the main reason I can think of to go out to eat a steak, instead of cooking it yourself. (That, and the way beef has of smelling up the house for hours after it's cooked).

 

[calmloki]

Growing up the folks wanted to raise us in country surrounds, so they bought a series of small ranches stocked with Hereford cows. Some of those old grandma cows were pretty rough looking - bony old gals but they put head to the snow and wind and threw pretty calves just as regular as could be. When they got to just about the dead on their hooves point they got butchered and turned into hamburger for the family. Did you know hamburger can be tough?
Tender comes from little exercise and a rich diet.

 

[Music Lover]

After all, I've read that restaurants are able to purchase better cuts of beef than are sold to us civilians in supermarkets and butcher shops. That's the main reason I can think of to go out to eat a steak, instead of cooking it yourself. (That, and the way beef has of smelling up the house for hours after it's cooked).

I get my steaks directly from a butcher that supplies several restaurants and grocery stores, and as a "preferred customer" I get very high quality steaks. I've been so spoiled by the quality that I never order steaks in restaurants any more. He says a big part of it has to do with the aging.