Steer vs bull beef?

kyplowboy · Sep 8, 2011

How big/old does a bull have to be before the quality of the meat suffers? Will there be much diffrence in the beef of a 1200lb 18 month old bull compared to a steer of the same size and age?

Thank you much!

Dave

jmohr · Sep 8, 2011

We butchered a 1850 lb bull that was 16 months old. The market would have docked the he!! out of him. This was by far the best steaks I have ever had. They were huge and marbled to Chicago steakhouse standards. I would recommend getting it slaughtered soon as age and the testicles will effect the meat quality. Don't be afraid of the carcass quality.

LAA · Sep 8, 2011

Not if they were fed the same ration and kept segregated from heifers.

JMS./MN · Sep 8, 2011

I"ve always "heard" that cooking the meat of an intact bull imparts a bad aroma in the kitchen, but the meat tastes ok. Personal experience? don"t know.

randy hall · Sep 9, 2011

we raise holstien steers and when we have a stag we butcher it for ourselves and there is no difference in the meat, just a huge difference in price at the livestock auction. for years now there has been no dock on lambs that haven't been castrated as long as they are not way over weight. i don't know why the buyers don't treat cattle the same way. it's just a method used to pick the producers pocket of two or three hundred dollars.

36 Coupe · Sep 9, 2011

This is a problem with hogs but not cattle.

Coloken · Sep 9, 2011

Some years ago when I was in the cattle business, there was a consumer taste test run on this. If I remember right the consumers preferred the bull meat up until the animal got to about 1200 pounds. In other words, before they started to breed. I think this was in Canada.

TGIN · Sep 9, 2011

I had a 800 lb. bull in a pen I was feeding out to eat and he got out one night but was standing there at the gate wanting in for breakfast that morning . I tried to pen him up again but he would just get back out so he could run with the rest of the cows but was always there for breakfast . I ended up letting him in and feed him grain and alfalfa and leave the gate cracked so he could push it open to get out but the others could not get in and sometimes he would eat then lay around in there all day then leave . I am sure he bred a few cows but that did not hurt him and the meat was as good as any I have slaughtered and better than a few .

TGIN · Sep 9, 2011

Forgot , he was about 1500 when he pitched in to feed the hungry !

Hogleg · Sep 9, 2011

Have him done before 30 months or stupid rules kick in... Just had a 36 month old Longhorn pasture ornament butchered. Had to remove and dispose of the backbone due to mad cow rules. This was a steer that spent his entire life on my farm and was never fed commercial grain, only grass... zero chance of mad cow but did not matter....sigh...

John

DoubleR · Sep 9, 2011

I ate one a while back the wasn't banded properly as a calf. I think one nut was above the band when it was put on. He was about 1400# at about 15 mo. and I found no difference in the meat. Tasted as good as the grain feed steers I raise as he was feed the same as them.

tjdub · Sep 9, 2011

> This is a problem with hogs but not cattle.

Yeah, 1800lb cull herd bulls wouldn't be bringing 85 cents a pound if there was a problem with the meat. 1200lb cull cows only bring 60 cents a pound.

I've heard that culled boars used to bring almost nothing until someone figured out an industrial process to cook the stink out of the meat.

jackinok · Sep 9, 2011

i never could tell the difference myself.But now if i was one of those folks who could tell the difference between a red cow,a black cow, or a spotted cow by tasting the meat i might!LOL they all always tasted like groceries to me.i figure if your that picky you simply aint been hungry enough and ought to skip a meal or two.that makes most things better.

Steer vs bull beef?

kyplowboy

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jmohr

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LAA

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JMS./MN

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randy hall

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36 Coupe

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Coloken

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TGIN

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TGIN

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Hogleg

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DoubleR

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tjdub

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jackinok

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