Dwain Pannell
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I think the bigger point is truth in labeling.
I read this on another site which resonates here: The Certified Angus Beef™ (CAB) brand is a trademarked brand designed to market beef. It has very little to do with quality. Amazingly, CAB does not actually certify that the beef labeled Certified Angus Beef is Angus or that it even has any Angus in it. Their major control is that the steer must have a black hide, which is an indicator, but not a guarantee of Angus in its genes. So just what are they certifying?
Well, the carcass must pass 10 quality control standards. CAB can be ordered as select, choice, or prime grade. The one thing you can be sure of, CAB will cost more because the American Angus Association charges a fee to "certify" the steers and higher markups take place on down the line.
Kobe Beef comes from Wagyu cattle, a special breed that is genetically disposed to have high marbling. It was first popularized in the Kobe Prefecture of Japan where it became known generically as Kobe beef. Kobe cattle are fed sake and beer mash during the final fattening stages and some even get daily massages! Some of it is graded A1-A5 with A5 having the most marbling. Some of it is graded with a marbling score called BMS. USDA prime is 4 to 5 BMS, which is where Wagyu beef usually starts. American Wagyu is usually 4 to 10 BMS. Japenese Wagyu can go up to 12 BMS because of the feed and handling regimen.
Wagyu cattle are now also raised in the US and other countries. American Wagyu does not have to adhere to the same feeding and massaging standards as Kobe. At twice the price of prime is it worth it?
That's a question the customer has to answer.
I read this on another site which resonates here: The Certified Angus Beef™ (CAB) brand is a trademarked brand designed to market beef. It has very little to do with quality. Amazingly, CAB does not actually certify that the beef labeled Certified Angus Beef is Angus or that it even has any Angus in it. Their major control is that the steer must have a black hide, which is an indicator, but not a guarantee of Angus in its genes. So just what are they certifying?
Well, the carcass must pass 10 quality control standards. CAB can be ordered as select, choice, or prime grade. The one thing you can be sure of, CAB will cost more because the American Angus Association charges a fee to "certify" the steers and higher markups take place on down the line.
Kobe Beef comes from Wagyu cattle, a special breed that is genetically disposed to have high marbling. It was first popularized in the Kobe Prefecture of Japan where it became known generically as Kobe beef. Kobe cattle are fed sake and beer mash during the final fattening stages and some even get daily massages! Some of it is graded A1-A5 with A5 having the most marbling. Some of it is graded with a marbling score called BMS. USDA prime is 4 to 5 BMS, which is where Wagyu beef usually starts. American Wagyu is usually 4 to 10 BMS. Japenese Wagyu can go up to 12 BMS because of the feed and handling regimen.
Wagyu cattle are now also raised in the US and other countries. American Wagyu does not have to adhere to the same feeding and massaging standards as Kobe. At twice the price of prime is it worth it?
That's a question the customer has to answer.
