F2 Wagyu are F1 cattle crossbred with full-blood Wagyu, making the offspring 75% Wagyu and 25% Black Angus. The term Angus itself doesn’t actually refer to the level of quality of the beef – Angus comes from the name of a particular breed of cattle indigenous to Scotland called Aberdeen Angus. It is also about twice the price of USDA Prime. The old adage “you get what you pay for” definitely rings true when it comes to the price of Wagyu and Angus beef. Superior marbling is represented by evenly dispersed fat, not bands or clumps, but as tiny pinhead dots or a spider web of ultra-thin veins throughout the entire muscle. Now that you are primed with a little bit of a background on Wagyu and Angus beef, it’s time to compare the attributes of Wagyu vs Angus beef side by side. I bring that up because for me personally, it’s easy to associate both of those words with a delicious steak – like a NY Strip or a Porterhouse. Which do you prefer between Wagyu vs Angus? And generally speaking, Angus cattle are famous for high levels of marbling across all of the different cuts of meat they produce. It is painful to lose a cow no matter what your investment, but if it is a $10,000 Wagyu dam, it hurts considerably more than if it is a $1,000 commercial Angus one. What should I look for when buying Angus beef? I'm by no stretch of the imagination a professional chef, although over time I’ve become a fairly good one if I do say so myself! Wagyu meat has also been shown in studies to help reduce cholesterol levels. Kendrick Last Updated March 3, 2020. Required fields are marked *. Pair Angus genetics with Wagyu's incredibly flavorful, healthy beef and you've created a mouthwatering steak. Brahman and Angus cattle are two of the most widely known breeds of cattle, and both are excellent as their own individual respective breed. When choosing a cut of Angus at the store, you should lean towards choosing either Choice (high quality) or Prime (highest quality) USDA ratings. We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'ownthegrill_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',106,'0','0']));It’s important to note though that the Angus beef label is not in and of itself a signal that the beef is high quality. This meant that the cattle needed to be sturdy enough to survive the harsh Scottish winters. Marbling refers to the white intramuscular fat that runs throughout the inside of each cut of meat. Your email address will not be published. Wagyu vs Kobe Beef – Differences & Everything You Need to Know. Wagyu is usually extremely marbled, more than USDA Prime, but not as much as Japanese Wagyu, and the flavor and texture is distinctive. Crossbred Wagyu (F1 50%): it has 50% or higher Wagyu genetics. Without going into a full on health lesson, the marbling in Wagyu beef has the highest percentage of any mono-unsaturated fat out of any protein that you can find in the USA. Purebred Wagyu (F4 93+%): It has 93% or higher Wagyu genetics. Wagyu and Angus (Wangus) crosses are frequent, and they make mighty fine meat. “American Wagyu”: “American Wagyu” is a marketing term used to describe a Wagyu animal that has been crossed with another breed like Angus. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. Marbling is argued by many to improve the tenderness and flavour of the meat. Battle of the Beef: American Black Angus vs Wagyu Beef. They’re medium sized and mostly grass fed, although later in life they are commonly switched to a grain and corn based diet. Therefore, even though Angus beef is renowned for its tenderness and marbling qualities you may still come across a bad piece of Angus if the other grading factors aren’t up to scratch or if it is not MSA approved. Pure wagyu beef is considered luxurious and is why sub-breeds have appeared in places like Australia and the US. Shortly thereafter, the American Angus Association was founded where breeders can officially register their Angus beef. Angus is currently the most popular among North American ranchers. The Difference Between Angus and Wagyu Beef, Juice Box: Juices That Help With Inflammation. While both of these types of beef are known for being incredibly tender and flavorful, Wagyu beef is clearly a level above Angus in the flavor and texture department. If you really want to treat yourself, check out their extensive offering of Wagyu beef products.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'ownthegrill_com-leader-1','ezslot_18',126,'0','0'])); Since Wagyu and Angus refer to breeds of cattle, it’s worth pointing out that the terms “Wagyu” or “Angus” could be attached to a plethora of different beef cuts. Both in the crossbred and the Full-blood Wagyu, the beef quality is known to be better than traditional Angus. Purebred Wagyu: If a cow is a Purebred Wagyu, it is 93.75% (or higher) Wagyu and the remaining percentage is another breed. *Taken from The Australian Wagyu Association website which you can find by clicking here. Brahman x Angus is one of the most popular crosses for producing F-1 cattle and commercial cattle that will work anywhere in the USA. When it comes to Angus beef vs regular beef, Angus wins hands down. You can expect to find Angus beef for sale at just about every single grocer, steakhouse, and butcher shop that you could stumble into in the USA. The MSA grade beef on the amount of marbling, the weight, whether hormonal growth promotants were used and a number of other things. Traceable lineage. This technique known as grain finishing and produces enhanced and more consistent marbling throughout the beef. In terms of a head to head comparison of Wagyu vs Angus though, you can expect to pay more per pound on a Wagyu cut of beef – especially if we are talking the highest grades of Wagyu. Like the video and Subscribe to the channel to get the chance to win a a free Japanese Wagyu A5 Brisket from Crowd Cow where I always get my A5 from. Wagyu beef on the other hand might be a little bit harder to get ahold of. The additional fat that’s distributed in the form of more marbling across the meat makes the cut juicer and more tender. So with that in mind, all things equal, you should probably turn up the heat a tiny bit when cooking Wagyu beef compared to if you were cooking a similar cut of Angus beef. Thanks for joining me on the journey to Own the Grill. But in reality, you can have Angus or Wagyu for many other cuts such as: The point being, Angus and Wagyu are high quality cuts and worth trying, even for sections of the steer that don’t produce steaks. If you come across either of these cuts at your local steakhouse, odds are they will be at or near the top of the list on a price per pound basis. The biggest similarity between Wagyu and Angus is the high marbling content. Angus beef comes from a breed of cattle called Aberdeen Angus which are originally from Scotland. Wagyu also refers to type of cattle breed as opposed to being a direct reference to the quality of the beef itself – although Wagyu beef is known for being the global gold standard when it comes to beef. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'ownthegrill_com-box-4','ezslot_4',108,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'ownthegrill_com-box-4','ezslot_5',108,'0','1']));If you really want to dive deep into Wagyu and how it’s graded, jump over to our article on Wagyu Beef Grading or Wagyu vs Kobe beef next! Grass Finished vs Grain Finished Beef - What's the…, Snake River Farms Review: American Wagyu Delivered…, What Are All of the Different Types of Ribs - Beef and Pork, Certified Piedmontese Review - Healthy Beef…, Smoked Beef Ribs - Our Simple Texas Style Recipe, Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe - How to Make the Best…, How to Defrost Chicken – Ultimate Guide and Safety Tips, King of The Grill: The Ultimate Guide to Grilling, Smoked Beef Ribs – Our Simple Texas Style Recipe, Louisiana Grills Vertical Pellet Smoker Review, Best 3 Burner Gas Grill – Our Top Choices and Buyer’s Guide. Wagyu beef has 3 to 4 times more mono-unsaturated fat than most other cuts of beef, including Angus, due to it’s high level of fat marbling. In particular, we love Snake River Farms – a ranch to table operation that is one of the top producers of American Wagyu in the world. “The quarter-blood Wagyu cattle consistently grade 70 to 85 percent USDA Prime.” Between the Certified Angus Beef program and high-quality carcass values, it's no secret: The Angus breed has its fair share of superior genetics. Odds are, especially if you live in the USA, you’ve heard of Angus beef before. The name itself is used to explain the meat: “wa” means Japanese and “gyu” means beef. Sounds great initially, but there are some things about wagyu you may not know. American Wagyu. Black Angus cattle have black hides (hence the name) and don’t have horns. Get in touch with me any time at jimmy@ownthegrill.com. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to tell the two apart – and which one might be your beef of choice the next time you treat yourself to a tasty beef dinner. In Australia it is one of the factors which is used to determine the “grade” of the beef. A Scottish breed, Angus cattle are especially hardy, making them a good fit for cold Canadian winters. If you’re health conscious, then Wagyu beef is definitely the way to go. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'ownthegrill_com-box-3','ezslot_11',104,'0','0']));In fact, both Wagyu and Angus beef are incredibly tasty cuts of beef that are a great way to treat yourself for a steak dinner splurge. Wagyu beef is so decadently fatty that you can cut it with a fork. Are There Any Similarities? The nature of the situation means that many beef products can claim to be wagyu when they only have a minor percentage of wagyu in their bloodline. As far as flavor and tenderness goes, you probably aren’t going to find anything better than Wagyu. Today we’re cooking hamburgers, which are so popular, Americans consume over 50 billion hamburgers annually. The MSA takes into a number of things when grading beef and looks at how all the factors interact with each other to determine the eating quality. Because of this, Angus beef have significant muscle content which means the meat has greater marbling qualities. The MSA aim to deliver excellent quality and consistently so you can rest assured you will be purchasing great quality meat if it is MSA approved.