Why Do Beef Tastes Differ?

A customer recently reached out with a great question about why beef tastes different from farm to farm. She's ordered from local farms, purchased from grocery stores, and several farms across the United States and one thing was constant, none of the beef tastes the same. So, why is that?

Well a simple answer would be, it's not the same animal so it won't taste the same but there is some science behind why beef tastes different so let's get into it.

First off, there is a difference in taste from grass fed finished beef vs. grass fed grain finished beef. There are several studies behind the nutrition of each, but here at Ayers Valley Farm we choose to raise 100% grass-fed cattle using regenerative practices.

The second reason beef could taste different is dependent upon the animals diet. Each geographic location is going to offer a variety of forages, plus supplemental feed like hay or silage, grains, by-products, etc.

Another factor to consider is the sex of the animal. Steers, castrated male bovine, hav e thicker subcutaneous fat than females, which results in better marbling in the beef cuts.

Genetic makeup also plays a part. There are over 250 breeds of beef cattle in the world, and over 80 of those are readily available in the United States. Heritable traits passed on from genetics make up for marbling, taste, and fat composition of the animal.

Lastly, the age of the animal impacts the flavor intensity. As an animal ages, it affects the solubility of intramuscular collagen which then increases the "beefy" flavor.

We hope you've learned something new today about the flavor of beef. If you haven't tried ours yet, we encourage you to do so.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog. Catch you next time!