Angus Beef and Wagyu Beef: What are the Differences?

Today, many restaurants will try to entice customers into their establishments by advertising a particular type of beef. Two of the most popular for their flavour and tenderness at the moment are Angus beef and Wagyu beef. While they are both types of beef, they do differ from each other in their origins and other characteristics. We explain what each type beef is to further your knowledge on both of them.

What Is Angus Beef?

Angus beef is from the Aberdeen Angus cattle that originated many years ago in Scotland. Angus was bred to endure the cold, harsh winters of the country and therefore, is a hearty breed. As a result the males and females develop significant muscle mass that provides the various cuts of it with sufficient marbling to add flavour and tenderness. Marbling content also highly influences the grading of this meat according to the Meat Standards Australia or the MSA. Australians first started raising this breed during the 1820s, and you can find herds in almost every part of this country at present.

What Is Wagyu Beef?

The origins of Wagyu beef is Japan and does not involve one single cattle breed. In fact the meaning of the name is that the ‘wa’ means Japanese and the ‘gyu’ means beef. This beef consists of a variety of breeds from Japan and different combinations of breeds, at times. An example of the latter is crossing a Wagyu bull with a Hereford cow, but this is considered a sub-breed for Wagyu and the purebred is the more luxurious form since it is considered higher quality. The favourable characteristics of Waygu include superior marbling that calls for its increased price in restaurants and marketplaces. Both the crossbred Wagyu and purebred Wagyu are plentiful in Australia today.

Which Breed Is Better to Raise on Your Farm?

With all this said, you may wonder which breed is the best for your farm. Since it is less likely that Angus are mixed with other breeds, it is easier to track their bloodline to know whether or not you are buying quality males and females. If you purchase a Wagyu, you need to research twice as much to guarantee the breeder is not pulling a fast one on you. Also, Angus cattle are highly adaptable to all types of environments and provide you with other favourable handling characteristics.

For quality Angus seed stock, rely on Southfork Angus. You will receive only purebred Angus from us. In addition, all of our cattle are easy to handle with their mild temperaments, highly fertile and reliable producers along with the females bred to be ideal mothers.

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