Is there Flavor Difference Between Breeds

This was a question that I had asked on another thread. Due to response I thought I’d ask it as new thread.

“Do any of you distinguish a flavor difference between breeds in beef or pork?”

Like Black Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Simmental, Red Angus, Texas Longhorn, Gelbvieh, Holstein, Limousin, Elsie The and Highlands beef breeds.

Then for hogs, Yorkshire, Berkshire, Tamworth, Chester White, Large Black, Duroc, Hampshire, Hereford, Landrace, Porkey The and lastly the Spotted pig.

I think certain animals are bred more for producing meat and muscle mass that has some fat marbled thru it, but diet has a lot to do with the fat content in and on the meat. Some cattle handle open range grazing better than other breeds. Cattle like your Holsteins, Gurnseys, Jerseys, and Brown Swiss, which are bred for milk production make for poor table meat if you’re slaughtering the females. The males of these breeds cut for steers make very decent meat, but would be fed different from the cows.

In part I think breed plays in a small way, but diet is a huge factor in beef as does whether the animal has been allowed to free range or is a lot fed animal. I think lot fed beef is somewhat less tough than a free range animal of the same size and age. Growth hormones might influence the flavor.

being raised on a farm where we raised purebred polled Herefords I can say without reservation there is in fact a distinct difference in not only flavor but texture as well.
the fat on a Hereford is a darker yellow than other breeds and it is not due to being fed out on grass or corn,it is their nature and that fat has a flavor all its own that contributes greatly to the overall flavor of the meat of whichever cut.

when angus and charolais rolled into town thanks to a huge advertising scheme as the bigger,faster growing,more tender beef we switched bulls to breed our Herefords as they were bringing better money,big mistake there as the live birth weight of the calves about doubled and killed many of our cows.
those that survived and were butchered were tough and basically flavorless compared to the purebred Hereford.

we learned long ago that hybridizing cattle changed everything about the animal including temperament and not to the good either.
I could go on but I am sure no one would listen as the animals have been so hybridized that there are almost no purebreds left to compare to.

hogs,again,purebreds rule the day for texture and flavor,buy hog parts today and they smell and taste exactly like the confinement they came out of unless you are lucky enough to find free range hogs,trust me on that one.
that gray scum you see in the crockpot floating at the top?? that never used to be there in any hog raised naturally,nor did it stink.
anyone who has skinned gut shot rabbits or muskrats understands that.

in the fall we turned our hogs out to the timber to clean up acorns and hickory nuts,talk about something that would drastically change the flavor for the better!!!!! very very hard to find hogs fed out this way and you will pay big $$$$$$ for it when you do.

sorry to go on like I did Denny,but yes, purebred vs hybrids,environment,feeds,meds,all play a very big part in flavor at the table.

Boom! Iowaboy with the ringer as usual

When we dairyd we had Jerseys Jersey meat is finer textured a roast from a Jersey has about the same texture as a steak from many beef breeds. Some people do not like Jersey as the fat is yellow versus white in many breeds a physiological thing. We only butchered cows for our own use as nothing gets fed better then a dairy cow.