The Young Bull Lie: Quality That Isn't

Meat from a young bull - WOW! Doesn't that sound great, and at such a reasonable price? Wonderful, isn't it? Grab it right away, prepare something delicious for the family and enjoy the highest quality without having to dig too deep into your pockets.

Young bull meat is supposed to make it possible. And once again, someone has been taken in by the marketing of the food industry.

Meat from young bulls: False promises, really nasty taste trap!

Hardly any meat is showered with such positive associations for no reason as that of the young bull. Why is that? Just think about the image that comes to mind when you hear the word young bull. Strong, young, powerful, healthy - the meat can only taste fabulous.

But let's be serious! It is not without reason that the meat of young bulls is offered so cheaply. In terms of quality, young bull meat is about the worst you can get your teeth around. We explain to you what the meat is really all about!

The cheaper the price, the more often "young bull" is found on the label, and there is a reason for this: in terms of taste and quality, this meat is practically worthless. Except perhaps in terms of marketing. Fortunately, however, it is not even claimed here that the meat is tender, juicy or has a wonderful flavour of its own. That would simply be a lie, and yet many consumers believe exactly that.

What does young bull meat really taste like?

When describing the meat taste of young bulls, it has nothing to do with the great attributes that many assume. The animals are rather poorly blessed with intramuscular fat, which makes the meat very lean. That may not sound so bad at first. But fat is an indispensable flavour carrier and makes the meat really tasty.

When roasting, the fat, or rather the fine marbling, melts and forms a wonderful consistency that makes the meat juicy and tender. This is not the case with young bulls, so the meat is tough, fibrous, dry, sourish and all in all rather bland.

Of course, there are also breeds of cattle that already have a beautiful marbling despite being young, but these are priced much higher. We are talking about breeds like Wagyu or Kobe.

The rearing of young bulls

If you look at the rearing of young bulls, it is no great surprise that the meat is so poor in taste and quality. Young bulls are only there to be fattened up to a high slaughter weight as quickly as possible. Since they neither give milk nor are suitable for breeding, they are only used to make a quick buck.

And this market is booming - unfortunately.

The animals are brought to the desired slaughter weight within a very short time by means of concentrated feed and then cut up in order to create new space immediately and to keep the slaughter weight as high as possible (loss of water = loss of money).

The fact that the animals here are only an object for slaughter and cost correspondingly little in this husbandry is forgotten here. Just like the fact that in this case there is hardly any time to even begin to develop tasty meat.

The development of marbling

Time, patience, natural and species-appropriate rearing with plenty of free range and the best feed - these and a few other factors are what make meat a real treat. To obtain meat with a beautiful marbling, a cow must be kept for at least two years. Young bulls, on the other hand, are slaughtered at the age of 18 months. This is much too early for the valuable fat deposits to form.

It is completely different with the old cow, for example, which delivers an incomparably intense flavour due to its long life.

Why good meat costs something

Similar to wine, which only becomes good with age, it is the same with good beef - it takes time. Only with advancing age do the fat deposits, the so-called intramuscular fat, begin to form. For this to happen, animals have to be kept on pasture for several years, and that costs money.

Perfect rearing requires a lot of effort, unlimited free range and the best feed. Accordingly, the price of the meat is also somewhat higher. However, this is rewarded with an unforgettable experience of pleasure. Both in terms of meat structure and flavour, this meat is simply heavenly and a real delicacy.

Real pleasure, incredible taste

This is the meat you should choose over young bulls

So what's the best choice when it comes to real taste? We can cross young bulls off the list!

When it comes to beef, many quality factors play a big role. These include breed, age, feeding and maturation, and the right cut. But for premium meat to stand out from ordinary beef, it needs something more.

Calves (also called heifers) are female cattle that are already sexually mature but have not yet calved. The meat has a bright dark red colour and is extremely fine-grained. The wonderful marbling also makes the meat particularly tender and juicy.

The marbling of a calf

As already mentioned, good marbling takes time and that is exactly what a calf is given. The slow growth leads to fine fat deposits, which are beautifully distributed in the muscle tissue. If a dry aging process is also used, the meat of the calf acquires a distinctly full-bodied aroma.

Moreover, this delicacy is extremely rare, as not every calf can automatically be used for refinement into gourmet meat. Calves are primarily used for milk production. Only selected animals with particularly fine muscle meat and a distinctive marbling are used for refinement.

Compared to male cattle, the meat of the heifer is much milder. But steers are also a prized and beloved delicacy among steak lovers.

That's why at Fitmeat we only process heifers and steers with strong fat cover and wonderful marbling.

The surprisingly tender meat of oxen

Steers are male, castrated cattle. Their meat has a much more intense flavour compared to that of a calf and is significantly fattier than that of a young bull. Due to castration and the resulting lack of testosterone, steers grow much more slowly.

Compared to other cattle, however, they ultimately have a much more massive size. They also develop intramuscular fat, but have very fine muscle fibres. This is what makes steer meat so interesting. Raised in a species-appropriate manner, steers are at least one to one and a half years older than young bulls.

The fat old cow - old man beats marketing young bull.

Beef like you've never tasted it before. Aromatic, deep in flavour, almost stunningly intense - that is the meat of the Old Cow. A delicacy that is already trendy in the Basque Country and is also becoming increasingly popular in Austria. When you enjoy the meat of an old cow, you experience an intensely nutty taste full of buttery aromas.

But there are even more reasons to enjoy an old cow: Compared to young bulls, cattle have already been allowed to lead a wonderful and meaningful life. They have calved, produced milk and enjoyed the meadows and pastures. This is exactly what ultimately affects the indescribably wonderful taste of the meat.

In our online shop you will find wonderful Dry Aged varieties from the Old Cow. These include dry-aged rump steak, rib-eye steak or dry-aged boiled beef from the old cow. Let yourself be inspired and experience beef enjoyment in a completely new way.

Meat is a valuable commodity!

We at Fitmeat are convinced that meat is a valuable and highly valued commodity. It doesn't end up on your plate every day, but when it does, it's of the best quality and with the highest taste experience.

The meat of a calf or a steer should always be preferred to young bulls/young cattle. Before buying meat from young bulls, it is better to enjoy a great vegetarian dish. Your taste buds will get more out of it.

>For us, meat is an absolute delicacy that should be enjoyed with care. But unfortunately, far too much food is thrown away because it is simply not appreciated. A lot of time, work and ultimately money goes into each of our products to bring out the best. This is the only way we can guarantee our customers real quality and set an example against factory farming.

Thus, every customer who turns away from young animals and prefers high-quality meat is a win-win for everyone. Perhaps in time a global rethink will take place and meat will once again be seen as a high-quality commodity.

→ Meat from heifers and steers can be found here

→ Meat from old cows can be found here.

Meat from young cattle is not offered at Fitmeat.