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Post by Dahdo on Jul 19, 2012 14:34:18 GMT -5
We had our first two steers slaughtered here on the farm Tuesday. I won't kid you, it was a bit toug for us. These guys were our first two, and one was quite a character...I'll miss having him ramble over for a scratch.
The good news is they kept their part of the bargain and turned our grass into a fair amount of good looking beef. The hanging weights were 461 and 487 at 26-27 months. The fat was deep yellow and the meat was dark red--almost purple in the brisket.
Can't wait to taste it and share with the family!
Dave
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Post by kansasdexters on Jul 19, 2012 16:13:49 GMT -5
Hi Dave,
Thanks for sharing your results. I hope that you are pleased with the quality of the beef.
I am a bit puzzled though. To my knowledge, the fat on the Dexter steers should not have been deep yellow. Grass fed/ grass finished, purebred Dexters have an ivory colored fat -- definitely not deep yellow. The carotene in the forage should have been converted and stored as Vitamin A during digestion, producing an ivory colored fat. This is a genetic trait and traditional Dexter cattle have the genetics for this. The Guernsey breed of cattle and Guernsey-influenced breeds have yellow fat, but the purebred traditional Dexter breed does not. It's one of the reasons that we chose the Dexter breed for our grassfed/grass finished beef --- most consumers prefer white or ivory colored fat on their meat.
Patti
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 20, 2012 10:13:03 GMT -5
Deep yellow is probably not a good description of the color, but it had a definite yellow cast to it, and some areas-- around the brisket as I recall--were more yellowish than other areas. Wish I had taken some pictures. Ivory is not the color that came to mind, that's for sure. Could it have something to do with the type of forage? We have a large percentage of fescue here. I also supplemented with alfalfa over the winter. I will put up some pictures of meat when e get it back so we can see if what I call yellow is really ivory.
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 20, 2012 10:47:54 GMT -5
Just found a handy website for color. Go to colorhexa.com and search for #ffffd9. That is what most of the fat looked like--just a few shades darker than the official "ivory" which is #fffff0. The brisket fat was more like #ffffb7.
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Post by kansasdexters on Jul 20, 2012 10:55:41 GMT -5
Hi Dave, The type of forage doesn't matter if the animal's genetics provide for the conversion of Beta-carotene to Vitamin A. It's the presence of Beta-carotene that isn't converted that gives a deep yellow color to the fat in some cattle breeds that are pastured for fattening. Here is a photo of the 12th rib cross-section of a grassfed / grass finished Dexter steer, you can see what I mean about the fat color being ivory or creamy white, not yellow:  Here is what the outside of the carcass looks like:  Patti |
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Post by prairieboy on Jul 20, 2012 13:07:18 GMT -5
We have been eating our "home raisings" for the past several years.
Every Dexter we have processed produced wonderful meat.
The age has ranged from 24 months to 7 years.
Even the old cow produced very tender tasty roasts that are as good as any we have eaten and the hamburger she produced would be welcome in any home and raved over.
Dexter is a great animal......only complaint is that sometimes they are a little small in carcass for a larger family.
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Post by laughingllama75 on Jul 20, 2012 16:34:56 GMT -5
You people are making me hungry. Mmmm. Steak.....it's what's for dinner!  |
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 20, 2012 18:20:08 GMT -5
Alicia, your llamas must laugh a lot...I know I am!
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Post by laughingllama75 on Jul 20, 2012 21:50:12 GMT -5
LOL. I have one llama, that looks like he is always smiling. He was my first, and he is about 100 years old now (well, ok......20). So he is the original "Llaughing Llama". It will be sad when he goes. When do you get your beef back? I just had delicious dexter burgers tonight. Can't beat that taste! Love it! |
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 22, 2012 1:41:07 GMT -5
The butcher said he thought he could let hang for at least 14 days, maybe 17. He usually goes 21, but did not think there was quite enough fat cover to go that long. So, we should be having those first Dexter steaks in about 3 weeks. Can't wait!
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Post by cddexter on Jul 22, 2012 22:08:26 GMT -5
for what it's worth, while I didn't actually see the result, I do know of someone with guaranteed purebred 100% Dexters who fed them carrots, and the fat ended up very very yellow. Tasted okay, just looked different, so while the volume fed may have an effect, it definitely is possible to get a more yellow fat with pure Dexters. c.
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Post by cjsfarm on Jul 23, 2012 21:08:19 GMT -5
That white fat must be a Kansas thing. Our dexters have an off white color up to about 3 years of age, then after 3 the fat is quite yellow. Must be Colorado grass, cause we can't grow carrots!
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 23, 2012 21:10:41 GMT -5
Patti, thanks for the photos. I think I'll retract the "deep yellow" description, but the best thing will be to post some pictures of the meat when we get it back.
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Post by ksroose on Aug 8, 2012 6:14:48 GMT -5
We just had our first to slaughtered as well. I was nervous to see if what I've been claiming was true. Now I'm happy to report that it's my favorite and have had excellent responses to others that have sampled it. Best tenderness I've ever had and flavor.
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Post by copperhead on Aug 8, 2012 16:55:24 GMT -5
Dave, I'm with you, my Dexters always have yellowish looking fat, not as ivory as what Patti shows. I know how you feel when ones you have raised go to slaughter, but remember that they had a great life and went on to what they were supposed to do.
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