Piedmontese breed beef

[yakima]

Last night, enjoyed an outstanding ribeye at a very nice local restaurant. Piedmontese, shipped frozen out of South Dakota, per the chef. Previously unknown to me. Based upon limited research, and some inferences, the breed has a mutated gene which reduces external fat, creates double muscling (?), and maintains excellent tenderness. Apparently grass fed and finished. Cross a pure bred Piedmontese bull with any breed cow, the gene comes through, apparently is dominant.

It appears that there are groups/organizations which contract with producers. AI their cows, buy weaned calves at 20 cents/pound over standard spot price. Calves apparently go to other producers to be raised on grass, then marketed somehow. Cant find anything re numbers of cattle. For pure bred bulls, have to be purebred cows somewhere. Operations seem to be focussed in Nebraska and South Dakota.

Anyone here with knowledge/experience? Probably best steak I have ever had, and I grew up on USDA Choice steak for lunch.

Calling SJUfeller.

[Jerod Broussard]

They are neat. So are Belgian Blue. EVERY breed has a cheerleading section.

I'd like to meet a Chianina in person one day.

[Oak Smoke]

Jerod Broussard My dad and granddad were big Charolais cheerleaders. I’m more of a red angus fan my self. The red angus, despite all the fuss about black angus, produces the most prime beef. If I had a registered Charolais I’d probably AI it to a very good red angus bull and eat very well.

[Jerod Broussard]

F1 Nelore x Hereford (or Simmental) momma bred to a Charolais. Oak Smoke

[briano52]

I second your enthusiasm for the Piedmontese beef. I can get it here in California at my local upscale grocery store, Zanottos. Kinda expensive, but I buy it for special occasions. Really nice beef flavor. A cut above everything else.

[yakima]

Who supplies it to your grocer?

Mine was an 18 ounce bone in ribeye, no sides, $59. But 4 of us ate our fill, with a fair amount left over.

[briano52]

All I know about where they get it is that there is an organization in Nebraska that is made up of independent ranchers that raise the Piedmontese cattle and market the beef. The cattle meet strict conditions for how they are bread, fed and raised. You can buy it online. I haven't done that, but their website is called "Certified Piedmontese Beef".

[yakima]

I just saw that, tied in with Lone Creek Cattle Co, out of Lincoln. The breed org is based in South Dakota.
Pretty opaque on the production side. I will tap into Nebraska family connections, see what they know.

[SJUfeller]

Piedmontese cattle originated in Italy. Imported into North America in the 70's, and now there is a North American Piedmontese Association.

The look like Belgian Blue, with the double muscling. The Belgian Blue have a number of health challenges that makes them less attractive to many people for raising. Not sure on the Piedmontese.

[yakima]

My Nebraska nephew, on the cow side of the operation, turns them out early in the Sandhills, to calve, on their own, in clean grass. As a youngster, we kept them close to home, in dirty crowded pasture, and checked cows about 3-4 times a day. Very labor intensive. His method seems to work, includes a natural culling process.

[briano52]

I found the found the website for the North American Piedmontese Association (NAPA). They have a wealth of information about their breed of beef and the meat. I can say I agree with their claim that they get wonderful, flavorful and tender meat with lower fat content than prime in most other breeds.

[yakima]

That NAPA site is very helpful. Thank you. It leads to folks where I come from, central Nebraska. I suspect that breed production for meat purposes is limited to small operations, as opposed to multi-thousand head feedlots or ranches.

[SJUfeller]

Jerod is absolutely correct about each breed having a cheerleading team. The strongest team (i.e. association) for many years is Black Angus.

The Angus Association does a better job getting good PR than any other breed.

[yakima]

If I have this right, USDA grades based upon a sample between the 12th and 13th rib, which determines the grade for the entire carcass. This samples traditional marbling. In double muscled cattle, with the Myostatin gene mutation, this system presumably does not apply. Is USDA condsidering expanding or modifying their criteria? How does this compare to Japanese or American Wagyu grading, which seems much more specific?

[Jerod Broussard]

You can ask. Direct your question to the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). In the greater scope of things not sure it would be necessary to try and accommodate every niche. Quality will sell itself, regardless of a label or apparent "grade."

[yakima]

Agree. The breed organizations would presumably be the ones pushing for modified grade criteria.

[Jerod Broussard]

No doubt, Certified Angus Beef anyone???

[TripleB]

I live on Piedmont Ave. I'll have to rewrite a recipe and call it "Steak Piedmontese"

[JeffJ]

We have a high priced Italian steak house nearby that serves this. Incredible steaks. At $80 per plate it better be great.

[bbqLuv]

You know I had to find out more, so I searched on Co-Pilot AI and found the following.



Explore

Piedmontese beef, often referred to as “The Italian Wagyu,” is known for its unique genetic composition that results in incredibly lean yet tender and flavorful meat¹. Originating from the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy, Piedmontese cattle carry a genetic mutation that leads to “double muscling,” which increases tenderness without producing excess marbling¹².

This beef is high in protein and has a rich, beefy flavor, making it a health-conscious choice for steak lovers¹³. It’s also lower in cholesterol, fat, and calories compared to other beef breeds¹. If you’re looking for a lean and tender beef option, Piedmontese is definitely worth trying!

Have you ever cooked with Piedmontese beef before? If not, I can share some cooking tips or recipes!

[W.A.]

I have ordered it many times online. Steaks are great, but I do not trust the shipping making it to Houston still frozen in the summer.

[Jerod Broussard]

Cut the grass during the summer, pay myself with online steaks during the winter.

[jtw]

My local "gourmet burger" place has Piedmontese beef:

We are pleased to offer ground Certified Piedmontese Beef as a healthy, flavorful alternative to our traditional burger. This breed of cattle is naturally low in fat. With less than 2 grams of fat, these burgers are lower in fat, calories, and cholesterol than chicken or salmon. Substitute Piedmontese beef for $4.

For a burger, I'm not 100% convinced that leaner is better. But it is pretty damn tasty. Generally I order it one level rawer than a normal burger (usually medium at a restaurant since I have trust issues, but the Piedmontese I'll order medium rare).

[Jerod Broussard]

The biggest mistake the pork industry made years ago was creating "Pork, The Other White Meat" and "leaning" things up. Growers will still echo that today.