Pinzgauer Beef

I don't know much about Pinzgauer cattle, but I like to research things that others sometimes find obscure or odd (just ask my wife).  When I stumbled across an article about these cattle today, my bbq wheels starting turning.

Besides a typical farm website based in Texas and a breeder association website based in Missouri, I found Pastry Heaven, a nice blog that offeres a first hand accounting of her experiences with Pinzgauer beef.

From an article on the website:

...2 Black Angus steer will fill a 55-gallon drum with waste of fat, etc., when butchering yet ALL 12 head of Pinzgauer beef butchered only filled (2) 55-gallon drums with waste! The meat is lean and tender.

I'm not quite sure how many pounds of waste fat will fit in a 55-gallon drum, but if I'm paying for beef butchering it's w-a-y too much.

Here is another article from CattleToday.com that explains why the Pinzgauer beef is so tender:

The breed overall has been bred for docility. New research shows that the easier an animal is to handle, the better the beef. This, along with their unique enzyme make-up, makes Pinzgauer beef one of the most tender meat breeds in existence. Genetic studies have confirmed that the breed carries the tenderness gene. Also, the dressing percentage of Pinzgauer steers is very high.

If you've ever tried to herd cattle through a gate or into a pen where they didn't want to go, that docile trait is very important. 

I haven't found a place to buy cuts of the beef here in West Central Florida yet, but I suspect I'll hone in on a source given more time.  I'm not sure I want to buy an entire side yet, but I'd like to try some steaks, roasts, and maybe a brisket.  The Desoto County Fair in Arcadia and Florida State Fair in Tampa, have featured some Pinzgauer shows in the past.