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A recent article from Associated Press touted the headline Red Meat for the Elite stating that "at $36 a steak, Highland beef isn't exactly chopped liver." This is blue-blood beef. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth keeps a large herd of Scottish Highland cattle at Balmoral Castle for her private stock - said to be the only beef she allows gracing her tables. In addition to the Queen, British nobility and billionaires here in the U.S. have raised Highland cattle, including Steve Forbes, Sally Jesse Raphael, Michael J. Fox, MacKenzie-Childs, Sandy Lerner, the VonTrapp Family and Lord and Lady Trevor. A long time favorite with European chefs, this beef is only sold to an elite few through Harrod's Knightsbridge in London. It is rapidly gaining in popularity as a favorite among beef connoisseurs in the U.S. Since the growing demand currently exceeds the available supply, the American Highland Cattle Association (AHCA) is looking for more breeders to raise the specialty beef. Producers from across the country and Canada will bring their very best to shows this fall, which begin with traditional Scottish bagpipers leading the way for the aristocratic bovines. The price also sets Highland beef apart. On the traditional markets, a whole carcass generally sells for less than $1 per pound, Angus for about $1.15 per pound and Highland for about $2 per pound. This is based not only on the relative rarity of the Highland breed but also because it is raised naturally and is a high-quality product. Highland Beef Preferred by Prestigious Restaurants
"We're getting more income per acre than if we sold beef commercially," said Roger Smoker of Eagle Creek Cattle Company in Warsaw, Indiana. One of Eagle Creek's biggest supporters is Kent Buell, chef and owner of Kent's in New Buffalo, Michigan. Buell said he buys the meat for a variety of reasons: taste (his staff chose Highland in a blind taste test over other beef), Eagle Creek is a regional product and the cattle are raised without hormones and steroids. "It's the only beef we've had on our menu for the past year," Buell said. Smoker touts his company's product as an all-natural one: "It's raised without hormones and antibiotics and is cleaned only with water, not chemicals, during processing. The beef is extremely lean due to this long hair which protects them from the cold rather than an extra layer of fat. The beef cuts from Highland are not fatty around the edges but there is enough marbling throughout to give it a rich flavor. This rich flavor is preferred by many chefs," Smoker says. User-friendly Cattle "This beef is relatively easy to care for," Smoker said, "with a much higher tolerance for cold and more breeding years than most cattle." Despite their horns, they are extremely docile and friendly, making them easily halter broken. Since the breed originated in the rugged terrain and harsh climate of the Scottish Highlands where only the fittest survived, they are the perfect livestock for first-time farmers (you might call them "user-friendly" cattle) not even requiring a barn in winter. For more information on Highland beef, contact the American Highland Cattle Association at (303) 292-9102, or visit their web site at www.highlandcattle.org. |
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