Certified angus??

It's the breed of cattle and the like others the quality within the breed. Lots of good info here.

the ELI5 version:

The USDA inspects slaughter houses and the process, and makes sure things are safe (or, safe by their definition at least).

But you can also have them GRADE your meat.  That costs extra. you can't sell meat that is not USDA inspected (fpr safety), but you CAN sell meat that isn't graded.

So we see, in our grocery store, the grades 'select' (low) 'choice' (middle/better) and (in restaurants or some lucky stores) 'prime' (better/best). These are the grades they will ascribe to your beef.  there are other grades, but these are what you can readily buy.

they have strict guidelines for those grades.

Now imagine you are a company that wants to sell 'premium' beef (there is no graded or criteria for this word, it is a marketing word).

Omaha Steaks is an example.  Their meat carried no USDA grade.  They use a LOT of flowery terms to say how wonderful it is, but none of them are quantifiable or specific.

Now, the "Certified Angus Beef" program is different.  First, recognize that it is not about certifying that the beef is Angus.  Angus beef is everywhere.  It's the most common commerical (supermarket) beef breed in the US and there is nothing special about black vs red angus, or angus in and of itself.

BUT.

The 'Certified Angus Brand' specifically says that they have specific criteria which take into account many things (like the marbling).

In truth, some of the things are virtually meaningless.  Black angus tastes no different than red angus, yet "Black Angus" is a winner of the marketing contest.  In fact, the CAB angus program says the hide color must be 51% black.  Minimal difference.

But much of their other criteria are such that (similar to USDA Prime), the meat has excellent flavor, marbling, etc.

Essentially.  CAB is a marketing tool.  They are saying "WE grade the meat so that it meets our very high standards".  ...and people are free to vote by buying or not buying it.

 If people like thier criteria and believe in their opinion/certification, they will pay more for the meat.  and (if everything they say about their criteria is true) they will receive a product worth paying for (i.e. better than choice but not quite as good as prime). This is the price range of CAB typically.

Cab brisket 7.50/lb here.

I like CAB briskets over costco prime any day of the week. I've had pretty good luck with the brand and I sold it commercially for a few years too. It was hands down the best program you could buy outside of boutique producers and SRF wasn't even around that I know of back then. 

Like Darby says above, it's a brand and they basically sell high choice and prime "Angus" (has to be at least 51% Angus if I remember right). Ours (we bought from Sysco for foodservice but we also sold it out of the case) was wet aged at least 28 days before we got them. My local Randall's (Safeway) sells it here and it is not the same I what I sold. Not nearly as marbled and I'm guessing it's not aged 28 days. If it looks good, I would say to try it.

Restaurant Depot carries a similar program called Superior Angus Choice that i have found to be the same or similar quality.

Porsche Angus Beef sounds pretty sexy to me.

Marketing is influential in purchasing, and all the sheep need direction to buy the cows.

Personally, I topically notice the grading and the non-graded claims of heritage, but what sells me is the reputation of where I buy my meat (mostly based on my experience but also other factors) and how it looks.  You can tell more than any certification or grading how the meat will taste if you can see and feel it.  Feeling your meat should be a religious experience.   If you do not like to feel your meat, perhaps your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend of husband can fill in for your squeamishness. 

During the later part of 2003 and the early part of 2004, the American fast food industry ran a public relations campaign to promote the supposedly superior quality of Angus beef. However, the first of these campaigns was run by Back Yard Burger in 2002.[24] Beginning in 2006, McDonalds commenced testing on hamburgers made with Angus beef in several regions in the US. After this test, the company said that customer response to the burgers was positive[25] and began selling the burger made with Angus beef in all US locations in July 2009.[26] In response to the test in the US, McDonalds Australia began selling two Angus burgers, the Grand Angus and the Mighty Angus, using Australian-bred Angus, in their restaurants.[27]

The American Angus Association created the "Certified Angus Beef" (CAB) standard in 1978. The purpose of this standard was to promote the idea that Angus beef was of higher quality than beef from other breeds of cattle. Cattle are eligible for "Certified Angus Beef" evaluation if they are at least 51% black and exhibit Angus influence, which include black Simmental cattle and crossbreds. However, they must meet all 10 of the following criteria, which were refined in January 2007 to further enhance product consistency, in order to be labeled "Certified Angus Beef" by USDA Graders:[28]

• Modest or higher degree of marbling
• Medium or fine marbling texture
• "A" maturity
• 10 to 16 square-inch ribeye area
• Less than 1,000-pound hot carcass weight
• Less than 1-inch fat thickness
• Moderately thick or thicker muscling
• No hump on the neck exceeding 5 cm (2")
• Practically free of capillary rupture
• No dark cutting characteristics
• Usually black or red in color

In summary, the meat sellers are setting their own criteria, and marketing it versus paying the USDA to apply their grading.  And we all know there is more to taste than what we see insofar as fat content.  The CAB people are trying to correlate some cow characteristics to determine grade.  Hey, whatever works. 

>In my opinion someone selling "Angus" beef should be pricing it at a Choice grade level.

but you can still have angus that is graded 'select', 'commercial', 'utility/cutter/canner', no?

"angus" is just the breed, and it's unassociated with quality/grade

I feel an inexplicable urge to buy Wranglers all of a sudden...

I still don't get it.  So what if there's like exactly 50% black hide?  So how do you measure the area of color on a hide anyway?  Do **** count?  What about genetics?  And can you have belabored questions?  What if the cowboys are wearing Levis instead of Wranglers...are they still real cowboys?

I learned stuff from this thread.  Thanks guys.

This is troof:  I had a cat named angus who was white with black spots.  He was 51% black. Or maybe 49%.  Somewhere around there. 

And the myth that Angus doesn't have horns is debunked here:

Spaightlabs said:

SkinnyV said:

Cab brisket 7.50/lb here.

That's not too far off of SRF/Wagyu pricing...

I just looked at SRF's site and there cheapest brisket is $129 for an 11-14 pound one.  That's $9-$11 a pound.  I think I will stick to RD's choice or pirme at $2.99 a pound here.  I have had good look with choice, but prefer prime.  I have had some CAB and it was really good, but that would be for special occasions.  For CAB I like going to Dodge City Beef in Shawnee, KS.  Briskets there are about $7-$8 buck or so a pound.

@nolaegghead that new avatar made me...well...never mind.