AJSA Regional and National Junior Cattlemen's Practice Test

Tenderness in beef comes from age, sex hormones, and how much connective tissue is present in the muscle. Bulls are intact males and have higher testosterone, which drives greater muscle development and more cross-linked collagen. That combination makes their meat tougher, especially in cuts with a lot of connective tissue. Steers and heifers, being castrated or younger females, typically have more marbling and less extreme connective tissue, so their meat tends to be more tender. Cows are older females and can be tougher with age, but the clearest, most consistent example of tougher meat among these options is meat from bulls.