Beef Industry & Contamination By Meat Tenderizing

[MaryJane]

I recently saw an article that the beef industry has been tenderizing beef with needles/blades - this is an automated operation done in the processing plants. Note, the article that I saw yesterday stated that Costco "labels" the meat if it has been "tenderized" with instructions to cook thoroughly but, I couldn't find that particular article so I substituted a link to a similar one.

http://news.yahoo.com/big-beef-runs-risk-bacterial-contamination-mechanical-tenderizers-201000014.html

 

I would always cook hamburger well-done for my dogs because of the bacteria risk but, I assumed that leaving the insides of roasts relatively rare would be OK. Guess I now have to start cooking all the dog's meat to well-done.

[JAJ2010]

If it's meat that your feeding the pups I wouldn't worry too much. Everything I eat is well done though! LOL

 

I drew the line earlier this week when a deer carcass that we had been given last fall was moldy. Like fuzzy mold on the meat! Straight from the freezer. I've never seen that before.... Poor Rainy was so upset that I unwrapped that giant black bag then took it out front to the trash can.

[MaryJane]

Larry has a very sensitive GI tract in addition to severe allergies/kidney issues so, I want to make sure any meat that he gets will not cause any complications. Also, my parents get well-cooked meat (I'm a vegan) but, now I'm concerned that either one of them could get exposed to E. Coli from patting one of my dogs if the dogs are eating potentially contaminated rare meat. There have always been common-sense procedures for handling prep areas and counters after handling raw chicken and making sure it is cooked thoroughly, now from my perspective ... those same procedures for cooking apply to beef. IMHO, it's a shame that the meat industry has decided to do this ....

[Guest Scarter55]

I've heard that freezing meat for 14 days kills almost all the bacteria that exists there (except, of course, the strain known as deer meat mold!) If you have a real butcher near by, either stand alone butcher or a high quality grocery store that you trust, I'd recommend getting meat whole there and grinding it yourself. I have an inexpensive meat grinder that attaches to my KitchenAid that works really well.

[JAJ2010]

The risk of getting something from the dog is very very slim. Unless your going to be playing in their poop... LOL They do shed ecoli through poop.

 

Rainy eats 100 percent raw due to her allergies and she enjoys my belly or hip as a napkin afterwards. That's probably a little risky, but it hasn't effected me yet and I have a pretty healthy immune system.

 

If people have compromised immune systems then maybe some worry would be warranted, but I'm not sure how much. It's so easy to get people to jump on the cooties everyone is going to die bandwagon. It's hard to know where reality is.

 

I've always treated all raw meat the same. I am obsessive counter and hand washer. Add I'm feeding the dogs I'll notice that I've washed my hands really 4-5 times each meal!

I've heard that freezing meat for 14 days kills almost all the bacteria that exists there (except, of course, the strain known as deer meat mold!) If you have a real butcher near by, either stand alone butcher or a high quality grocery store that you trust, I'd recommend getting meat whole there and grinding it yourself. I have an inexpensive meat grinder that attaches to my KitchenAid that works really well.

LMAO you just had me running to Google to research this bacteria called deer meat mold! Such a simple name I could believe I had never heard of it....

 

Oh is going to be a long afternoon. Come on 5pm!

[Hubcitypam]

If eating tenderized meat killed a high number of people there wouldn't be very many Texans alive. Seriously. The only way to make real chicken fried steak is to start with tenderized cube steak , which I also use for Swiss steak. It isn't ground beef. Tenderized meat in the grocery store is labeled and easily recognized by sight. The article does say most tenderized meat produced is used in restaurants and institutions - that would allow them to pay less for beef because they are buying tougher and cheaper cuts. In any event mechanical tenderization has been around a very long time - it's nothing new.

[Batmom]

Freezing isn't a good method of killing bacteria or even some parasites. Boiling is better .

[Hubcitypam]

Freezing isn't a good method of killing bacteria or even some parasites. Boiling is better .

Yum...boiled beef.

[Fruitycake]

I've heard that freezing meat for 14 days kills almost all the bacteria that exists there (except, of course, the strain known as deer meat mold!) If you have a real butcher near by, either stand alone butcher or a high quality grocery store that you trust, I'd recommend getting meat whole there and grinding it yourself. I have an inexpensive meat grinder that attaches to my KitchenAid that works really well.

 

Freezing at normal freezer temperatures does pretty much nothing to kill bacteria, it merely "pauses" their life cycle. Thaw 'em and watch 'em grow again! It's parasites that are killed by freezing for 14+ days.