If you look carefully on the back left of the second picture there is something that has nearly the same consistency... just it's red from a lower fat content.
Last edited:
isnt it cute what they can do?
this
is considered this
only to corporate greed are those the same thing.
Will most meat markets grind whole cuts for you? If so, what's a good cut to grind for hamburgers?
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlin...und-beef-at-supermarkets-contains-pink-slime/
Well looks like it's less beef more chicken and ham for me.
An online effort to ban beef containing an additive known as pink slime from the federal school lunch program has garnered almost 19,000 supporters in less than four days.
About 6 percent, or 7 million pounds, of the beef purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the program this year contains the product, made of beef trim and treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill possible pathogens such as E. coli. There is no concern about safety risks associated with the product, Dirk Fillpot, USDA spokesman, said in a statement.
McDonalds Corp., (MCD) the worlds largest restaurant chain, Burger King Holdings Inc. and Yum! Brands Inc.s Taco Bell have stopped using the substance. McDonalds dropped the ingredient to be consistent with our global beef supply chain, according to a statement from the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company.
This is like the slaughter house sweepings, said Bettina Elias Siegel, of Houston, who started the online petition on her blog The Lunch Tray. Fast food chains have stopped using it because people vote with their dollars, but kids in cafeterias are captive to whats served there.
Siegel said sentiment about the product is built around the belief its made from inferior parts and may harbor pathogens.
The USDA, which administers the school lunch program, strengthened ground-beef safety standards in recent years and only allows products the agency is confident dont pose risks, Fillpot said.
Pink Slime
Pink slime treated with ammonia is sold by Beef Products Inc., a Dakota Dunes, South Dakota-based manufacturer, and also known as lean finely textured beef.
The lean beef produced from trim is used in hamburger, sausage and ground beef and is treated with a process also used in foods such as cheeses and chocolates, according to a March 8 statement from the manufacturer.
Media reports create a troubling and inaccurate picture, according to a March 8 statement by J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat Institute, a trade group representing meatpackers including Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) and JBS Swift & Co. (JBSS3)
The treatment process, which involves ammonium hydroxide gas, is used in many food products to destroy bacteria, according to the statement.
Boneless lean beef trimmings is a safe, wholesome and nutritious form of beef that is made by separating lean beef from fat, Boyle said. The product recovers lean meat that would otherwise be wasted, he said.
The pinkish, semi-solid substance is made from trimmings, which are smaller pieces of fat that contains bits of beef, according to the meat producers trade group.
The trimmings are heated up and spun to separate out the meat, much like cream out of milk. Ammonia and water is used in processing to control harmful bacteria by raising pH levels, according to the group. Another variation uses citric acid.
If the small bits were not separated out and used, about 1.5 million additional head of cattle would have to be slaughtered each year to meet demand, according to the meat industry.
I will never apologize for using more of the animal. Thats the right thing to do, said Janet Riley, a spokeswoman for the meat institute.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Armour in Washington at sarmour@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Adriel Bettelheim at abettelheim@bloomberg.net
The “pink slime” is made by gathering waste trimmings, simmering them at low heat so the fat separates easily from the muscle, and spinning the trimmings using a centrifuge to complete the separation. Next, the mixture is sent through pipes where it is sprayed with ammonia gas to kill bacteria. The process is completed by packaging the meat into bricks. Then, it is frozen and shipped to grocery stores and meat packers, where it is added to most ground beef.
If you look carefully on the back left of the second picture there is something that has nearly the same consistency... just it's red from a lower fat content.
thats ground beef that is $10 a lb in bulk 40lb bundles
What kind of ground beef costs that much per pound in that quantity?
Here even ground sirloin or round is half that at overly marked-up store costs...
And any cut of higher quality is definitely better just to leave whole.
Decided to check their site to see why... marketing at its best.
It is green, free roam and organic.
My father has a Hobart grinder and cuber for processing venison.
I bought a whole ribeye once and put it through the grinder.
It made some fine hamburgers...
.
I knew that they did this, but I thought it was done to maintain a redish color, and I didn't expect it to be 70% without a noticeable taste or texture difference. I wonder how true this is.
It's a lot easier to control fat content when it has already been removed to be re-added.
Either way pink slime is basically just ground but ground even finer.
Good cuts of meat make far more money sold as steak then as ground beef, so it's already lesser cuts and leftovers as it is.
That said I rarely get anything other then ground chuck or ground round.
Yes. Chuck. Grab a chuck roast from the case and take it to the meat counter/window. Ring the doorbell, ask them to grind it.
Chuck is 15-20% fat, which is what you want for a good burger. If you want to go leaner, use something from the sirloin, closer to 5-10% fat.
This will cost you more, but it's worth it, especially if you want something specific ground up. For instance, get them to grind up a couple lbs of short ribs for you and make a burger out of that. Incredibly good.
If you have a kitchen aid at home, you can also get a meat grinder attachment. That's fun too.
I usually just get something labeled "Ground Chuck" or "Ground Sirloin" at the supermarket. It's next to the "Ground Beef" or "Hamburger" but to be labeled as such, has to contain only meat from that specific cow primal.
Ammonia and the ammonium ion are integral components of normal metabolic processes and play an essential role in the physiology of man. Although there have been no significant feeding studies specifically designed to ascertain the safety threshold of ammonium compounds as food ingredients, numerous metabolic studies have been reported in the scientific literature. Extrapolation of these findings to the concentrations of ammonium compounds normally present in foods does not suggest that there would be untoward effects at such levels. In the light of the foregoing, the Select Committee concludes that: There is no evidence in the available information on ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium chloride, ammonium hydroxide, mono and dibasic ammonium phosphate, and ammonium sulfate that demonstrates, or suggests reasonable grounds to suspect, a hazard to the public when they are used at levels that are now current or that might reasonably be expected in future.
My beef comes from a farmer two counties away from me. Just picked up half a beef 2 weeks ago this morning and have enough to last at least a year. Ended up with about 230lbs overall for around $2.30/lb after corn-fed raising, transport, slaughter/7-day hang, cut and packaged. Cut just how we want it. For anybody with a deep freeze and the up-front money, I don't see why more don't do this.
How much freezer space do you need for this? What kind of packaging do you use, and how low is the freezer temp to keep this stuff from freezer burn? Also, how long does it last?
I live in an area that has a farmers market every day of the week and room in the basement for a chest freezer. I'm really thinking of either buying a side of beef or going deer hunting for the first time.
I knew that they did this, but I thought it was done to maintain a redish color, and I didn't expect it to be 70% without a noticeable taste or texture difference. I wonder how true this is.
How much freezer space do you need for this? What kind of packaging do you use, and how low is the freezer temp to keep this stuff from freezer burn? Also, how long does it last?
I live in an area that has a farmers market every day of the week and room in the basement for a chest freezer. I'm really thinking of either buying a side of beef or going deer hunting for the first time.
Well I can see what side of the fence you are one.
I can tell the difference in taste and I can afford it. High end food isnt for everyone. Scoff all you want but until you try a organic blood orange or meat not chocked full of hormones you wont know.
Eat a hog nose snapper plucked by spear from the Mediterranean 7 hours before you ate it and get back to me on how what the animal eats has nothing to do with its taste.