Pasteurizing Meat Before Grinding

[tenspeed]

Meathead says you can make medium rare burgers safe as long as you pasteurize the meat before grinding. I've never heard of this before. Does anyone do this?

Mrs. Meathead is a Phd food scientist, so I assume this is good information, and it does make sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-eoiwkkZ3k

 

[bethzaring]

Never heard of it.

I used to butcher my own meat, ground lots of it with a small home sized grinder, and I am still typing. I have a background in food safety and my opinion is that pasteurizing is not needed. But, I was involved with the whole process of live animal to burgers on the plate.

 

[Andy M.]

He's right that dipping the meat into boiling water will pasteurize it.

That piece of chick roast was not cut in a slaughterhouse. IT left as part of much bigger piece and was portioned elsewhere. Probably at a central location for the supermarket chain of at you local butcher shop making contamination less likely.

I've never done that and I never cook burgers to 160ºF. Been doing it for a loooong time.

 

[Markf]

I have been grinding meat for sausages and various ground meats for 30 years. I have heard of but never pasteurized the meat before grinding. However, I do follow a few basic rules:

1 - Get you meat from a reputable source, make sure it’s as fresh as possible, and know how it’s been cut/packaged.
2 - This may be the most important step. Make sure to sterilize your grinder, cutting board, knives, etc. before grinding your meat. I use a bleach/water solution. Most use the same grinder for pork, chicken, beef, etc.
3 - I wash everything throughly in hot water when done, then store.

Mark

 

[taxlady]

I think it's a great idea. Kill all the germs on the outside, before you mix them into the middle of the meat. That's very useful for those of us who source our meat at the grocery store.

I was thinking of a different way. Someone here linked to a site that showed how long various foods need to be kept at various temperatures to be pasteurized. Beef, and I believe most red meat, is instantly pasteurized at 160°F. So, reaching 160 makes it safe. But, it can be pasteurized at lower temperatures. The chart listed the required times at those lower temperatures. The meat has to be at those temps, not just the oven or skillet. I was wondering about using a sous-vide to get the ground beef to an appropriate temperature and holding it there for long enough, then sear it as a method for getting a burger that isn't overcooked. I wish I could remember where that chart was.

 

[msmofet]

I think it's a great idea. Kill all the germs on the outside, before you mix them into the middle of the meat. That's very useful for those of us who source our meat at the grocery store.

I was thinking of a different way. Someone here linked to a site that showed how long various foods need to be kept at various temperatures to be pasteurized. Beef, and I believe most red meat, is instantly pasteurized at 160°F. So, reaching 160 makes it safe. But, it can be pasteurized at lower temperatures. The chart listed the required times at those lower temperatures. The meat has to be at those temps, not just the oven or skillet. I was wondering about using a sous-vide to get the ground beef to an appropriate temperature and holding it there for long enough, then sear it as a method for getting a burger that isn't overcooked. I wish I could remember where that chart was.

I would also be very interested in that chart. I hope someone remembers and can re-post the link.

 

[tenspeed]

I googled "pasteurizing meat chart" and these were on the first page (among others):

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

https://www.foodhandler.com/cooking-pasteurizing-safer-foods/

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...-food-to-a-lower-internal-temperature.261182/

 

[taxlady]

I googled "pasteurizing meat chart" and these were on the first page (among others):

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

https://www.foodhandler.com/cooking-pasteurizing-safer-foods/

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...-food-to-a-lower-internal-temperature.261182/

Thanks tenspeed. I guess my brains were on stun. I actually do have a bookmark for a site with those charts. I don't know if it was the one that was posted here. It explains quite well about pasteurizing meat - what it means in terms of levels of microbes left alive. It also gives separate charts for poultry and red meat (meat from mammals). Chicken has softer muscles, so contamination isn't just on the surface. It gets into the bird.

What You Need To Know About Safe Serving Temperatures, And An Award Winning Temperature Guide By Meathead Goldwyn

 

[kenmiller]

That's great and good to know about the new equipment for cooking.