Ground beef at home and food safety











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Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. Whereas with ground meat, there is no "outside", so it is always recommended to cook to 160. I could pick the cut of meat to grind. Are certain beef cuts (maybe away from internal organs) considered lower risk with regards to E.Coli and other contamination?










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    Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. Whereas with ground meat, there is no "outside", so it is always recommended to cook to 160. I could pick the cut of meat to grind. Are certain beef cuts (maybe away from internal organs) considered lower risk with regards to E.Coli and other contamination?










    share|improve this question
























      up vote
      5
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      5
      down vote

      favorite











      Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. Whereas with ground meat, there is no "outside", so it is always recommended to cook to 160. I could pick the cut of meat to grind. Are certain beef cuts (maybe away from internal organs) considered lower risk with regards to E.Coli and other contamination?










      share|improve this question













      Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. Whereas with ground meat, there is no "outside", so it is always recommended to cook to 160. I could pick the cut of meat to grind. Are certain beef cuts (maybe away from internal organs) considered lower risk with regards to E.Coli and other contamination?







      food-safety food-science ground-beef






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      asked 11 hours ago









      paulj

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          No, it doesn't matter who makes the ground beef. The previous "outside" contaiminates all exposed surfaces in the grinder. So you get no "free pass" for grinding it yourself.



          It is also not related to the cut of beef. They are all exposed to the same environment in the butcher shop, sluiced with the same water, etc., and they are all at the same level of contamination.



          And as a general rule, food safety rules are meant to be followed very literally. If under some circumstances the rule does not apply, they will tell you about it right in the list of rules. When they don't say anything, you have to see it as "no exceptions".






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            I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.



            Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.



            For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.



            This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step. (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).



            Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about? Probably not, but it exists, however slightly. If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left. But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.






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            • So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
              – aaaaaa
              4 hours ago






            • 1




              @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
              – Joe
              4 hours ago











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            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

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            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

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            active

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            active

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            up vote
            8
            down vote













            No, it doesn't matter who makes the ground beef. The previous "outside" contaiminates all exposed surfaces in the grinder. So you get no "free pass" for grinding it yourself.



            It is also not related to the cut of beef. They are all exposed to the same environment in the butcher shop, sluiced with the same water, etc., and they are all at the same level of contamination.



            And as a general rule, food safety rules are meant to be followed very literally. If under some circumstances the rule does not apply, they will tell you about it right in the list of rules. When they don't say anything, you have to see it as "no exceptions".






            share|improve this answer

























              up vote
              8
              down vote













              No, it doesn't matter who makes the ground beef. The previous "outside" contaiminates all exposed surfaces in the grinder. So you get no "free pass" for grinding it yourself.



              It is also not related to the cut of beef. They are all exposed to the same environment in the butcher shop, sluiced with the same water, etc., and they are all at the same level of contamination.



              And as a general rule, food safety rules are meant to be followed very literally. If under some circumstances the rule does not apply, they will tell you about it right in the list of rules. When they don't say anything, you have to see it as "no exceptions".






              share|improve this answer























                up vote
                8
                down vote










                up vote
                8
                down vote









                No, it doesn't matter who makes the ground beef. The previous "outside" contaiminates all exposed surfaces in the grinder. So you get no "free pass" for grinding it yourself.



                It is also not related to the cut of beef. They are all exposed to the same environment in the butcher shop, sluiced with the same water, etc., and they are all at the same level of contamination.



                And as a general rule, food safety rules are meant to be followed very literally. If under some circumstances the rule does not apply, they will tell you about it right in the list of rules. When they don't say anything, you have to see it as "no exceptions".






                share|improve this answer












                No, it doesn't matter who makes the ground beef. The previous "outside" contaiminates all exposed surfaces in the grinder. So you get no "free pass" for grinding it yourself.



                It is also not related to the cut of beef. They are all exposed to the same environment in the butcher shop, sluiced with the same water, etc., and they are all at the same level of contamination.



                And as a general rule, food safety rules are meant to be followed very literally. If under some circumstances the rule does not apply, they will tell you about it right in the list of rules. When they don't say anything, you have to see it as "no exceptions".







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 11 hours ago









                rumtscho

                78.4k27185340




                78.4k27185340
























                    up vote
                    4
                    down vote













                    I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.



                    Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.



                    For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.



                    This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step. (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).



                    Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about? Probably not, but it exists, however slightly. If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left. But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.






                    share|improve this answer





















                    • So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                      – aaaaaa
                      4 hours ago






                    • 1




                      @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                      – Joe
                      4 hours ago















                    up vote
                    4
                    down vote













                    I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.



                    Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.



                    For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.



                    This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step. (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).



                    Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about? Probably not, but it exists, however slightly. If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left. But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.






                    share|improve this answer





















                    • So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                      – aaaaaa
                      4 hours ago






                    • 1




                      @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                      – Joe
                      4 hours ago













                    up vote
                    4
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    4
                    down vote









                    I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.



                    Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.



                    For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.



                    This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step. (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).



                    Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about? Probably not, but it exists, however slightly. If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left. But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.






                    share|improve this answer












                    I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.



                    Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.



                    For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.



                    This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step. (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).



                    Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about? Probably not, but it exists, however slightly. If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left. But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 10 hours ago









                    Joe

                    59.9k10104295




                    59.9k10104295












                    • So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                      – aaaaaa
                      4 hours ago






                    • 1




                      @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                      – Joe
                      4 hours ago


















                    • So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                      – aaaaaa
                      4 hours ago






                    • 1




                      @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                      – Joe
                      4 hours ago
















                    So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                    – aaaaaa
                    4 hours ago




                    So if you make ground beef rarely and thoroughly clean equipment, it is more likely than not to be safer than store?
                    – aaaaaa
                    4 hours ago




                    1




                    1




                    @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                    – Joe
                    4 hours ago




                    @aaaaaa : if you make sure that your grinder and kitchen are clean, then it's slightly safer because you don't have the issues with pooling. Say there's one in a million chance of a cow having something bad (I have no clue what it really is) ... and they process 10 cows at a time ... then your chances are between 1:1M (first cow) and 10:1M (last cow processed), which averages out to 5.5:1M, or more than 5 times when it was for one cow at a time. This is the sort of reason why when something goes wrong at a plant, they have to recall thousands of pounds of meat
                    – Joe
                    4 hours ago


















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