The Hormonal Cow

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Celia asked: Lee, do you have any thoughts about growth hormones in Australian beef and what they're doing to us?

Well, yes, I have thoughts. Mixed thoughts.

I don't have too many facts, though, as it is a bit outside my experience.

Thoughts, in no particular order:

1. I have a general preference for no additives in food (don't you dare call them 'chemicals' unless you can name one thing on this planet (and beyond) that is not composed of chemicals) however I accept that sometimes additives to food are unavoidable.

2. The Safemeat site suggests that hormones are not harmful but that, while they increase meat yields, they decrease meat tenderness. This site is a joint venture between the meat industry and the Government.

3. Talking to another laboratory that tests HGP (Hormone Growth Promoters), they can only reliably find them in the area surrounding the injection point in the cow's ear. In other parts of the body they are too low to quantify.

4. Like it or not, we must increase our food production to meet the population growth; farmland is decreasing, so per-acre yields must increase. But we eat too much meat per meal, as a rule.

5. There is little evidence available to show that the nature-identical hormones are harmful. I am probably more comfortable with them than I am with the fully synthetic ones.

6. I would favour mandatory labelling.

So, in summary, I don't think they are harmful but would prefer they not be used.

But I am no expert.
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Steak Tartare

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Celia, of Fig Jam & Lime Cordial, asked "Does the traditional food rule apply to dishes like steak tartare?"

Yes, is the short answer.

Steak Tartare is a traditional food.

Despite the rantings of Professor A. C. Grayling, philosopher and vegetarian irrationalist, meat is not full of bacteria. (See here) Once you cut it, though, bacteria is introduced and the life of the meat starts being reduced.

A number of things need to be remembered:

1. The amount of bacteria that you introduce in chopping the meat is quite small. Especially if you take care to use clean knife.
2. Bacteria, at room temperature, will double in numbers every 20min, so what starts out as a low level can rise very quickly.
3. Most spoilage bacteria is just that, spoilage bacteria. Pathogens, such as E-coli or Salmonella, are less prevalent and less likely to be introduced in the chopping of the meat.
4. The concept of an 'infectious dose'. Everyday we are ingesting low levels of bacteria, including pathogens, with no ill effect. There is a certain level that is necessary to induce illness.

The long and short of it is that Steak Tartare must be made fresh and eaten fresh.

That is the traditional way to do it.

And it is quite safe.
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Of meat and fridges...

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The Intolerant Chef asks: "How long can raw meat be kept in the fridge before being harmful? I remember my mother washing slightly bluish looking chops in vinegar and water to remove the stickiness and smell before cooking them. They were then fed to my father, never us children or her."

I assume your father was well insured.

Generally, fresh meat can only be kept for a few days at refrigeration temperatures. It is hard to butcher meat without getting bacteria on its cut surface and bacteria love a warm, protein rich surface.

Note: these are bacteria introduced during the butchering process and not endemic to the meat as such. When the meat is 'hung' after slaughter, the surface of the carcass is dry and intact and no bacterial degradation takes place. Once the meat is sliced or minced, bacteria is introduced and all bets are off.

Chilling meat slows bacterial growth but doesn't stop it. Freezing it stops the growth. As does drying.

Bacterial growth results in the breakdown of proteins which in turn produce the unpleasant smells that we associate with 'off' meat. Rubbing the meat with vinegar may reduce the bacterial load and reduce the smell. Traditionally curry was also used to hide off meat.

It would be the thorough cooking afterwards that killed the bacteria and made it safe for your father to eat.

Probably with lots of sauce.
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Beef Jerky

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Photo: beefjerky.com

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Don said "I did a post about making jerky - dried meat. Someone asked if adding something sweet, like honey, might make the jerky less tough. The reasoning was because the sugar content makes a cake "softer". I don't know about the cake but do you think the sweetener would make the jerky less tough? (Not that I care, we don't like sweet jerky and go through this stuff as fast as I make it.)"

In theory honey or corn syrup would keep the jerky more supple but I would find the sweetness off-putting. Glycerine (Glycerol) may also work and is not so sweet.

Probably the best solution is to not dry it as much.

I occasionally make my own jerky. I use a variant of a recipe I found on line called Cliff's Fantastic Jerky. I vary it by using crushed garlic and chopped onion rather than the powders.

Far too nice to make too often.
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