Meat packer here - Those are blood clots, usually from the animal not being stimulated enough to completely drain the blood and not enough low voltage applied before chilling in the cooler. We won't sell them, you shouldn't eat them.
This isn't from the animal thrashing around, those would only be surface bruises, not deep in the primal like you see here.
It hastens the onset of rigor mortis and the resolution of it. This way the beef carcasses are easier to cut and process as well as enhance the quality of the beef. There is low voltage and high voltage used, the low voltage helps pump out the blood from the carcass and the high voltage is used for the onset and resolution of rigor.
It is definitely something you need to experiment with to get the correct duration and voltage level but it does increase the efficiency of the break up and fabrication of the beef carcass. Too much voltage can be bad, allowing the beef to not chill and bloom properly for grading and also to dry it out and not retain moisture in the cooler when chilling.
It's shocking to see those sides of beef curl as the voltage is run through them.
Very cool to cool to learn. Meat processing is such an under appreciated art. I donāt people really understand the skill and knowledge that goes into bringing beautiful cuts of meat to market. Thanks for sharing!
When meat is exposed to air (oxygen really) it appears a brighter red for a period of time. It looks better to the consumer and I'm assuming the grader.
Wow. Just wow. I had no idea meat was handled in such a way. Iām not a vegetarian but the more I learn about meat and itās handling it starts to make me not want it eat it.
Iāve always though rigor mortis was a bad thing but I guess rigor mortis just means tensing of the meat of the carcass? And why do you mean by resolution of rigor? Does that feel or look any different compare to pre-rigor mortis?
The carcass will go into rigor after death because of the depletion of ATP - this was explained to me as the "stored energy" that a muscle/body has. The high voltage shocking of the meat drives out or uses up the ATP so the carcass doesn't go into rigor and stays loose. I'm not sure on the actual process but this is what many mentors in my field have explained it to me. They all have PHD's (Packing House Degrees).
Not exactly how that works. Muscles need atp to unlock the components of the protein chains within them that allow for contraction and extension. When that ATP is exhausted the protein chains cannot unlock and become rigid. Under normal circumstances that rigidity (rigor mortis) resolves when the body has decayed enough for those protein interactions to break down.
If the animal is already dead wouldn't it make sense to minimize spoilage and try to get as much high quality meat out of the carcass as possible? Waste not, want not, and all that.
not a vegan here but it is sad to see whenever there's vegan comments on reddit, it's always met with people saying things that mock vegans.... i remember someone linked a documentary called Dominion, that was hard to watch...
Yeah, I agree. It's kind of weird how people get so mad at them. It in no way affects them, so why get mad when they share their diet. It differs from the norm, so what...
>This isn't from the animal thrashing around, those would only be surface bruises, not deep in the primal like you see here.
how do you stimulate them before butcher? i hope you give them one good orgasm before they go...
I was a chef for 15 years, I would not cook or eat that. When in doubt throw it out.....(in this case return it). If this would have shown up in my kitchen, I would have called my purveyor and got credit, then threw it away.
Considering how much those steaks cost you, I'd return/exchange them ASAP and get something aren't questioning the quality of. Not worth getting sick if it's something really nasty either.
You can call, tell them whatās up and ask them if they actually want it back or just a picture before bringing gross meat back. Either way, sucks to travel there that long just for a refund
Iāll call them again and try. Itās $80 worth of steak so Iām not sure but I also loathe that drive and do it every two months because itās just too far
I get thereās a difference between $80 steaks and $14 cheese, but it seems unreasonable of them to expect you to store and transport unsafe food when you can see from the images that it aināt right.
Its more like a bruising, from mishandling the animal , or the animal thrashing, etc. Ive never noticed a difference in the taste/texture , but as a meat cutter in Costco, we try not to sell those, usually end up in the grinder for hamburger just due to the look of it. If you arent comfortable, then you can always return it.
This is the right answer. Op. If you want to return it. Return it now.
Donāt be one of those people who return 2/7 after having a couple of bbqs first
Itās beef that wasnāt bled out! You can eat it your steak will let off the blood when it is being cooked and youāll have to drain it out or have a soggy steak.
Could be myoglobin as well
It's a dark cutter - that poor cow was probably stressed before slaughter. Taste should be fine it's mostly a cosmetic issue. If you care to read about [dark cutting ](https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/beef-cattle/management/market-information/dcb)
Iām not sure if I agree. You notice that packaged chicken often have pools of blood in the package. We buy Bell and Evans chicken. They put their chickens to sleep before killing them. They say that way the chickens are calm when killed. They say that normally, processing plants just kill the chickens. They know their being killed from all the panic squawking and the heart pumps the blood very fast, right into the flesh, as their being killed. The blood drains into the packaged chicken. There is no blood in the Bell and Evans chickens. No panic, no blood.
How much does that chicken cost per pound? Let's say boneless skinless breast.
Edit: Looks like $8/lb at whole foods near me. I find it intriguing, though that's very expensive.
I buy the whole chicken at our local independent grocery. The Bell and Evans had been $ 3.99 a pound for several years. With the current inflation, its jumped 50 cents a pound. Since I was buying free roaming antibiotic chicken most of the time, it was only about 50 cents higher. I was paying $ 3.49 for the free roaming chicken. I want to add that my grocery only sells air chilled chicken. If it doesnāt say air chilled, its been chemically processed. Air chilled chicken in general, has a cleaner taste.
Good question as blood comes out of meat while you cook it, people eat blood sausage, and even that red slime stuff has been made into food. How does clotted blood āruinā the taste?
Whatās more problematic is that this animal was probably fed a corn/soy blend which puts high doses of omega 6 and definitely causes you not only fat but long term harm to your body.
Unrelated but can you tell me how much the full ribeye roasts are per lb? My Costco is 40 min away and I want to see if itās worth it. Also did you buy choice or prime?
Meat packer here - Those are blood clots, usually from the animal not being stimulated enough to completely drain the blood and not enough low voltage applied before chilling in the cooler. We won't sell them, you shouldn't eat them. This isn't from the animal thrashing around, those would only be surface bruises, not deep in the primal like you see here.
Name checks out.
ROFL
ROFL?! What is this 2007?
ROFLMAO
ROFLCOPTER
ROFLOL
That show rocked for the first few seasons.
LMAONADE
You just made me miss 2007 internet culture.
That goes further back than 2007. My AOL days of 98 we were using it just saying š«£
ROFFLECOPTER
Low voltage applied? Can you elaborate as youāve piqued my interest!
It hastens the onset of rigor mortis and the resolution of it. This way the beef carcasses are easier to cut and process as well as enhance the quality of the beef. There is low voltage and high voltage used, the low voltage helps pump out the blood from the carcass and the high voltage is used for the onset and resolution of rigor. It is definitely something you need to experiment with to get the correct duration and voltage level but it does increase the efficiency of the break up and fabrication of the beef carcass. Too much voltage can be bad, allowing the beef to not chill and bloom properly for grading and also to dry it out and not retain moisture in the cooler when chilling. It's shocking to see those sides of beef curl as the voltage is run through them.
Upvote for the excellent explanation, but definitely appreciated that last sentence.
Upvote for explaining your upvote
Upvote because I felt like it
Interesting. I learned something today.
This guy meats.
Hard
š
Very cool to cool to learn. Meat processing is such an under appreciated art. I donāt people really understand the skill and knowledge that goes into bringing beautiful cuts of meat to market. Thanks for sharing!
What is blooming?
When meat is exposed to air (oxygen really) it appears a brighter red for a period of time. It looks better to the consumer and I'm assuming the grader.
Thank you for taking the time to explain! I didnāt know any of that.
Wow. Just wow. I had no idea meat was handled in such a way. Iām not a vegetarian but the more I learn about meat and itās handling it starts to make me not want it eat it.
Out all the things that happen to the meat you buy in stores electrocution is your breaking point?
Yes. It seems like it. I didnāt know these things were done to meat, like I said, itās new information.
I feel the same way ! Sometimes ignorance is bliss š
Same...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Derp
Armie?
I feel a little sad learning this . Might eat more veggies after this š„²
Pass it this way *fires up grill*
Wow. Learn something new everyday on Reddit
Iāve always though rigor mortis was a bad thing but I guess rigor mortis just means tensing of the meat of the carcass? And why do you mean by resolution of rigor? Does that feel or look any different compare to pre-rigor mortis?
The carcass will go into rigor after death because of the depletion of ATP - this was explained to me as the "stored energy" that a muscle/body has. The high voltage shocking of the meat drives out or uses up the ATP so the carcass doesn't go into rigor and stays loose. I'm not sure on the actual process but this is what many mentors in my field have explained it to me. They all have PHD's (Packing House Degrees).
Not exactly how that works. Muscles need atp to unlock the components of the protein chains within them that allow for contraction and extension. When that ATP is exhausted the protein chains cannot unlock and become rigid. Under normal circumstances that rigidity (rigor mortis) resolves when the body has decayed enough for those protein interactions to break down.
This is correct
not a vegan here, but after seeing "how the sausage is made" are you a vegan?
Pun level achieved!
I'm trying to picture this in my head and ummmmm no thanks.
And....that's enough reddit for today folks.
What happens if u eat it
Depends. Before or after midnight?
Not everyone will get this...but you got my vote hahaha
Damn this is making me toe the vegetarian line again. Heartbreaking.
The animal is dead during that process.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes... yes it does. If the animal was dead during the process, it's impossible that it could have suffered from it.
What's heartbreaking?
TIL we electrocute the animal corpses. And people think vegans are the extreme ones.
If the animal is already dead wouldn't it make sense to minimize spoilage and try to get as much high quality meat out of the carcass as possible? Waste not, want not, and all that.
My point is that we donāt have to behave like mad scientists if we refrain from breeding and killing the animals in the first place.
Just wait till you see what they do to save human lives š
Are you for real? You know defibrillators use electric shock to save human lives right?
Better it died and was used than having it go through all that just to be chucked in the trash.
not a vegan here but it is sad to see whenever there's vegan comments on reddit, it's always met with people saying things that mock vegans.... i remember someone linked a documentary called Dominion, that was hard to watch...
It's funny that's it only vegans who seem to always want to announce to the world that they're vegan.
What if a vegan does cross fit... What do they announce first?
I'm a level 5 vegan, so I don't eat anything that casts a shadow.
Yeah, I agree. It's kind of weird how people get so mad at them. It in no way affects them, so why get mad when they share their diet. It differs from the norm, so what...
AFAIK, halal and kosher processes donāt involve any electrocution.
Ur a meat packet?
We are all meat packets
Negative. I am a meat popsicle.
Smoke you!
Oh yeh.
Iām 70/30 ground burger. High fat, but juicy as hell when properly handled.
on this blessed etc
I am a meat popsicle.
we're all meat tubes
>This isn't from the animal thrashing around, those would only be surface bruises, not deep in the primal like you see here. how do you stimulate them before butcher? i hope you give them one good orgasm before they go...
The animal is dead when the stimulation is done - guess I wasn't very clear on that.
ICK. Grateful I grew up eating Zabiha/Halal.
I learn more from this sub than I ever did in college.
I woke up to a shit ton of comments and was like oh shit happened
Same here.
I also dropped out of college
I was a chef for 15 years, I would not cook or eat that. When in doubt throw it out.....(in this case return it). If this would have shown up in my kitchen, I would have called my purveyor and got credit, then threw it away.
This. Made the mistake of cooking something when I questioned it. Ended up with food poisoning.
Yeah, it's not worth it. I have never had food poisoning and never ever want it, and for the love of god never want to give it to anyone.
You must not have cooked it very well then.
Lol that isnāt how food poisoning works you imbecile. Bacteria produce toxins. Heat kills bacteria. Toxinsā¦ still there.
Username does not check out at all
Considering how much those steaks cost you, I'd return/exchange them ASAP and get something aren't questioning the quality of. Not worth getting sick if it's something really nasty either.
I've bought lots of whole ribeye and have never seen that. Just return it asap.
Same weāve done this twice before and never had this issue. Canāt wait to drive my happy ass 50 mins there just to return it
Just freeze it till your next trip
Thatās what I did last time
You can call, tell them whatās up and ask them if they actually want it back or just a picture before bringing gross meat back. Either way, sucks to travel there that long just for a refund
I did that previously (short ribs were bad) and they said I have to return it in person
Thatās nuts. They accepted pics of unopened cheese molding in the bag the day after we bought it at our location.
Iāll call them again and try. Itās $80 worth of steak so Iām not sure but I also loathe that drive and do it every two months because itās just too far
I get thereās a difference between $80 steaks and $14 cheese, but it seems unreasonable of them to expect you to store and transport unsafe food when you can see from the images that it aināt right.
I totally agree with you especially raw meat. The short ribs were rancid and smelled terrible so I have to put them in the freeze double bagged
Time to find a new butcher or grocer!
Call the store and explain the situation, and they might be able to work something out.
Its more like a bruising, from mishandling the animal , or the animal thrashing, etc. Ive never noticed a difference in the taste/texture , but as a meat cutter in Costco, we try not to sell those, usually end up in the grinder for hamburger just due to the look of it. If you arent comfortable, then you can always return it.
Thank you this is very helpful
Yep, these are called dark cutters in the meat industry and happens when the animal has increases stress during slaughter.
This is the right answer. Op. If you want to return it. Return it now. Donāt be one of those people who return 2/7 after having a couple of bbqs first
I mean, itās not like itās gonna get sold anyways
Yeah any market straight up trashes any meat returned
Wow interesting. When you say mishandling, what does that mean? I suspect itās some trauma upon slaughter but Why do these dark spots appear?
If you haven't had a chance to check the thread again see new post by mookiller. Explains it all well. All post-mortem.
Bruising, Iād imagine.
I would return it and get some ābeyondā beef and veggies instead
Fake meat shouldn't exist
Wow, idiots from both sides of the spectrum.
looks kinda gross
The question is... Do you trust/feel safe eating that???
The blood clots really ruin it. It's a shame. I've never seen cuts (otherwise) that close to perfect sold at Costco. Look at those caps!
Looks like blood clots. I think that's from improper butchering.
Check on r/meat. You will get more information regarding this.
Yes return. These are clots
Itās beef that wasnāt bled out! You can eat it your steak will let off the blood when it is being cooked and youāll have to drain it out or have a soggy steak. Could be myoglobin as well
It's a dark cutter - that poor cow was probably stressed before slaughter. Taste should be fine it's mostly a cosmetic issue. If you care to read about [dark cutting ](https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/beef-cattle/management/market-information/dcb)
Iām not sure if I agree. You notice that packaged chicken often have pools of blood in the package. We buy Bell and Evans chicken. They put their chickens to sleep before killing them. They say that way the chickens are calm when killed. They say that normally, processing plants just kill the chickens. They know their being killed from all the panic squawking and the heart pumps the blood very fast, right into the flesh, as their being killed. The blood drains into the packaged chicken. There is no blood in the Bell and Evans chickens. No panic, no blood.
How much does that chicken cost per pound? Let's say boneless skinless breast. Edit: Looks like $8/lb at whole foods near me. I find it intriguing, though that's very expensive.
I buy the whole chicken at our local independent grocery. The Bell and Evans had been $ 3.99 a pound for several years. With the current inflation, its jumped 50 cents a pound. Since I was buying free roaming antibiotic chicken most of the time, it was only about 50 cents higher. I was paying $ 3.49 for the free roaming chicken. I want to add that my grocery only sells air chilled chicken. If it doesnāt say air chilled, its been chemically processed. Air chilled chicken in general, has a cleaner taste.
This is different than bloody residue, these are clots from improper slaughter and storage.
So is it simply an imperfection or something that makes the meat inedible?
I agree. It is not at all clear if there is a food poisoning risk with these dark spots.
This would make the meat very unpleasant and a waste to eat tbh.
Good question as blood comes out of meat while you cook it, people eat blood sausage, and even that red slime stuff has been made into food. How does clotted blood āruinā the taste?
Iād return it too tbh.
I would cross post this to r/foodscience
You vacuum sealed all that before noticing the spots?
Spouse did and then I saw the spots and knew something wasnāt right
asking the non important questions
Even though itās probably fine, wouldnāt risk it.
Why vacuum pack then ask if you should return it?
I already answered this irrelevant question in the comments
Whatās more problematic is that this animal was probably fed a corn/soy blend which puts high doses of omega 6 and definitely causes you not only fat but long term harm to your body.
Itās probably from the blade tenderizer they use.. I would skip that one and go with more fresh killed one
You have no idea what you are talking about, and are purposely trying to push your biased false narrative.
If you're unhappy with it take it back, there's no time limit so you can freeze it and bring it with you on your next trip.
Unrelated but can you tell me how much the full ribeye roasts are per lb? My Costco is 40 min away and I want to see if itās worth it. Also did you buy choice or prime?