Lean Fine Textured Beef

dagame27

The usage of LFTB (Pink Slime) has begun to become more known due to recent news reports such as the one contained in the link below. Note that not all FTB processes use ammonia as an antibacterial. I am asking the board: Does this change your perception, or will it change your consumption patterns of ground beef? It's quite amazing that this process has been in use for 17 years and is only now becoming common knowledge.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headline...ns-pink-slime/

zane77

My neighbors are all ranchers and I buy my beef from them. They have it all custom butchered, so you just have to know your butcher.

SolidSqual

I still go to the Polish butcher down the street. I've known him since birth. He's a local treasure. But damn, I bet he's about 85 now. I hope he has some family to carry on the tradition.

tonyb

I also started buying meat from a butcher. Better quality, more choice. Tad more expensive but like everything, you get what you pay for.

WilliamM2

The local grocery store chain I shop at still grinds their own ground beef on site, so I'm not concerned about that. And when I eat out, I never order a hamburger, I can make that at home better than they can.

BTW, I get a 404 error on that link.

dagame27

WilliamM2 wrote: »

The local grocery store chain I shop at still grinds their own ground beef on site, so I'm not concerned about that. And when I eat out, I never order a hamburger, I can make that at home better than they can.

BTW, I get a 404 error on that link.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/70-percent-of-ground-beef-at-supermarkets-contains-pink-slime/

I have attached the updated link. By the way, a store that grinds its own ground beef may still be adding LFTB. It does not need to be labeled according to the USDA.

brgman

I buy sides of beef from friends also.I was raised on a farm and we had our own beef steers.
There is nothing like beef raised on a corn and molasses feed and grazing grass fed.
yum,off to the freezer!

mrbigbluelight

dagame27 wrote: »

The usage of LFTB (Pink Slime) has begun to become more known

Is it possible to get that slime in a color other than pink ? Something in a ... oh, burgundy or magenta ?
I have rather sophisticated tastes.

brgman

I used to call on a turkey plant for work and they made the same crap out of "leftovers" that came out of a 4 inch tube and it was light pink.They use it to make turkey dogs.
I haven't even considered eating a turkey dog since that first time i saw it.
Pork is the same.Someone told me once that they use everything but the squeal out of a pig.
Remember the old George Carlin bit on hot dogs?Classic.

decal

This is nothing new, it's been going on for years. If people knew 1/10 about what went into their food, the would stop eating !!!!

tonyb

decal wrote: »

This is nothing new, it's been going on for years. If people knew 1/10 about what went into their food, the would stop eating !!!!

Exactly, and thats why they care not to know.

cfrizz

I pretty much gave up hamburger back in 2008 & substituted ground turkey. I will only have it once in a blue moon at a restaurant. But after watching that report, I might never eat another hambuger again! EWWWWW!:frown:

nooshinjohn

I think if we were to take a deep breath or two, we would find a militant vegetarian or two somewhere along the line in the production or editting of that video... I get ground chuck, and I make them do it fresh while I watch.

jbooker82

In the good ol days people butchered their own animals. They used everything brains, heart, liver, toung, tail. People now think that is grose, and wouldnt eat it by choice. So now they grind it up and feed it to you in your hamburger, and hot dogs.

Nothing still goes to waist because that would be wasted profits.

mhardy6647

We get all of our beef from these folks -
http://www.riverrockfarm.com/

Not cheap, but outstanding "organic" beef that also tastes great. We've been members of their winter and spring "Beef CSA" for the past three or four years. In the summer they sell at our town's local "farmers' market".

tonyb

Funny how Uncle Sam bought up 7 million tons of this stuff for....public school lunches. Kinda goes against the whole healthy eating agenda the 1st lady is pushing. Do as I say not as I do.....hmmm....and these are the same people your going to trust with your healthcare ? LOL !!!

Geoff4rfc

I do dig my lingua tacos (tongue), yeah baby, put it in a tortilla and anything goes!

Polkersince85

Do they still sell pickled pig's feet?

chumlie

Polkersince85 wrote: »

Do they still sell pickled pig's feet?

Ya know they do. Anyone enjoy a good hotdog lateley shouldn't be worried about the pink slime.

F1nut

I gave my mother a commerical meat grinder about 25 years ago so that she could make her own ground beef.

Syndil

I don't see anything worth being concerned over. I see a lot of people reacting to the sensationalist label of "pink slime," but it is still beef.

tonyb

Syndil wrote: »

I don't see anything worth being concerned over. I see a lot of people reacting to the sensationalist label of "pink slime," but it is still beef.

Depends on what you consider "beef".

Take your favorite steak and dip it in ammonia before tossing it on the grill.....you should have nothing to be concerned about.

jbooker82

I dont really call ligaments, and conective tissue beef. It is like beef flavored gelitan

tonyb

jbooker82 wrote: »

I dont really call ligaments, and conective tissue beef. It is like beef flavored gelitan

Exactly.....ok for dog food, but school lunches, ground beef....uh, no.

In all fairness though, on the pork side of things a hotdog is about the same. Maybe we just take our beef more seriously.

dagame27

jbooker82 wrote: »

In the good ol days people butchered their own animals. They used everything brains, heart, liver, toung, tail. People now think that is grose, and wouldnt eat it by choice. So now they grind it up and feed it to you in your hamburger, and hot dogs.

Nothing still goes to waist because that would be wasted profits.

None of that stuff is in ground beef or hot dogs. Actually, there is still a big market for byproduct. Heats and livers are predominantly export and tongue (lengua) is primarily for the hispanic markets.

dagame27

There are also two methods for creating LFTB. One is the method described by Jamie Oliver using ammonium hydroxide, which is used as an antimicrobial to reduce the risk of ecoli. The other is a more natural process using citric acid. For those with complaints on the ammonium, do you feel the same way if citric acid is used instead?

Syndil

Ammonia, citric acid... How much of it actually makes it into the finished product? Doesn't smell or taste like ammonia, obviously. It came from the cow, so it's still beef.

Seriously. You've all heard about the acceptable limits set by the FDA for rodent hairs and insect fragments in peanut butter. How is any of that acceptable? But do you still eat peanut butter?

This "pink slime" thing is just more of that nonsense. If they hadn't given it the nickname "pink slime," we wouldn't be talking about it right now.

dagame27

Syndil wrote: »

Ammonia, citric acid... How much of it actually makes it into the finished product? Doesn't smell or taste like ammonia, obviously. It came from the cow, so it's still beef.

Seriously. You've all heard about the acceptable limits set by the FDA for rodent hairs and insect fragments in peanut butter. How is any of that acceptable? But do you still eat peanut butter?

This "pink slime" thing is just more of that nonsense. If they hadn't given it the nickname "pink slime," we wouldn't be talking about it right now.

I agree. As for taste aspects, as long as it's below 25%, it's tasteless. As long as it's below 15%, the texture remains unchanged. I do think the industry was foolish in hiding this process for the last 17 years. It's an issue of sustainability. If 70% of ground beef is using LFTB at an approximate 15% implementation rate, that would be 10.5% more ground beef that we would have to produce. As it is, prices are soaring due to product shortages, as demand cannot be met. The world's population is growing and I don't think it wise to waste perfectly acceptable food sources.

rromeo923

brgman wrote: »

I buy sides of beef from friends also.I was raised on a farm and we had our own beef steers.
There is nothing like beef raised on a corn and molasses feed and grazing grass fed.
yum,off to the freezer!

Looks forward to a brgman cookout!! I will bring beer!

rebuy

"Soylent Green is people!"

Geoff4rfc

rebuy wrote: »

"Soylent Green is people!"

I loved that movie when I was in the 6th grade! Go Charlie Heston and those damned dirty apes!