Steak Tartare
Feb 16, 2011 | 7:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,573
I'm not 100% sure but I would care to guess that that $5.99 salmon wrapped in plastic at Safeway is safely eatable raw as long as you follow guidelines to kill potential parasites in it (ie. Freeze it for a few days). Might or might not taste that great but it shouldn't give you the runs if you eat it raw.
Feb 16, 2011 | 8:05 pm
#17
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,573
Feb 16, 2011 | 8:14 pm
#18
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 4,449
Wanna try it first?
I'm not 100% sure but I would care to guess that that $5.99 salmon wrapped in plastic at Safeway is safely eatable raw as long as you follow guidelines to kill potential parasites in it (ie. Freeze it for a few days). Might or might not taste that great but it shouldn't give you the runs if you eat it raw.
Feb 18, 2011 | 10:14 am
#19
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Safety wise, how the meat has been processed is more important than the cut (which comes down to personal preference, can't say raw meat appeals at all, but tenderness, taste, etc. is not a safety issue) The 'cut' of meat you buy needs to not to have come into contact with any of the (for want of a better word) poop during processing (as the cow is cut open, it can 'splash' on to other bits of meat). The meat is washed, but not to the degree it would kill nasties such as e.coli, so meat for steak tartare must have been very carefully processed from slaughter on. Another way some restaurants minimize (but not eliminate) the risk, is by cutting off the outer parts of the big slab of meat, and using that for cooked products, keeping the centre for the tartare, but isn't foolproof as the knife, board etc. can all contaminate.
Long and short, I probably wouldn't trust an unknown butcher to give me the product I would want for tartare, and instead would work on developing a relationship with a butcher back home, who can tell me the cow's name if I wanted to know!
Long and short, I probably wouldn't trust an unknown butcher to give me the product I would want for tartare, and instead would work on developing a relationship with a butcher back home, who can tell me the cow's name if I wanted to know!
Then you'll have a nice chunk of steak that if more or less uncontaminated. I mean, more or less. You can't ever be 100% certain.
BTW, I love tartare. The very best I've had on a regular basis was at Balthazar in NYC. Superb.
Also, horse tartare (popular in Belgium and France) is to die for, but it benefits a little from extra egg yolk etc. as the meat is extremely lean.
Feb 20, 2011 | 2:43 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,863
You eat a rare steak, right?
Most of the dangers of contaminated meat are ones that reside on the surface. yes, there are some that do not, but in many cases those aren't going to be killed by cooking, anyway. The reason why hamburg is so dangerous raw is that in the grinding the surface is cut up and chopped into the rest of the meat, thereby contaminating everything.
The safest way to handle tartare is to sear the outside of the beef, then quickly freeze it so you can slice that off. You can also do the Lemon Juice/seviche thing, and cut that off as well, although I would hink that would be slightly more risky. Then again, the risk is relative - has vastly more to do with the meat handling, and if it is something you would pick up just on the surface, chances are cooking isn't going to save you.
Most of the dangers of contaminated meat are ones that reside on the surface. yes, there are some that do not, but in many cases those aren't going to be killed by cooking, anyway. The reason why hamburg is so dangerous raw is that in the grinding the surface is cut up and chopped into the rest of the meat, thereby contaminating everything.
The safest way to handle tartare is to sear the outside of the beef, then quickly freeze it so you can slice that off. You can also do the Lemon Juice/seviche thing, and cut that off as well, although I would hink that would be slightly more risky. Then again, the risk is relative - has vastly more to do with the meat handling, and if it is something you would pick up just on the surface, chances are cooking isn't going to save you.
Feb 23, 2011 | 9:27 am
#21
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,595
A way to improve you chances of not dying from e-coli is to buy a large chunk of meat, cut of 1/4-1/8 inch pieces from all sides while constantly sterilizing the knife.
Then you'll have a nice chunk of steak that if more or less uncontaminated. I mean, more or less. You can't ever be 100% certain.
BTW, I love tartare. The very best I've had on a regular basis was at Balthazar in NYC. Superb.
Also, horse tartare (popular in Belgium and France) is to die for, but it benefits a little from extra egg yolk etc. as the meat is extremely lean.
Then you'll have a nice chunk of steak that if more or less uncontaminated. I mean, more or less. You can't ever be 100% certain.
BTW, I love tartare. The very best I've had on a regular basis was at Balthazar in NYC. Superb.
Also, horse tartare (popular in Belgium and France) is to die for, but it benefits a little from extra egg yolk etc. as the meat is extremely lean.
The searing the outside would work better, but then, frankly, that is a rare or blue steak, not tartare.