Ground meat

Last updated
Ground meat in sausage making Sausage making-H-1.jpg
Ground meat in sausage making
Ground beef in an industrial grinder Ground beef USDA.jpg
Ground beef in an industrial grinder

Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, including pork, veal, lamb, goat meat, and poultry.

Contents

Dishes

Ground meat is used in a wide variety of dishes, by itself, or mixed with other ingredients. It may be formed into meatballs which are then fried, baked, steamed, or braised. They may be cooked on a skewer to produce dishes such as adana kebabı and ćevapi . It may be formed into patties which are then grilled or fried (hamburger), breaded and fried ( menchi-katsu , Pozharsky cutlet), or braised (Salisbury steak). It may be formed into meatloaves or pâtés and baked. It may also be used as a filling or stuffing for meat pies such as Shepherd's pie and böreks , and also as stuffing. It may be cooked and served as a hash or loosemeat. It may be made into meat sauce such as ragù, which in turn is used in dishes like pastitsio and moussaka, or mixed with sauce and served on a bun as a sloppy joe sandwich. It may also be cooked with beans, tomatoes, and/or spices to make chili con carne.

Indian subcontinent

Keema curry in a bun (pau), a popular Mumbai street food. Keema Pao with Hari Chutney.jpg
Keema curry in a bun (pau), a popular Mumbai street food.

In the Indian subcontinent, minced meat is used in a variety of dishes such as a stewed or fried curry dish of minced beef, mutton (i.e., goat meat or chevon) or other kinds of meat with green peas or potatoes. It usually includes ghee/butter, onions, garlic, ginger, chilis, and spices. Minced meat is called keema or qeema in the Indian subcontinent. [1] Keema can be grilled on a skewer and is then called seekh kebab, or it is used as a filling for samosas or naan.

The word ultimately comes from the Turkic word qıyma meaning 'minced meat', and is thus related to the Persian qeyme , Turkish kıyma, and Greek kimás. [2] [3]

Food safety

Ground meat has food safety concerns very different from whole cuts of meat. If undercooked, it can lead to food poisoning. [4] In a whole cut from an animal, the interior of the meat is essentially sterile, even before cooking; any bacterial contamination is on the outer surface of the meat. This is why, for example, it is typically safe for humans to consume steak that is cooked "rare" in such a way that the interior of the cut remains red in colour - the searing of the exterior of the meat is enough to kill any bacteria on the surface. However, when meat is ground, bacterial contamination from the surface can be distributed throughout the meat. If ground beef is not well cooked all the way through, there is a significant chance that enough pathogenic bacteria will survive to cause illness. Moreover, the warming will speed the reproduction of bacteria. [5] [6] Undercooked Jack in the Box hamburgers contaminated in this manner were responsible for four deaths and the illness of hundreds of people in 1993. [7]

To ensure the safety of ground meat distributed through the National School Lunch Program, food banks, federal food and nutrition programs, the United States Department of Agriculture has established food safety and quality requirements for the ground beef that it purchases. A 2010 United States National Research Council report reviewed the scientific basis of the Department's ground beef safety standards, evaluated how the standards compare to those used by large retail and commercial food service purchasers of ground beef, and looked at ways to establish periodic evaluations of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. [8] The report found that although the safety requirements could be strengthened using scientific concepts, the prevention of future outbreaks of food-borne disease will depend on eliminating contamination during production and ensuring meat is properly cooked before it is served. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef</span> Meat from cattle

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found in most hamburgers. Beef contains protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Along with other kinds of red meat, high consumption is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and coronary heart disease, especially when processed. Beef has a high environmental impact, being a primary driver of deforestation with the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any agricultural product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburger</span> Culinary dish consisting of a beef patty between rounded buns

A hamburger, or simply a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing, and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger. Under some definitions, and in some cultures, a burger is considered a sandwich.

<i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 Serotype of the bacteria Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a serotype of the bacterial species Escherichia coli and is one of the Shiga-like toxin–producing types of E. coli. It is a cause of disease, typically foodborne illness, through consumption of contaminated and raw food, including raw milk and undercooked ground beef. Infection with this type of pathogenic bacteria may lead to hemorrhagic diarrhea, and to kidney failure; these have been reported to cause the deaths of children younger than five years of age, of elderly patients, and of patients whose immune systems are otherwise compromised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offal</span> Internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal

Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.

Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince - often just generically referred to as mince or mincemeat, is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder, mincer or mincing machine. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, meatballs, kofta, burritos, and mince pies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak tartare</span> Starter dish composed of finely chopped raw meat

Steak tartare or tartar steak is a French dish of raw ground (minced) beef. It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to taste. It is commonly served topped with a raw egg yolk. It is similar to the Levantine kibbeh nayyeh, the Turkish çiğ köfte, the German Mett and the Korean yukhoe.

<i>Yukhoe</i> Korean raw meat dish that resembles a steak tartare

Yukhoe is a raw meat dish in Korean cuisine. It is most commonly made of beef but it can come in various kinds and cuts of meat.

XL Foods Inc. is a Canadian meat packing company. The company is a subsidiary of Nilsson Brothers Inc. based in Edmonton, Alberta. From 2009 until 2013, XL Foods' Lakeside Packers Division was located just west of Brooks, Alberta, in Newell County. This facility was the second largest beef-processing operation in Canada. During this period the company was by far the largest employer in Brooks, employing more than 2,200 people in 2012.

Raw meat generally refers to any type of uncooked muscle tissue of an animal used for food. In the meat production industry, the term ‘meat’ refers specifically to mammalian flesh, while the words ‘poultry’ and ‘seafood’ are used to differentiate between the tissue of birds and aquatic creatures.

Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strains of E. coli that can cause disease

Escherichia coli is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but pathogenic varieties cause serious food poisoning, septic shock, meningitis, or urinary tract infections in humans. Unlike normal flora E. coli, the pathogenic varieties produce toxins and other virulence factors that enable them to reside in parts of the body normally not inhabited by E. coli, and to damage host cells. These pathogenic traits are encoded by virulence genes carried only by the pathogens.

1992–1993 Jack in the Box <i>E. coli</i> outbreak Fast food disease outbreak

The 1992–1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak occurred when the Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium killed four children and infected 732 people across four US states. The outbreak involved 73 Jack in the Box restaurants in California, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada, and has been described as "far and away the most infamous food poison outbreak in contemporary history." The majority of the affected were under 10 years old. Four children died and 178 others were left with permanent injury including kidney and brain damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naem (food)</span> Thai fermented meat product

Naem is a pork sausage in Lao and Thai cuisine. It is a fermented food that has a sour flavor. It has a short shelf life, and is often eaten in raw form after the fermentation process has occurred. It is a popular Southeast Asian food, and different regions of Southeast Asia have various preferred flavors, including variations of sour and spicy. Naem is used as an ingredient in various dishes and is also served as a side dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mughlai paratha</span> Popular street food originated in Bengal

Mughlai paratha is a popular Bengali street food consisting of a flatbread (paratha) wrapped around or stuffed with keema and/or egg. It is believed to have originated in the Bengal Subah during the time of the Mughal Empire as a derivative of the Turkish Gözleme or the Yemeni Motabbaq. The dish is believed to be prepared for the royal court of Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo cuisine</span> Fusion of Indonesian and European cuisine

Indo cuisine is a fusion cooking and cuisine tradition, mainly existing in Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, South Africa and Suriname. This cuisine characterized of fusion cuisine that consists of original Indonesian cuisine with Eurasian-influences—mainly Dutch, also Portuguese, Spanish, French and British—and vice versa. Nowaday, not only Indo people consume Indo cuisine, but also Indonesians and Dutch people.

2024 McDonalds <i>E. coli</i> outbreak Fast food disease outbreak

The 2024 McDonald's E. coli outbreak is an ongoing outbreak involving contaminated slivered onions on Quarter Pounders sold at McDonald's stores in 14 U.S. states. At least 104 people have contracted Escherichia coli and one person has died.

References

  1. Hindustani: क़ीमा(Devanagari), قیمہ(Nastaliq), (pronounced [ˈqiːma] ); Bengali: কীমা.
  2. Platts, John (1884). A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co. p. 797. ISBN   81-215-0098-2.
  3. Oxford English Dictionary , s.v.
  4. "What Happens If You Eat Undercooked Ground Beef". cookinaw.com. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  5. Committee on the Review of the USDA E. coli O157:H7, "Farm-to-Table Process Risk Assessment", Slaughter Module in Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Ground Beef: Review of a Draft Risk Assessment, 2002, The National Academies Press, Washington, DC.
  6. Honikel, K. O., "Minced Meats", in Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences, Jensen, W. K., et al., eds., 2004, Elsevier, New York.
  7. Case Study: Jack in the Box E. coli crisis
  8. : National Research Council report An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase of Ground Beef Program
  9. The report in Brief An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase of Ground Beef Program