FOOD Meat Plumping Water Added To Raw Meat

[Rabbit]

Our grocery store meat is injected with water and sometimes brine it makes the meat juicier and of course, the added weight costs us more. This is all done for the consuming public benefit. (snark) This article is about beef but they do it to pork and chicken also.

The reason I'm posting about this now is that I am angry and burned. I was cooking bacon this morning and there was so much water in it that it was popping hot grease all over the place and I got it right in my face. I am burned between my eyes and it is really sore, it even splashed on my foot. My glasses protected my eyes. I figure I took one in the name of American greedy meat processors.

the water in your meat
WHAT IS PLUMPING?

Think your 'enhanced' meat is better than the rest? Think again - meat producers are giving you a little 'extra' in the form of water.

While the practice of 'enhancing', 'injecting' or 'plumping' has been around since the 1970s, particularly in the chicken industry, it is becoming a subject of concern in recent years. While many believe injecting meat with salt water helps give the product some added juiciness, there are some unpleasant truths about this practice.
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ENHANCED?
what 'injected', 'enhanced' 'plumped' and 'brined' really means

The practice of injecting meat with saltwater has been around for many years but only recently have consumers become savvy to what it is and why it is done. While brining is a method of preparing meat before cooking, the problem comes in when producers do so without the knowledge of consumers. Meat producers will often cite the practice as ensuring meat stays juicy and flavourful during cooking but the truth is that most do it as a means of increasing the weight of the meat, thus being able to charge more for less product.

THE NEGATIVES
why you should be worried about injected meat

Besides the fact that you are paying extra for saltwater that doesn't actually enhance the meat you're eating, there are some negative health effects associated with injected meat. Firstly, since the product is being injected with a great deal of salt, this often causes consumers to far exceed their recommended daily intake of sodium (between 1500mg - 2300mg). Shockingly, a 100g piece of injected beef can contain up to 1800mg of salt. This is particularly worrisome in a country that has exceptionally high rates of hypertension - a condition that can be curbed by reducing salt intake.

Another issue is that the needles used to inject the liquids can push the bacteria on the surface of the meat further into the meat where it won’t necessarily be killed during the cooking process. Bacteria, such as E.coli, are often found on the surface of the meat and can cause severe illness if not prepared correctly. This leads to injected meat often being treated with other chemicals.

CHECK IT OUT
how to know if your meat has been injected or 'enhanced'

While chicken producers in South Africa are required by law to label whether products have been injected with saltwater, the beef industry has no such regulations in place. Look for a small piece of text which may read “Contains up to 15% broth”, “Contains a solution to enhancwe juiciness” or “Brine injected”. Note that terms such as ‘natural’, ‘fresh’ and ‘100% beef’ does not necessarily mean the meat hasn’t been plumped. If there is no specific information on the label, check if you see pink-coloured water in the bottom of refrigerated trays, it may mean the meat has been injected with water.

• Buyer’s Advice
• Beef & Your Health

• Doing Beef Right
• Buy Beefcor

https://www.knowyourbeef.co.za/buyers-advice/plumping/what-plumping-is-and-how-to-spot-it

 

[patriotgal]

Wally world labels say 20% water "solution" added to meats. Glad we butcher our own

 

[scheri]

I wrote an inventory management program for Catalina Foods before rollover. I was shocked when I found out what was put in the meat we all thought came straight from the farm. Not just water.

 

[SmithJ]

Yep, nothing new. Been that way for years.

 

[Sid Vicious]

What makes me mad is I pay extra to buy the non-pumped meat. Gotta buy the high end "organic free range grass fed etc" stuff to buy actual food.

 

[Millwright]

Butcher at a local store was saying that the ground meat at wallyworld was also, "gassed".

They grind their own in house.

He said to put some of both in the fridge and see how long it takes each to turn brown.

A quick mid-coffee search...

(snip)
Specifics
“Gas packing has no adverse nutritional or health issues through causing changes in the product. Food Safety in NZ and the FDA in the USA have approved gas packing but stipulate the levels that might be used.
“In the stated case with meat they have chosen the carbon dioxide and oxygen mix on the grounds that the oxygen is at a level to bloom the meat and carbon dioxide to balance out and extend the shelf life.This is offset by the cost of packaging and the marketing call this group has made versus another operator that relies on normal packaging, normal blooming and turnover of their shorter lshelf life product
“The real important issue, in my opinion, is the use of carbon monoxide. The FDA in the USA allow it at very low levels but in Europe (particularly Germany) carbon monoxide is not allowed on the grounds that there may be leakages on storage of quantities of the packaged product, so they state ‘why put the public at risk?’.”

Meat 'gassing' - what are the facts?

News reports within the last day or two have revealed that some of New Zealand's meat undergoes a process called 'gas flushing', in which carbon dioxide and oxygen are pumped into meat packaging to significantly lengthen the meat's shelf-life. Meats which have undergone the process, also called M

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz

 

[WalknTrot]

Nothing new...let the buyer beware. Buy your meat from stores/shops who sell a quality product.

Thing is...about 75% of the consuming public doesn't even know what real meat looks like or tastes like.

 

[TammyinWI]

Thanks for this informative thread. I never buy meat from Wal-mart, as I heard a long time ago what they do to it, including the gassing part. Ugh.

As for the OP, I would be mad, as well. Hope your burns heal quickly. You might want to get a splatter screen for the top of the pan- it might help, injected meat or not.

 

[straightstreet]

Rabbit, I cook our bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet. No mess and no popping grease.

 

[Sub-Zero]

Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger! May I take your order please?

 

[Melodi]

This started happening on a large scale in Ireland about 10 years ago, here it is either the saltwater or worse a sugar-water mixture used mostly on pork products which are barely legible when you read the ingredients list. I got curious as to why fresh meat even had an "ingredients list" beyond "meat."

Then I did a bit of research and quickly discovered this practice is rampant in the meat industry (it isn't just Wallmart) and most consumer are (as I was) totally unaware their meat is being doctored and pumped full of water, and even people that knew some water was added were not aware how much or how many other chemicals were included in that water.

For ages, we bought most of our meat from the local butcher until he retired (he sometimes knew the names of the cows) and we use his shop again now that he's come out of retirement a couple of days a week to "sort out" the mess his nephews made trying to be all "trendy" with "preprepared foods" and the like.

But mostly we get our major meat from local farmers, we were already doing that off and on for years but we got serious about after the water levels in the meat hit the point where we too were getting water-oil splatters when trying to "fry" a pork chop or a piece of steak.

I think over time the producers got greedy and they currently have issues (especially in the US) but there is a point of diminishing return, most customers don't want so much water in their meat that they can't cook it properly and they will likely choose other products.

Personally, I think the adding of salt or sugar water to meat without making it very-very clear that is going on, the percentage of water, the amounts of salt or sugar, etc; should be banned.

Let people choose to eat it if they want to, but they should have that information handy.

On another front, this is one reason why children, teens, and some adults when switched to an organic diet think the meat "tastes funny" for a few weeks because there is no added salt or sugar water.

 

[WalknTrot]

My butcher shop does some fresh pre-spiced dry rub variants for people who don't have the time or talent to do their own, and I must admit they are sometimes masters (and local award winners) of very beautifully seasoned meat, but again, it's dry rub. (I adore their Montreal-spiced chops..and the rascals won't tell me their secret!) They have way more pride in their product than to inject water based "marinade" into the quality meat they sell - they'd be out of business in a week.

 

[ShadowMan]

Wally world labels say 20% water "solution" added to meats. Glad we butcher our own.

EXACTLY!! and isn't it amazing just how much better the grass feed, non-antibiotic, non-hormone, non-adulterated meat tastes over store bought?!?!

My butcher shop does some fresh pre-spiced dry rub variants for people who don't have the time or talent to do their own...

Just how much time and talent does it take to dry rub meat? There are sooooo many spice rubs out there these days, you could try a different one every night and it would take you months and months before you'd use the same one again.
Geeeez talk about lazy.

 

[Red Baron]

EXACTLY!! and isn't it amazing just how much better the grass feed, non-antibiotic, non-hormone, non-adulterated meat tastes over store bought?!?!

Just how much time and talent does it take to dry rub meat? There are sooooo many spice rubs out there these days, you could try a different one every night and it would take you months and months before you'd use the same one again.
Geeeez talk about lazy.

Yum!

I have a paprika based home made spice rub I use for smoked meats. Even works great for seasoned french fries.

 

[Melodi]

I think many people when first learning to cook (and huge numbers of people learn that as full adults, look at what happened with COVID) find having pre-rubbed meat or other "partly" prepped item to "cook" is a great intermediate step before "risking" doing their own.

 

[Meemur]

Our grocery store meat is injected with water and sometimes brine it makes the meat juicier and of course, the added weight costs us more.

Yes, this practice has been going on for years. It's also why some who are sensitive to sodium will immediately lose 3 - 5 pounds when they quit eating meat injected with a sodium solution.

I've had to cut back on my meat consumption and buy the best meat I can, either directly from farmers or at some "organic" grocers where I know where the meat is coming from and how it is processed. Some so-called organic grocers play games, too!

Thanks for posting this article. There are a lot of folks who have high blood pressure that is influenced by sodium intake and don't realize that this is one of the potential problematic sources.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

When buying meat, beef check out the color of the fat. It should be white or close to it. If it is an off pink the meat could have been dyed.

If two different pieces of touch they go a brownish color on the surface. This is normal and it's still safe to eat. It loses a lot of it's eye appeal to customer and is why old fashion butchers put sheets of paper between each cut or wrapped them individually.

 

[AlfaMan]

Note to self-don't read this thread when you haven't had anything to eat so far today........

I don't like the idea if injecting brine into meats. We simply don't need all that extra salt! That's what irritates me when the missus watches cooking shows. Every time some celebrity chef "creates another amazing meat dish" they don't just sprinkle the meat with salt; they pour it on by the handful. "Flavorful" is one thing, but I like to taste meat, not salt. If I wanted to eat a salt shaker I'd grab one off the table and start munching.

The gassing of the meat....I can understand the intent. Extend the shelf life. Keeps it from turning brown, I don't have a problem with that. As long as it's sold before it goes bad rather than after.

Food technology is fascinating; there are so many different techniques used to make food healthier, safer and easier to store. As long as it's natural ingredients instead of chemicals I say go for it. Food irridation-doesn't leave any residual radiation and kills off organisms without the use of all these fun chemical concoctions.

 

[Red Baron]

Note to self-don't read this thread when you haven't had anything to eat so far today........

I don't like the idea if injecting brine into meats. We simply don't need all that extra salt! That's what irritates me when the missus watches cooking shows. Every time some celebrity chef "creates another amazing meat dish" they don't just sprinkle the meat with salt; they pour it on by the handful. "Flavorful" is one thing, but I like to taste meat, not salt. If I wanted to eat a salt shaker I'd grab one off the table and start munching.

The gassing of the meat....I can understand the intent. Extend the shelf life. Keeps it from turning brown, I don't have a problem with that. As long as it's sold before it goes bad rather than after.

Food technology is fascinating; there are so many different techniques used to make food healthier, safer and easier to store. As long as it's natural ingredients instead of chemicals I say go for it. Food irridation-doesn't leave any residual radiation and kills off organisms without the use of all these fun chemical concoctions.

In a rare display of candor, I saw one cooking show where the chef says he salts his food only when it is ready to serve. He said the flavor is "brighter" and less salt is ultimately needed.

Way, way, way, too many cooking shows have the chef adding salt to every stage of the food preparation.

 

[zeker]

"Personally, I think the adding of salt or sugar water to meat without making it very-very clear that is going on, the percentage of water, the amounts of salt or sugar, etc; should be banned. "

this reminds me of 'butterball' turkeys

that aint butter they are injecting

'butterball'' is just a trade name

 

[KFhunter]

My meat is not plumped!
(that didn't sound right)


I grow or hunt my own meats

 

[vestige]

Tip of the iceberg.

I have a family member that was a USDA meat inspector at two plants in Louisville for 41 years.

Chicken producers have their chickens transported to market. They are paid on the basis of weight.

Prior to shipping to market the chickens are fed small amounts of arsenic in their daily rations. This causes them to consume large amounts of water prior to shipping increasing their weight. This also increases the income of the chicken producer.

Yes. USDA allowed a certain level of arsenic present in the tested chicken meat.

Years ago I read an article titled:

The Vegetarian Rancher. (I think that's correct)

Damned near made me go to wild game only.

 

[WalknTrot]

Just how much time and talent does it take to dry rub meat? There are sooooo many spice rubs out there these days, you could try a different one every night and it would take you months and months before you'd use the same one again.
Geeeez talk about lazy.

Secret ingredients and proportions that win them trophies that are taller than I am.

 

[vessie]

And you can taste it in the meat too.

They're not fooling me! V

 

[cyberiot]

In a rare display of candor, I saw one cooking show where the chef says he salts his food only when it is ready to serve. He said the flavor is "brighter" and less salt is ultimately needed.

Way, way, way, too many cooking shows have the chef adding salt to every stage of the food preparation.

Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, is a vigorous over-salter. I love her recipes, but always reduce the amount of salt she specifies by at least half.

Once your palate gets used to less salt, a lot of prepared and prepackaged foods taste way too salty. Canned soup, especially.

 

[Seeker22]

I read the thread title this morning before I was awake and it said Plumbing Water.
The actual stuff in the article is just as bad. I hate greedy merchants.

 

[Murt]

I was expecting a Michael Moore joke by now

 

[summerthyme]

Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, is a vigorous over-salter. I love her recipes, but always reduce the amount of salt she specifies by at least half.

Once your palate gets used to less salt, a lot of prepared and prepackaged foods taste way too salty. Canned soup, especially.

Oh, yeah! I automatically cut the salt in recipes by 1/2... it's easy enough to add a bit at the table if necessary. We haven't bought/eaten commercial canned soup in at least 20 years. All commercial food products taste way too salty to us.

Summerthyme

 

[Red Baron]

Lately, it is almost impossible to actually get ground beef browned due to the water content. One winds up with a sodden greyish blob of meat in the pan.

The meat just steams in a ever growing puddle of water and fat.

When I make a few quarts of chili I use 50% lean ground chuck (or sirloin) along with 50% lean ground turkey. Make sure the meats don't have water added. I'll brown the lean meats with 6-8 strips of diced bacon. That seems to work fine and adds a lot of flavor.

 

[ainitfunny]

That has been going on since meat started being sold.

 

[Orion Commander]

Cooks Country on PBS said their preferred way to cook bacon is to start it in a small amount of water. As the water evaporated the bacon crisped up nicely.

Yeah I try to avoid water added meat as much as possible.

I was happy when I found the salt can be left out when canning. When we do salt it's 1/2 the amount called for.

 

[Meemur]

Cooks Country on PBS said their preferred way to cook bacon is to start it in a small amount of water. As the water evaporated the bacon crisped up nicely.

I bake mine in the oven on a wire rack over a baking tray (lined with foil) for 375 for around 25 minutes. It comes out perfectly crisp.

 

[Orion Commander]

I bake mine in the oven on a wire rack over a baking tray (lined with foil) for 375 for around 25 minutes. It comes out perfectly crisp.

And the best part is when you use the grease it is clear when you pour it off. Makes the best eggs.

 

[Babs]

Rabbit, I cook our bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet. No mess and no popping grease.

That is what I do also, although our bacon is beef bacon. It gets evenly browned and crisp. The most excellent way to cook it.

 

[thompson]

In a rare display of candor, I saw one cooking show where the chef says he salts his food only when it is ready to serve. He said the flavor is "brighter" and less salt is ultimately needed.

Way, way, way, too many cooking shows have the chef adding salt to every stage of the food preparation.

I've always cooked that way, or omit it entirely and the end user is responsible for salting to their taste. I like some salt, but others in the family either liked it lots saltier or didn't want salt at all.

 

[Smoke]

I had a pound of ground Honeysuckle White Turkey breast, after cooking it, there was no grease but it weighed 10 ounces, so I figured there was 6 ounces of water in it.

 

[Digger]

We always bought meat at Harps when we don't buy from a local farmer because it was not injected. Since the pandemic it is a crap shoot. Josh sells what they send him, but we can tell the difference. Our ground chuck had water added. The patties we made shrank a lot, but there wasn't a lot of grease in the pan when done. Some is injected, some isn't. Some is gassed I guess. It is an artificial red. We never buy that meat. I need to get a deer this year I guess.

 

[Melodi]

If you are lucky enough to have a shop with a real butcher counter and/or a real butcher, you can have the occasional burger without this problem by buying round steak and asking them to grind it for you.

We do this with our local butcher now that he's out of retirement (we didn't trust the nephews) and he will always let us know if that isn't possible because he's just ground turkey that day but will give us a time and day he can do it for us and/or he does it in front of me.

That's because he knows that one of Nightwolf's favorite foods is steak tartar done with "minced" aka "ground" beef and the only safe way to do that is to either grind the meat yourself or have the butcher do it in a clean/beef the only grinder - because of the problems with e-coli.

I still remember just before I got married (about 27 or 28 years ago) hearing about the "new" practices in beef plants to make meat "cheaper and more efficient" and an executive of one of the companies was asked if they were going to stop after a number of children and adult died from contaminated meat, and he said:

"No Americans will just have to learn to eat beef cooked well done, just like they do with pork."

Basically, human deaths and food contamination were built into the "system" which is in my mind even worse then the horrible abuses of the early 20th century (read the book The Jungle but not before meals) because at least back then, the problems were less well understood.

They knew people could get sick from really old rancid meats, but a lot of the other problems handn't been discovered yet.

 

[waterdog]

Butterball turkeys came up with water injection and butter flavoring. Back in the 80s I sold for a wholesale meat outfit and our turkeys were fresh natural no water added. It was easy to over cook my product and dry it out. For most cooks they were better off buying butterball. We also offered an excellent "patty-mix" hamburger product it had soy meal and water, when grilling the water would boil off and the soy would soak up the grease the taste was wonderful and it was 30cts per pound cheaper than our 80/20 ground beef. My biggest seller though was 85/15 choice ground chuck I sold thousands of pounds a week of this. Worst seller was 90/10 ground round. 4 state regional sales Texas New Mexico Oklahoma Kansas in the early 80s. Federally inspected plant you could eat off our floors. Cleanest place I ever worked.