I saw the below article on CNN and was a bit surprised I had never heard of this holiday tradition in the neighboring state of Wisconsin. Basically a sandwich made of raw hamburger with onions. Seems like an odd holiday tradition, though I guess it’s not that crazy of a concept, being similar to steak tartare. Which I’ve never had, but I have eaten kibbeh nayyeh (raw ground lamb) on several occasions in the past and enjoyed it.
What could be done to make raw ground meat safe to eat, anyway-- radiate it? Maybe clean the outside of the cut of meat in some kind of food-grade antibacterial wash before grinding it in a sterilized grinder?
Grew up in a Milwaukee burb. The guy across the street from us always had them at his holiday parties. His were more appetizer sized. Little slice of rye, smear of raw ground beef, raw onions, salt & pepper. I never tried one as a kid but I think my dad partook in the annual tradition.
Same here. I’ve never had one, but growing up, I saw a lot of them being eaten, usually at family gatherings (Christmas etc).
They never appealed to me. My dad can eat them. My mom probably wouldn’t but I’ve seen her eat raw ground beef many time to test seasoning in something (like meatballs) before she cooks them.
The funny thing is, that some people, like my dad, have extrapolated eating cannibal sandwiches to me the raw beef is ‘safe’. Just a few months ago I had to explain to him that he does, in fact, need to sanitize a counter after handling beef all over it. And, while it’s true, people do eat raw beef, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. So it was kind of funny when I saw this article the other day and showed it to him.
I agree and it’s the same reason I wouldn’t. However, my dad said, literally yesterday (and confirmed by the WPR article), that you need to get it the same day you’re eating it and make sure the butcher knows what you’re buying it for so they can grind it fresh and it’s not something that was ground days ago.
I’ve heard of them but never had one. Doesn’t sound all that appetizing, although I love steak tartare. But there is a big difference between hamburger and chopped prime beef!
Never had or heard of it, but I’d be intrigued. I’ve been scared of stuff like kitfo before, but I’ve since had it and it was great.
It really depends on how they’re making it. If they’re chopping up a whole steak, with a knife, I’d try it. OTOH if they’re just ripping open a package of ground beef from the supermarket and slapping it onto a bun, I’ll pass.
Native Wisconsinite here, ‘cannibal sandwiches’ are part of my heritage, generally raw hamburger smeared on rye bread, sometimes topped with onions. Very popular with the tavern crowd, at wedding receptions, even some memorial services.
Personally I’m not a fan, no longer indulge, not that I ever had many of them
I’ve had similar (including carpaccio, but also ground beef on bread with onions - I don’t think the bread was rye - and yes, openfaced) in fancy restaurants. (I’m in Minnesota) Making it safe means that all the tools you use to process your beef are sterilized, you beef is fresh, and you serve it quickly - you don’t want to buy processed hamburger and stick it on a plate. Like sushi, you want to trust your chef.
I wouldn’t do it with pork. Pork can contain trichinella. Its rare, since farmed pigs don’t tend to consume a lot of meat, but being omnivores, its possible.
Well, to start, don’t put 50,000 cows through the same meat grinder… one bad cow can spoil the whole batch, baby!
Obviously, keeping animals healthy to start with goes a long way to improving meat safety.
Free-range/organic meat MIGHT be safer for this purpose - a lot depends on the details of how the animals are kept and later slaughtered.
Scrupulous cleanliness in food prep, machinery, and food workers.
Small batch grinding with sanitizing of all surfaces and equipment between batches.
For the home cook - grind your own (observing proper handling and sanitation)
Hold off grinding meat until just prior to prepping and serving - contamination typically starts on the surface and the more surface you have the more potential issues. Ground meat is, for these purposes, all surface area.
Illinoian here who likes to visit Wisconsin as often as possible. But, yes, I’ve had that, tartare, kibbeh nayyeh, mett, carpaccio, yukhoe, kitfo, etc.
Bingo. Irradiation with x-rays or gamma rays would kill anything living inside or on the surface. It’s also reported to induce chemical changes, which affect the flavor, generally for the worse. Ultraviolet light can kill surface micro-organisms, but won’t penetrate inside.
I’ve heard of Cannibal Sandwiches, and of Steak Tartare, but I’ve also long been aware of the health dangers, so I’ve never been tempted.
Heck, I’m wary of sushi, ever since my mother’s boss got liver flukes from eating some (and that was in Japan, where they are careful about selection and preparation.)