# Water for the price of meat... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431 "2001-09-13T20:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/1 "2001-09-13T20:22:17Z")
I’m convinced that butchers are adding water when they grind beef. I know ham is processed with added water, and I guess someone figgered if it works with ham… I just browned a pound of 8% fat ground beef for spaghetti sauce. I expected I’d drain a minimal amount of fat from the pan. I sucked up about 5 ounces of liquid - and I’m sure most of it is water. So, I paid $2.89/lb for water. Not to mention how it throws off the proportions of my recipe. I’m ticked, but not enough to rant in the pit. So I ask ya - is your beef waterlogged? ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/2 "2001-09-14T20:18:10Z")
Thanks for sharing this! I thought I was the only one worrying about it… It might sound stupid but I am French and before moving in this country and cooking some groud meat here, I have never seen water coming out of meat like that !!(or not that much!) I thought it was very odd… So I guess you’re right… they must do something to it when they ground it cause it is just not normal! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/3 "2001-09-14T20:37:10Z")
Not being a big ground beef person, I can’t really help. But you should try a little experiment. Most groceries I go to have a meat department where they’ll grind the meat for you per order. Get a pound this way, and a pound in the display. Brown both pounds seperately and compare the byproducts. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/4 "2001-09-14T21:28:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\*I’m convinced that butchers are adding water when they grind beef. I know ham is processed with added water, and I guess someone figgered if it works with ham… > > I just browned a pound of 8% fat ground beef for spaghetti sauce. I expected I’d drain a minimal amount of fat from the pan. I sucked up about 5 ounces of liquid - and I’m sure most of it is water. > > So, I paid $2.89/lb for water. Not to mention how it throws off the proportions of my recipe. > > I’m ticked, but not enough to rant in the pit. So I ask ya - is your beef waterlogged? \*\* A diet book I just read says to count on meat, fish, and poultry to shrink in weight by 25% when cooked. If true, that would account for the liquid. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/5 "2001-09-14T21:40:06Z")
I seem to remember discussing this a bit in various threads about [Aged Beef](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=37510). > [@](#): > > \*\*If you freeze your beef and then thaw it you will find even more fluid due to cellular rupture from freezing. > > Water is sometimes added to cheap ground beef however to increase its weight. My father has seen it with his own eyes, the butcher was putting beef into the grinder and adding water with a pitcher and alternating. Ever pick up ground beef to make a hamburger and squeezed about a half cup of water out of 1/4 pound? Too much for cellular breakdown if you ask me.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/6 "2001-09-14T21:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanBlather \* > \*\*A diet book I just read says to count on meat, fish, and poultry to shrink in weight by 25% when cooked. If true, that would account for the liquid. \*\* I’ve been cooking for maybe 35 years, and browning ground beef more times than I could count. I’ve never had as much stuff come out while browning as I do these days. In fact, the liquid I siphoned off yesterday yielded just a tiny bit of congealed fat and the rest is decidedly watery. I _never_ encountered such a thing in years past… But the spaghetti sauce was tasty nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/7 "2001-09-14T21:52:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by DanBlather \* > > \*\*A diet book I just read says to count on meat, fish, and poultry to shrink in weight by 25% when cooked. If true, that would account for the liquid. \*\* > > I’ve been cooking for maybe 35 years, and browning ground beef more times than I could count. I’ve never had as much stuff come out while browning as I do these days. In fact, the liquid I siphoned off yesterday yielded just a tiny bit of congealed fat and the rest is decidedly watery. I _never_ encountered such a thing in years past… > > But the spaghetti sauce was tasty nonetheless. \*\* Boy now I am pissed too. If butchers add water to ground beef then it seems it should be listed as an ingredient. Maybe you have a good class action suit. On a related note, my local store adds some kind of brine solution to all their pork. They state that on the package, but I think it tastes gross. Same thing for turkeys. ---
**Author:** ![rundogrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5daacb/32.png) [@rundogrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rundogrun)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/8 "2001-09-14T21:54:13Z")
Personally, I like to grind my own beef (no, that is NOT some vaguely sexual reference). But it does result in a coarser grind which makes a damn fine, e. coli-free hamburger. Plus, you get to monitor the quality without that damn water, which I too have found. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/9 "2001-09-14T22:15:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*Not being a big ground beef person, I can’t really help. But you should try a little experiment. Most groceries I go to have a meat department where they’ll grind the meat for you per order. Get a pound this way, and a pound in the display. Brown both pounds seperately and compare the byproducts. \*\* May help a little, but not much - they also spray water on the regular beef as well. Haven’t you noticed the wet paper under most meat? They inject water into poultry as well. Your only chance is to find a local butcher that you can trust not to do this - almost all of the major chains do this. I’m not sure, but I don’t think beef is normally that bright red color, either. ---
**Author:** ![WEW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@WEW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WEW)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/10 "2001-09-14T22:30:31Z")
IANAL, but I did work in the grocery biz for about 6 years. IIRC, unless it is specificaly stated on the label/package/whatever, it is illegal to add weight to any meat (or item sold by the pound) by any means. I agree that GB that has been frozen will exude more liquid than fresh. We used to make GB so lean that you had to add some sort of fat to the pan or it would stick. I’ve never heard of it, other than in a name brand pork line, and a name brand chicken packer. In both cases, it was clearly marked on the package. ``` I would contact the BBB, or better, if there is an investigative reporter in your town, give them a call. If they are doing it, it is a big no-no ``` ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-for-the-price-of-meat/81431/11 "2001-09-14T23:23:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WEW \* > \*\*…or better, if there is an investigative reporter in your town, give them a call. If they are doing it, it is a big no-no \*\* I thought about doing just this… off I go to Channel 12’s website…