hamburger meat old on inside - red on the outside whats the deal repackaged by meat department ?

Answer 1

While that is a possibility (quite slim since any market found doing that will be shut down immediately), the answer to your question is a little bit easier. Meat, when packaged now in vaccuum seals, turns purple b/c oxygen isn't allowed to touch it. (verify this by asking to see a tube of coarse ground hamburger meat or an unopend top round). For example, when you get a steak home and open it up, it's red. If, however, you cut into the steak before you cook, 9 times out of 10 it will be purple inside. The process by which meat turns from the packaged 'purple' color to red is called 'blooming'. When meat is run through a grinder to make hamburger, the friction/introduction of oxygen in the machine forces all the meat to bloom. So, when a meat cutter packages it, it is red all the way through. Since the meat cutter has MANY other things to do other than grind all day (and most customers want it ready-to-go rather than wait for it to be ground), he/she will make a batch of burger at a time, usually just a little more than he/she thinks will sell w/i a 4 hour period. Sooo, to put it short, the burger probably isn't rewrapped, it simply has not had time to bloom between your opening the package and cooking. If you are Really worried, open up the package, break the burger apart, and let it sit 10 - 15 minutes. It should bloom. NOTE: hamburger that is green, black, or charcoal grey is NOT to be eaten. Green and black = old, rotten meat (for any beef). Gray is the step just above black. It is still edible, but all natural flavor is gone.

ETA: Hey, i just read the articles up there about carbon monoxide, etc, and want to point out that the picture of the packaged meat is from WALMART. This packaging was originally put in place so that hamburger meat will have a longer shelf life (7 days compared to fresh ground 1). Any meat that you see in a 'pillow pack' (the top is expanded and soft to the touch, much like a pillow. When you open it it pops.) is almost guaranteed to have this in it. Now, I like Walmart, and their frozen sea food is pretty good, but the flavor of their beef/pork is substandard compared to grocery stores who still employ in-store meat cutters. Welp, hope this helps.

Answer 2

Hi, Rosee: Not necessarily. Of course, if you're not sure, you should throw it out rather than risk it. The outer layer of ground beef is often dyed with food coloring to keep it looking attractively red and fresh on the grocery store shelves. The inside meat may not be treated that way, so, as the oxygen affects the meat, it may turn brown. Was the meat frozen before? That could also affect it, because the inner most meat might not be thoroughly thawed. FOr that matter, if it was frozen before and you thawed it in the microwave, there could be inconsistent coloring depending on how the heat permeated the meat. EIther way, like I said, don't eat it if you're unsure. But color alone isn't always an accurate indicator.

Answer 3

I wish I knew. I get meat like this all the time. I don't think the dark meat on the inside is healthy although I've never gotten sick from eating it. The USDA needs to put a stop to whatever is being done. I want a package of meat that is red all the way through. I'm paying for fresh meat and this is what I expect to get.

Answer 4

You are right. what they do is take the old hamburger and some of the old roast and steaks and grind it all together,so they can get rid of it , sometimes at a lower price. but the brown that you see on the inside will turn red in a few days so that you won't know the difference.

Answer 5

There are some supermarkets that actually coat some of their meat products with a red food coloring or the meat is treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresh and appetizing.

As always with meat, chicken and fish...let your nose be your guide.
We all can tell when something has gone bad.

Ok, here ya go...take a look at these articles:
http://www.newsnet5.com/station/9489372/detail.html
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400121