why a beef hindquarter can not be kosher?

Answer 1

I am Jewish, I keep Kosher - and I've attended Kashrus classes in my local synagogue.

There are several areas of the cow that can not be eaten (not Kosher) and it depends on the method of sh'chitah (the slaughter). For example, if an animal has been shot, injured, or is not ill - it is automatically not Kosher. the sh'chitah must be executed in a HUMANE way.

You might find the info below interesting, depending on how deeply your question means to you.

Here is a bit of trivia on the ritual of slaughtering, and the forbidden areas of the animal.


Any kosher animal or bird killed for food must be killed in a special way that we call "sh'chitah," ritual slaughtering. It can't be just killed. There are many, many Laws in the Torah about the proper way to do this killing, and it takes a great deal of training to learn how to do it properly.

And even then, many things can go wrong. For example, if the slaughtering knife had jagged edges, or even just one nick in the blade, and thus "tore" into the windpipe instead of cutting it smoothly. Another example is when the slaughter swivels the blade instead of cutting straight, or if he presses down instead of letting the blade do the work, or if he hesitates in the middle of cutting. These are just a few examples. There are many things that can go wrong even if the shochet (ritual slaughterer) knows what he is doing and usually does it well. and not all are the shochet's fault.

Okay, let's say the shochet is well-trained, is reliable, is a holy man who can be completely trusted and we can rely on him to schecht the cow properly. He will carefully check for the signs of disease that Jewish Law says would make a cow non-kosher. He has to check the lungs for holes, for example; he has to remove all clotted blood from any meat or poultry that is to be eaten.

He will also remove all the forbidden parts of the cow. Yes, believe it or not, the Torah forbids us to eat certain parts of a kosher cow, like the sciatic nerve; the peritoneum; various attachments to the liver, to the intestines, and to the skirt steaks; various membranes, and even some organs, even if everything else is kosher about the cow.

Answer 2

I have seen the new commercial that deals with you question. I am not Jewish but have read some of the dietary laws. This is only a guess and I hope an Orthodox Jew will help us on this. I believe it is because the hind quarter, actually pretty much from the ribs back, are to close to the excretion portion of the animal. This would make it "unclean" meat. The advertisement is for a well known maker of Kosher franks and hot dogs. I was never aware of this before but am assuming it is part of the dietary laws because this is an actual Kosher product.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
why a beef hindquarter can not be kosher?

Answer 4

The hind quarter contains the sciatic nerve. Which is biblically prohibited. This originates Genesis chapter 32 in the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel when he is injured in his thigh. After this the bible says:

Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, even in the sinew of the thigh-vein. (JPS translation)

To take out the vein is a very delicate and difficult process so most kosher meat production plants remove the whole hind quarter and sell it as non kosher meat.

Answer 5

The sciatic nerve (the hollow of the thigh) is not to be eaten. If it is removed properly, the hind quarter is Kosher.