Why is some ground beef you buy dark on the inside?

Question

Is this because they put old meat in the middle or some other reason?

Answer 1

Contrary to what some shoppers suspect, the outside of the meat is not redder than the inside because the butcher treated it with a chemical spray. Mother Nature, not the meat monger, is responsible. When an animal dies, its heart stops pumping oxygen-rich blood to the various muscles. Denied that oxygen, the myoglobin protein in the muscles loses its bright red pigmentation and acquires a purplish, and then brownish, tinge.

Another color change starts to occur when the meat is butchered into retail cuts and wrapped in porous plastic film, giving the meat's newly exposed surfaces access to the oxygen in the air. As the meat sits in the refrigerated display case, oxidation finishes turning the myoglobin on the meat's exposed surfaces bright red. (Butchers refer to this color development as "bloom.") So, though the outside of the meat is the shade of red that consumers are taught to look for, the inside remains brown simply because the unexposed myoglobin lacks enough oxygen. If you cut open the meat and give it time to aerate, the new surfaces should become bright red.

Answer 2

Contrary to what some people say, the "butchers" do not add any dye to color meat, none. This color difference is natural and to prove a point very simply, take two cuts of beef, prime steaks or whatever, knowing they are the same color on each side, place together so each piece is next to the other and place in fridge overnight, in the morning the two outside parts will be red, and the inside where the two touched will be very dark or black.
This is the reason meat markets place paper, the butchers grade, between steaks and other cuts when displaying in the counter, to stop color change.
Again, they do not use dye. Some shops add water, but no dye, its against the law in most states.

Answer 3

Do you mean that you are the only vegetarian in your family?? that part to me is quite confusing, or you are a meat eater and just don't cook it?? well anyways, my answer to your question is that is sounds like older meat "trim" was ground into the tubes of beef that were fresh which does happen. So with meat that is not ground properly with older peices added that would give you the result that you have, No Red Dye is Ever Added!!! it is a process called "Blooming" in which Oxygen gets to the beef and naturally enhances the color. You should be fine, you should always cook your ground beef to 160 degrees with a digital thermometer. next time you see this at your store of choice ask the meat manager where you bought it. I guarantee its from "older Trim"

Answer 4

It is dark on the inside because it is not exposed to oxygen. Oxidized meat starts to turn brown. The longer it sits the browner the outside gets. It is not bad and occurs a lot where pigments aren't used and meat is shipped in rather than ground fresh.

Answer 5

No, it's not old. The butchers add a red dye to the meat to make it look red and more fresh. The dye just didn't reach the inside meat. The darker meat color is the actual of what beef should be.

Answer 6

It's just the blood in the meat that naturally changes colour.

Answer 7

It has something to do with light. Meat that is not stored in enough light gets dark in the middle.

Answer 8

The ground beef might have been aged differently. I am not quite sure.

Answer 9

thankyou rssr27 for the correct answer,I work in a meat department and I know for a FACT we do not add red food coloring to our meat.SIMPLY HILARIOUS