VEGAN/VEGETARIAN ALERT-SUBJECT MATTER BELOW MIGHT BE ALARMING!

Well labor day is upon us. It came so fast, seemed like Memorial day was yesterday. Pretty soon will have jackets on and snow to shovel (at least you Northern folks!) My goal for this post is to give you a few tips to make sure you and your friends and family are safe and do not get sick this weekend.

Over the next few days millions of people will consume burgers as we celebrate Labor Day and get together for BBQ’s and picnics in the park, at the lake or in the backyard. I bet you did not know that thousands get sick and a few die each year from tainted beef consumed over Labor Day. In order to understand why, we must cover some uncomfortable facts.

Most ground beef consumed comes from huge greedy corporations that will grind up every single scrap possible to make more money. This means shipping “parts” from several different slaughterhouses to one central grinding facility. Then these “parts” are ground in massive grinders bigger then a jet engine.

E-coli, the number one problem is a surface bacteria. It’s found in soil and in the manure of some animals. If it gets into some “parts” that are then dumped in a hopper with other non-infected parts the whole batch can become spoiled. This type of ground beef is usually pre-molded into patties then frozen or stuffed into big plastic tubes. These are sold in club stores and supermarkets.

So, the most logical thing is to AVOID FROZEN OR TUBED ground beef, logical right? . You’re thinking “where the heck can I get my burgers then?” My advice is to seek out a local butcher, I know these are hard to find these days…..because corporate America has run them out of business. And because we consumers have abandoned our local merchants in favor of multi-national super-sized retails stores so we can save a few dollars…I will leave the names out..but you know who I am speaking of.

If you cant find a butcher maybe a local farmer has some ground beef….you might find them by zip code here at Local Harvest. My best recommendation is to GRIND YOUR OWN BEEF. Some might find this too difficult or time consuming but consider the amount of beef recalls this year alone. One bout of e-coli can reap total havoc, even cost the lives of your family members or yourself. So, I would say it is totally worth it to grind your own meat.

I do it all the time with my Cuisinart mixer with the grinding attachment. This attachment is scrubbed out then soaked in bleach water to ensure total sanitation. Remember me telling you e-coli is a surface bacteria? That means the more surface area your beef has the more likely to have -e-coli. Ground beef has thousands of times more surface area then a chunk of beef like chuck or sirloin.

To reduce risk further a whole piece (not cut up at all) of meat can be placed into rapidly boiling water for 1 minute then place into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. This will eliminate the risk of surface contamination almost 100%. You then can grind the beef, to a texture you prefer, then portion and freeze it so the next time you crave a burger or tomato sauce with meat, or a meatloaf, you can de-frost some. I grind only 4-5 times per year then freeze most of it for later use.

Now we get to the good part…making those burgers….

This is about the best darn burger you can make so check out this bacon, green chili cheeseburger, it’s really amazing and simple to make. Use the beef you ground yourself and it will be really great. The green chili’s can be found at a farmers market or in a can in the Mexican section of your food store.

The Harvest Eating Steak Seasoning Rub is a perfect addition to ground beef or steak, keep some on hand. Click this link..just look at the spice rub, you can see the quality. It is the best on the market and 100% organic too.