No More Medium Rare for Tarheels

[arcsine]

Why You Can’t Get a Medium-Rare Burger in North Carolina - TIME NewsFeed

No more meat sold unless it is fully cooked to 150F in North Carolina.
Seriously, is this really an important topic for the legislature to be passing laws on?
Nothing else better to be concerned about?

[bivenator]

I believe that has been in effect for a few years here in TX. The e coli outbreak awhile back spurred the legislation. It was aimed at large food producers to ensure the cooking temps were higher. It is still possible to get a proper rare or M rare steak where better meals are sold.

[JJ 911SC]

So, I guess that steak tartare is not on the menu...

[arcsine]

So the target audience for this law is the big chains/franchises? With this on the books it would seem like a dangerous position for a nicer restaurant to even offer undercooked meat.

[Halm]

Pretty sure that has been in affect here for sometime. Perhaps a renewal of the law?

[yetibone]

Medium-rare burgers have been banned in NC for about 16 years now. I was a shot-order cook when it took affect in the mid-'90s.

[masraum]

Jack in the Box - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As mentioned above, in 1993, Jack in the Box suffered a major corporate crisis involving E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. Four children died of hemolytic uremic syndrome and 600 others were reported sick after eating undercooked patties contaminated with fecal material containing the bacteria at locations in the Seattle area and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. The chain was faced with several lawsuits, each of which was quickly settled (but left the chain nearly bankrupt and losing customers). At the time, Washington state law required that hamburgers be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 155 °F (68 °C), the temperature necessary to kill E. coli bacteria, although the FDA requirement at that time was only 140 °F (60 °C), which was the temperature Jack in the Box cooked. After the incident, Jack in the Box mandated that in all nationwide locations, their hamburgers be cooked to at least 155 °F (68 °C).[13][14][15] Additionally, all meat products produced in the United States are required to comply with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) regulations. Every company that produces meat products is required to have a HACCP plan that is followed continuously.

Is it done yet? Recommended Internal Temperatures

USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures

Steaks & Roasts - 145 °F
Fish - 145 °F
Pork - 160 °F
Ground Beef - 160 °F
Egg Dishes - 160 °F
Chicken Breasts - 165 °F
Whole Poultry - 165 °F

I've been places like Chilis and heard the wait staff tell folks that they have to cook to at least med well. I believe it's different for steaks, and based on some minimal searching, I couldn't find any state law. It may just be based on federal guidelines and what restaurants/chains are willing to do. I know that there are places in the Houston area where you can get steaks quite rare. Hamburger is probably a completely different story.

[RWebb]

grinding meat exposes the formerly safe interior to air borne or surface borne pathogens

best thing is to grind up a steak it yourself at home and eat right away

next best, select your piece and have the butcher grind it, take home and eat (or rip into it in the parking lot)

I used to love eating raw burgers (Cannibal Burger) at Camillia Grill in New Orleans -- no more

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RWebb

I used to love eating raw burgers (Cannibal Burger) at Camillia Grill in New Orleans -- no more

That's disgusting.

[RWebb]

is sushi ok with you?

[JJ 911SC]

It started with Pork, burger were next, followed by Peanut Butter, KD is the next culprit

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RWebb

is sushi ok with you?

I'm all over some raw seafood, but absolutely cannot do raw beef, pork or poultry. I can eat med rare filet, but anything else (beef) needs to be med. I can't do rare or blue beef.

[bivenator]

Dude, when I read he was eating raw hamburger, I threw up in my mouth a little. Sushi good, raw beef bad.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by arcsine

Why You Can’t Get a Medium-Rare Burger in North Carolina - TIME NewsFeed

No more meat sold unless it is fully cooked to 150F in North Carolina.
Seriously, is this really an important topic for the legislature to be passing laws on?
Nothing else better to be concerned about?

I'll bet the restaurants are happy about it. The law lessens their liability. I wouldn't be surprised if they asked for it.

[peppy]

I think the beef had to be ground fresh for the restaurant to be able to serve under cooked hamburger.

In Virginia you're not supposed to serve undercooked hamburger unless you have approval from the health department.

[john70t]

Most cattle are raised in cramped lots, where they wade through several feet of mud and feces all day. They are fed corn products instead of grasses, which of course the stomachs of cattle naturally can't digest. To counter this, they are fed large amounts of antibiotics to keep them standing and thus fufill the standard of being "healthy" enough for slaughter.

The leftover junk byproducts after slaughter used to be mixed right back into their feed. Cows eating rotten parts of cows. That's how "mad cow disease" developed.

When the beef is ground for sale, parts from cattle all over the are mixed together. Who knows what condition farmer Juan's cattle were in before it got shipped over. Who cares? The testers just take a little swab and call it inspected.

To counter this, um, recipe for contamination, the ground beef is mixed with large amounts of ammonia and other chemicals in a concoction called "pink slime", which has been deemed safe for child consumption the FDA.

Enjoy.

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I'll bet the restaurants are happy about it. The law lessens their liability. I wouldn't be surprised if they asked for it.

Sure they did, people sued. Something is wrong the next day, file a law suit on the restaurant. I wonder how humans made it with out fire.

[Evans, Marv]

Same her in Cali, at least in my area. The crappy thing is the lax inspection & inforcement by our food inspection aparatus that encourages the processing companies to cut corners to get the product out. The chance for contamination is increased anyway with ground meat. I guess I make a mistake when I ask at a decent restaurant for them not to cook the meat for a hamburger until it's like a hocky puck. If I eat at a chain/fast food place, I eat like they cook it. It sucks because I really like hamburgers.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by yetibone

Medium-rare burgers have been banned in NC for about 16 years now. I was a shot-order cook when it took affect in the mid-'90s.

Has to be longer than that. I went to school in NC, graduated 16 years ago today and I think it was in full effect the whole time I was there 1991-1995.

I just got back from TX where I had a terrible case of food poisoning starting Tuesday night. Vomit, diarrhea, fever. Horrible. I had quesadillas at Canyon Cafe....that must have been what it was since I only had a little to eat before that. I should have called the restaurant, but I never did. What truly is the recourse? My $11?

Not saying I agree with how they cook it in NC, but damn....food poisoning sucks.

[944Larry]

Originally Posted by RWebb

grinding meat exposes the formerly safe interior to air borne or surface borne pathogens

best thing is to grind up a steak it yourself at home and eat right away

next best, select your piece and have the butcher grind it, take home and eat (or rip into it in the parking lot)

I used to love eating raw burgers (Cannibal Burger) at Camillia Grill in New Orleans -- no more

I knew that there was someting I liked about you. Them raw burgers were really good eating!