Wallace wrote:
> "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> at which stage in the beef slaughter/packing plant does the beef gi
>>> through rigor mortis?
>>>
>>> Do they rush it through into cryovac and let it RM there, or do
>>> sides of beef hang for 12 hours at room temp before the primal
>>> cuttings?
>>
>> Good question. I can't imagine pacers letting carcasses hang around
>> very long. Growing up, we would kill, butcher, wrap, and freeze a
>> steer all within two hours. Some cuts were allowed to age, but most
>> were put into the deep freeze.
>
> growing up we were lucky enough to have a walk in where we hung the
> beef up for a few weeks before butchering. I just found this
> interesting tid bit:
> "Immediately after slaughter, many changes take place in muscle that
> convert muscle to meat. One of the changes is the contraction and
> stiffening of muscle known as rigor mortis. Muscle is very tender at
> the time of slaughter. However, as rigor mortis begins, muscle
> becomes progressively less tender until rigor mortis is complete. In
> the case of beef, 6 to 12 hours are required for the completion of
> rigor mortis, whereas in the case of pork, only 1 to 6 hours are
> required. The carcass is chilled immediately after slaughter to prevent
> spoilage. If the carcass is chilled too rapidly, the result is "cold
> shortening" and subsequent toughness. Cold shortening occurs when the
> muscle is chilled to less than 60°F before the completion of rigor
> mortis. If the carcass is frozen before completion of rigor mortis,
> the result is "thaw rigor" and subsequently extremely tough meat.
> Under normal chilling conditions, it appears that unprotected
> carcasses with less than 0.50 inch of fat over the rib eye probably
> will have some reduced tenderness because of cold shortening. Aging a
> carcass affected by cold shortening or thaw rigor will not alleviate
> the detrimental effects on tenderness caused by these two conditions.
> To ensure more tender meat, home slaughtered animals and wild game
> should be protected from very rapid cooling during the first 6-12
> hours after death."

Never seemed to be an issue for us.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan