"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> 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?
>>
>> -sw (still looking for that beef slaughter class)
>
> We had a discussion about slaughtering one time on the emu list and beef
> practices were mentioned. Most people on that list did do home
> slaughtering.
>
> From what I recall, rigor mortis has to totally resolve before they
> start cutting.
>
> I double checked this with a butcher and he confirmed it.


Rigor is a temporary condition. IIRC, resolved means rigor has set in, and
then released. The state of rigor is one way to make a quick assessment of
time of death since the time it takes to set in and then relax is very
predictable.

MartyB