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)

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

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.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

In article ,
"Dave Bugg" wrote:

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.

We also always cut, wrap and freeze meat (deer, ducks, chickens, emus,
etc.) sometimes before the carcass is even totally cooled. Still warm
from body heat when it goes into the freezer (or in the case of holiday
birds into the oven).

But, this is not standard butchering practice in the beef industry.

Not sure about pork.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

"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."



http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...on/DJ0856.html

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

In article ,
"Dave Bugg" wrote:

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.

Same here. It went straight from the slaughter area into the freezer...
But, I've never butchered a cow either. ;-) Largest animals were deer
and emu.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

"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

Mariotius Stangbeltzner, Esq. MD., D.O., Ph,D,, FACS, MBA, DVM, P.A.,
Inc. wrote:
wrote in message
news
In ,
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




So you watch CSI. Good for you.

In article ,
"Mariotius Stangbeltzner, Esq. MD., D.O., Ph,D,, FACS, MBA, DVM, P.A.,
Inc." wrote:

"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

Gee, ya think? g
I'd never have guessed!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

In article ,
Larry wrote:

Mariotius Stangbeltzner, Esq. MD., D.O., Ph,D,, FACS, MBA, DVM, P.A.,
Inc. wrote:
wrote in message
news
In ,
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




So you watch CSI. Good for you.

snicker
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:09:59 -0400, Sunny wrote:

Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored calcium ions from
the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle fibers in response to the cold
stimulus. The calcium ions trigger powerful muscle contraction aided
by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a process known as
electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcass,
immediately after slaughter and skinning. In this process, the carcass
is stimulated with alternating current, causing it to contract and
relax, which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass and prevents
cold shortening[citation needed].

Hmm. I've never seen that mentioned or shown in the clips I've
seen. I'm almost sorry I asked ;-)

But it sounds the safest and most hygienic rather than let it sit
and slowly chill inside the danger zone.


-sw

In article ,
Sqwertz wrote:

On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:09:59 -0400, Sunny wrote:

Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored calcium ions from
the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle fibers in response to the cold
stimulus. The calcium ions trigger powerful muscle contraction aided
by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a process known as
electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcass,
immediately after slaughter and skinning. In this process, the carcass
is stimulated with alternating current, causing it to contract and
relax, which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass and prevents
cold shortening[citation needed].

Hmm. I've never seen that mentioned or shown in the clips I've
seen. I'm almost sorry I asked ;-)

But it sounds the safest and most hygienic rather than let it sit
and slowly chill inside the danger zone.


-sw

It does make a lot of sense!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

"Sqwertz" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:09:59 -0400, Sunny wrote:

Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored calcium ions from
the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle fibers in response to the cold
stimulus. The calcium ions trigger powerful muscle contraction aided
by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a process known as
electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcass,
immediately after slaughter and skinning. In this process, the carcass
is stimulated with alternating current, causing it to contract and
relax, which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass and prevents
cold shortening[citation needed].

Hmm. I've never seen that mentioned or shown in the clips I've
seen. I'm almost sorry I asked ;-)

But it sounds the safest and most hygienic rather than let it sit
and slowly chill inside the danger zone.

well, the outside surfaces of the carcass will get chilled quickly. The
inside will take longer, but there is little danger of bacteria inside.

"Sqwertz" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:09:59 -0400, Sunny wrote:

Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored calcium ions from
the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle fibers in response to the cold
stimulus. The calcium ions trigger powerful muscle contraction aided
by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a process known as
electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcass,
immediately after slaughter and skinning. In this process, the carcass
is stimulated with alternating current, causing it to contract and
relax, which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass and prevents
cold shortening[citation needed].

Hmm. I've never seen that mentioned or shown in the clips I've
seen. I'm almost sorry I asked ;-)

But it sounds the safest and most hygienic rather than let it sit
and slowly chill inside the danger zone.


You seem to have a problem with putrefaction, Mister!

It's good eats... cuts like buttah.

TFM®