Contaminated beef--what do I do with the rest?

[Diana in OR]

We have 1/4 of a cow in our freezer from a local ranch. It is cut and wrapped by a local butcher, but of course, is not USDA inspected. We have been buying beef this way for over 10 years.

Last week, my older ds and I were very ill, :tongue_smilie: with what I'm pretty sure was some sort of food poisoning from the ground beef. This is why I think this: Ds, 14, and I had chili mac I had made for dinner last Sat. and Sunda. Younger ds may have had a few bites, but didn't eat much of it--he is a picky eater, but that's another post entirely. Dh was out of town. Against my better judgement, I had cooked the ground beef in a skillet that was probably too smal. 36hrs from when ds and I first ate some, we both became ill almost at the same moment.

I don't know if there is a way to have the remaining beef in my freezer tested? I obviously don't want to throw it out if it is good. And I understand that the worst bacteria affect ground beef, but not other cuts, like steaks and roasts.

I also know that cooking ground beef to 160deg. kills e. coli, but is it worth the risk? Any ideas? I've tried googling, and can't find what I need to know.

Thanks!

[Whisperlily]

I don't know whether you can have the meat tested... but have you eaten any other meat from this cow? If you have, was it okay? Have you called the butcher to see what his suggestion might be?

IF you have eaten other parts of the same cow with no problems, I'd be tempted to say maybe it wasn't the meat, but something else.

That's a lot of meat... I'd call the butcher, talk to him, and tell him you're looking at throwing out a LOT of beef. Perhaps he'll take it back, dispose of it properly and offer a fresh replacement that has been tested rather than have the risk of you getting your beef elsewhere?

[Diana in OR]

I don't know whether you can have the meat tested... but have you eaten any other meat from this cow? If you have, was it okay? Have you called the butcher to see what his suggestion might be?

IF you have eaten other parts of the same cow with no problems, I'd be tempted to say maybe it wasn't the meat, but something else.


We've eaten some steaks and roasts from this cow, but not ground beef. I've read that ground beef is more likely to be contaminated because of the grinding process. I hadn't thought of contacting the butcher. Maybe I'll try that. Thanks.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Last week, my older ds and I were very ill, :tongue_smilie: with what I'm pretty sure was some sort of food poisoning from the ground beef. This is why I think this: Ds, 14, and I had chili mac I had made for dinner last Sat. and Sunda. Younger ds may have had a few bites, but didn't eat much of it--he is a picky eater, but that's another post entirely. Dh was out of town. Against my better judgement, I had cooked the ground beef in a skillet that was probably too smal. 36hrs from when ds and I first ate some, we both became ill almost at the same moment.


36 hours seems like a long time for food poisoning to take effect. I think that it would occur more within hours of eating the food than a day and a half later. Food poisoning article from Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-poisoning/DS00981)
There is a nasty stomach virus going around our area. It hit all three kids and dh with a few hours of each other. At first we thought it was related to something they'd had at dinner that I'd skipped. Then I found out that our friends' kids had gotten sick at almost the same time and all five sick kids had been together for several hours about 48 hours before getting sick.
So it may well have been a virus that is totally unconnected with what you ate.

[OnTheBrink]

My dd and I came down with a tummy bug at almost the same moment, too. At first I thought it might have been food poisoning from chicken the night before, but I was thinking food poisoning would hit sooner than the next day.

You could very well have a tummy bug and not food poisoning.

[Unicorn]

I agree. Food poisoning happens w/in a few hours. 36 hours later is most likely NOT food poisoning.

[Diane]

I agree with it likely not being the meat. My children were both sick with a stomach bug. My son was just about over it, we thought yay- it's out of the house. We went out for icecream. On the way home from the shop, I looked at him and said, ugh- the ice cream made me sick. He said, you know i'm feeling sick too! We thought it was food poisoning. We couldn't stop vomiting and well, ya know...we went to bed on a Sat. and didn't get out until Monday morning. We were both sick at the same exact moment, and got over it at the same time. It was the weirdest thing.

[Canada_Mom]

But I have read in many places, and have spoken to a health nurse about food poisoning (not recently but about 1 year ago when dd ate some uncooked hamburger meat (ground beef) and I was a basket case about it). Apparently some forms of food poisoning can take up to 1 month to manifest themselves. That is why it is often difficult to find out what food was responsible. When I was concerned about dd, the nurse told me that if she were to get food poisoning it could happen anywhere up to 10 days after. It was a stressful week!

[Renee in FL]

That is very unlikely with e.coli or listeria, though, which is what you are likely to get from ground beef.

[Tap, tap, tap]

Ds started complaining about stomach cramps, and sharp pains. Strong enough that we were on our way to the ER when he started vomiting, the diarrhea. He had severe symptoms through the night and it took about 2 days until he was back on his feet again. Even then it took about a week for his strength to totally return.


I work in pharmacy and we are seeing a lot of GI bugs this year.

I know you are thinking that since only the ds who ate the meat, got sick but you could have picked it up from the same shopping cart, door handle or any other place that you and oldest ds were together. Youngest ds's immune system could also have just fought it off better than you. The stomach bug went through every one in my house, except for me. I was the one with the most exposure and I work with sick people all day. Logically, if anyone should have gotten it, it would have been me. But because of my constant low grade exposure, I tend to stay healthier than most people. Little kids can be that way too.

[Diana in OR]

That is very unlikely with e.coli or listeria, though, which is what you are likely to get from ground beef.

Okay, so now I am thoroughly confused.:confused: I read that e. coli can take 7 days to show symptoms. How does one know these things? Aargh!

[Renee in FL]

I am probably just wrong! LOL

I was under the impression that it happened very quickly.