Sounds like a good way to get some E. coli O157:H7 into you.

The absolute risk is probably quite small but the outcome if you did get food poisoning can be serious. E. coli O157 only evolved in the 1970's so it is not a bug that our ancestors had to deal with when they ate raw meat. Despite what some people say it will grow in healthy grass fed animals although in smaller numbers than in corn fed animals. There is also the risk of cross contamination during slaughter, handling and processing from other infected raw meat. Ground beef makes a good growing medium for E .coli due to the large surface area of the meat. A raw steak has a much lower surface area and will have less bacteria.

I'm not saying don't eat any raw meat if you have a good source, just be aware that there are some risks. Cooked meat also seems to be easier to digest than raw meat.

I'm not crazy about the texture of raw American-style ground beef, but I will sometimes finely chop raw beef from the farmer's market and eat it as tartare.

Blandness is solved by the traditional toppings...raw egg yolk, capers, and onions. I like adding a little salt, black pepper, and grainy mustard to the meat, as well.

if you have a decent source, there is nothing wrong with raw beef whatsoever, in fact it's excellent. there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the exterior of beef is where any potential bacteria would reside, read, cut off the parts exposed to air (outside) and you're fine. Feed these to your anxiously awaiting pets and earn their eternal love.

Pre ground beef is not suitable. Unless you're grinding it at home, or someone has just ground it for you THAT day (you can also just chop it into very small pieces with a sharp knife), don't eat pre ground raw beef. I repeat, don't at pre-ground raw beef. Remember, my handle is "tartare!" Pre ground beef tends to be made from "scrappier" beef bits that may be perfectly acceptable to eat but usually have been exposed to much more surface area air for some time even before grinding. Stick to recently ground/chopped whole cuts.

Second, there are cuts of meat that lend themselves to this kind of raw preparation and some that don't. Sirloin is great, as is beef heart, but not chuck. etc.

I have been eating steak tartare as long as i can remember and I adore it. I think it's one of the best meals a person can eat. It makes me feel great, and I think it has definite benefits over always cooked meat. I had some last night as a matter of fact and it was goooooood. I have fully converted my husband (ok, it didn't take much conversion beyond "try this it will rock your world"). Today we had grilled t-bones. I love buying cow shares.

I enjoy preparing my steak tartare with chopped sirloin (chopped to about an 1/8 inch cubes), a squeeze of anchovy paste or some mashed up anchovy fillets, chopped raw onion (alternately shallots), chopped cucumbers in brine (alternately capers), salt pepper and a raw egg yolk (about 1 per pound give or take). Chopped parsley is optional. You won't taste the anchovies but they are a very necessary replacement for Maggi/Soy/wosterchire sauce and really do add something.

I made tartare a few weeks, with ground beef from a grass-fed farm that I trust. (I even put the traditional raw egg on top). It was great!

I know people who eat raw hamburger when they know their source. Knowing the source is a great idea and the only way I would do it. My butcher, Lee at The Meat Shop of Tacoma has the oldest organic meat shop in the country. I use him a lot for my grass-fed beef business. I know how many hands that have touched my beef from slaughter to butcher to my freezer!

If I knew the way the French season their tartare I would try this at home. I have heard that chefs use a chunk of steak and cut off all the edges with a different knife as to not cross contaminate the beef for using raw in TarTare. Then it is chopped our ground.

I agree that there is more E. coli in the environment and my personal use is NOT a statement that it is safe.

I love people who just "know" that raw meat will kill you, or give you a flesh eating parasite that will eat your insides out. Do the research and google raw meat and aajonus vonderplanitz, and visit raw paleo forum. You will find that Thousands eat raw meat, and moldy raw meat and never get sick from it. It makes you lean, ripped, straightens your posture, and makes you feel calm, and relaxed like nothing else I've heard of. However, I strongly believe it will make you mentally lazy, and removed from society because you will just stop caring about things because you'll be so calm from eating raw meat. These people are so convinced they "know" raw meat is dangerous, but it's just funny what you'll "know" tomorrow.

When I was a kid, I would often eat raw bacon. Couldn't wait for it to cook I guess. I would munch on it raw while I waited for the rest to cook. Nothing bad ever came of it. SOmetimes it's hard to figure out how dangerous something really is. According to the experts, I guess I should have died of trichinosis by now! ;-) -Eva

Freeze it for 14 days if you want to be sure it's safe to eat.

[Self-edit: Primary source for that is Nourishing Traditions, by the way, but I think I've also read it elsewhere.]

I've been eating small portions of raw ground beef for over 10 years and nothing has happened yet

I love tartare, it is the most delicious thing of my life, especially with a raw egg yolk. BUT I would NEVER buy raw ground beef and use that in an entirely raw state (esp when pregnant/immunocompramised/serving to kids/elderly). I always hand grind (attachment for a kitchen aid) or use a sharp knife on a good thick cut of meat and a lot of patience. There is an enormous amount of surface area in ground beef, and I volunteered my parents local grass fed ground beef to contend against some store bought ground beef for microbiology class in second year uni, and there was really a very slight difference between the bacterial content. I mean, the risk is always up to you, but I think that fresh ground has a more pleasant taste, texture, and who doesn't enjoy the safe option (as your parents have been telling you for years), amiright?

I eat grass fed ground beef or ground bison almost every day. I usually sear it, cooking the outside and leaving it pretty cold inside. Tastes SO good and Ive never had any issues eating it for about 3 years

Most of the grass-fed animals still pass through the same slaughterhouses as the grain-fed ones. There are tight USDA regulations about it ostensibly to ensure that back-alley slaughtering isn't occurring, but grass-fed wasn't in mind when they came up with these regulations. If you personally slaughter the animal or something and can control those factors yourself, then the risk would be a tiny fraction of the risk if it is slaughtered industrially.

I'm eating a raw-ish grass-fed burger right now! I was curious to see what other people do (hence my dropping by this forum). The beef is from a local rancher, and the grinding is done by my local Whole Foods on-site which minimizes cross contamination. I bought a pound this morning, grabbed a chunk, formed it into a patty, cooked it on medium for about 1-2? minutes on both sides for a bit of browning, so it was warm in the middle, but definitely still purple and gooey on the inside. I topped it with a bit of Himalayan pink salt and fresh ground pepper. WOW. Delicious. Yummy! I know we can get more energy out of cooked meat, but cooking also destroys some good stuff, such as vitamin C, and other stuff that I'm sure is beneficial but there's not research to support it yet... blah, blah, blah. Plus it just tastes good. Sometimes I cook it through to medium rare, but never more than that.

Steak tartare is a great preparation for raw meat that is very flavorful. Usually it is some combination of lemon, mustard, shallots, parsley, scallions, hot sauce, and the like. Ideally the steak is chopped, not ground, which gives it a much better texture.

I think that eating raw/rare food is very Paleo, and very good for you. It is easy to imagine our Paleolithic ancestors eating parts of the animal raw immediately after the kill.

I have eaten rare and/or raw animal products my whole life (beef, fish/sushi, eggs, etc) and never once got even the remotest sick from it. I know that statistically there is some chance of getting sick, maybe I'm lucky, or maybe consistently eating rare/raw foods builds up gut flora and an immune system that handles most pathogens and bacteria, or something like that.

The one thing I'd worry about would be E-Coli which could be a lot more serious than a brief food poisoning episode, especially if the meat is factory-farm-raised. I would mitigate this by buying only fresh meat from a small butcher of grass-fed free-range animals, and buy the entire cut of meat and chop it myself just before eating, and only eat it when I'm feeling in good health. I'm skeptical of the approach of freezing it for 14 days before eating, there may be some pathogens that this kills, but I would not think that many.

I've been eating raw ground beef for years and never got anything more than a rumbley in the tumley. They used to serve it raw at places like the VFW but those days are gone now. I only eat it on occasion, and I get it at a slaughterhouse now instead of the grocery store. There's no guarantee I won't get sick and I don't recommend that anyone else do this. I'm just relating my personal experience. My stomach is like cast iron. I can eat practically anything and not get sick. Maybe it's because I've built up a tolerance to so many things over the years. I think that raw ground beef on rye with Montreal steak seasoning and lots of raw onions is delicious.

I secretly grizzle on frozen hake while defrost. Runs away screaming

Is the taste more similiar to cooked or grilled version ?

Anyway, I couldn't do it for em, "internal" (as voice in the head) reasons.

Know how farmer- not just the Label.

I've never been a huge fan of ground beef, raw or otherwise, but that's just my personal taste. I don't think it's bad to eat it raw. There's more surface area so there's a greater chance of contaminants, but there's a small risk with just about anything you eat. Nothing to get too worked up over, especially if you buy your food from a quality source.

If you like it raw, go for it. If not, cooking it is just fine.

i've been drinking bird nest soup every night (i only get the homemade kind back at home). the only reason why i drink it is because it's supposed to be good for complexion.

i’ve been taking the store-bought kind online (e.g. http://www.geocities.jp/hongkong_bird_nest/index_e.htm of famous branded only of course) which is directly mailed from Hong Kong. this would be at a more affordable price.

hello there,i'm new to looking up stuff about raw meat haha but resently i've really wanted to try it.Do any of you have good resipes that you would offer to me?I like diffrent suggestions and am looking for as many as i can get my hands on.thank you! you can email me at tiara343@netzero.net just tell me your from this site.

My butcher says tartar is most popular with ex vegitarians. Swing from one extreme to the other i guess.

I'm happy cooking though