Rare Rump Steak

[LucyH]

Can I eat that without worry? I prefer it that way, and sear it on the outsides, but I'm not sure that it's safe. More or less raw but hot, on the inside.

[woofgang]

Yes you can. The issue with meat and food poisoning is bugs on the outside of the steak, provided the outside is seared and you don't touch the seared outside with anything that touched the meat when it was raw, its fine.

[LucyH]

thanks for that. I kind of imagined that, but they always say 'cook through'. Maybe they just being careful

[woofgang]

who is "they"

[Peter Pedant]

yes you can - here in the UK

I wouldnt eat any meat rare in Egypt for example

[237SJ]

Well, I have heard the rumours (or whatever you want to call them) about eating beef that has been mechanically tenderised. The tenderising process can push E Coli into the meat which isn`t killed off by cooking. I know that is an issue in Canada. I`m not sure that is an issue in the UK though.

[ELVIS68]

Steak cooked longer than 4 minutes is a steak not worth eating

[LucyH]

thanks all...I did wonder about the bugs getting pushed in. Or if minced.

Woof: it normally says it on the packaging.

[jim360]

I eat rare steak quite a lot and have only died about four times so far. It's fine.

[Zacs-Master]

LOL @ Jim.

[Canary42]

I think that with the way British Beef is now bred/prepared the only bugs are the ones which settle on it after cutting. This means that searing the outer layer will indeed kill off all the nasties. Thousands of people eat rare steaks and seem to be no worse for it.

Poultry is a different matter - always cook through thoroughly.

[diddlydo]

If there was a problem with eating rare steak, there wouldn't be a Frenchman alive.

[woofgang]

LucyH, not on the packaging of the meat I buy, unless its hamburgers.

[Old_Geezer]

I ordered a rare steak once. Struggled to cut a couple of bites, had them, then wrapped the steak up in the napkin to take home and cook properly. Rare seems to mean raw in under the outside layer, and that's just chewy.

[woofgang]

OG, that's a blue steak. Rare means that the texture of the meat is changed all through but the juice is still red, not clear and the meat is still red when cut open. Rare steak should be beautifully tender and not chewy.

[jno]

you might just have got a tough cow, or a bad cook, OG. I've had them too. A good steak, however cooked, shouldn't be chewy.

[jim360]

I did have Blue once, by accident. It wasn't that bad, but I prefer rare or medium-rare. Or, as they say rare is in France, "Bien cuit".

[jno]

yes, I once made the mistake of ordering a rare steak in France; it was still mooing.

[pixie373]

I like it medium rare. Have heard a few suggestions that eating a lot of undercooked beef carries risk of tapeworm from the eggs. But I'm not sure how likely that is

[McMouse]

A pal of mine always claims the only way to prepare beef is to "wipe it's @rse and cut off it's horns and get stuck in"

[jim360]

I heard that rumour but don't think it's true. The tapeworms in my stomach said so, anyway. And they do pay rent so they're very respectable tapeworms.