mechanically tenderized meat….avoid???

[murray]

Just noticing the prime rib roasts available at my local big box “members only” store all say they are mechanically tenderized. Is that something to stay away from for dry aging or is it no big deal? I know for regular cooking it just means to make sure ýou reach a safe internal temp when cooking, it is any different if aging 45 days??

[Ron Pratt]

This is just my personal opinion – OK? I would NOT recommend aging a sub-primal which has been blade tenderized whether it be from that store or even doing so by yourself using a popular product at home for that same purpose. There is needless risk that active bacteria on the exterior of the meat gets driven inside the meat and then allowed to grow and contaminate from within during the dry aging process. Ron

[murray]

Thanks Ron. It makes me wonder why they would tenderize a cut like prime rib that a lot of people enjoy less than well done AMD is pretty tender anyway?
Also its probably something umai should inform people about the risks of for dry aging. I personally didn’t even know what it was, I had to look it up.

[Ron Pratt]

Thanks – that has been addressed in the past, but I will pass along your suggestion. As for why “C” blade tenderizes as much as they do I understand that has been a controversy amongst their customer base for years. Ron

[Jim]

Do they tenderize individual cut steaks or the entire subprimal? In my experience individual steaks are usually tenderized at the secondary processor level (steak cutters). Regular subprimal cuts packed in Cryovacs are not usually tenderized. Our instructions say not to dry aged meat that has internal cuts or has been tenderized. Tenderizing introduces contamination and internal voids that do not have any airflow or moisture release thereby creating environments for bacteria growth.

[murray]

Jim,
This was a 4 bone prime rib roast, but almost everything was mechanically tenderized including the strip loins. I usually order my cuts from a local butcher anyway but thought I might save a few bucks getting a lower grade meat there. Not only is it not useable for this it was also more expensive anyway!!

[Jim]

I really don’t understand tenderizing, if the meat is too tough for a steak they can grind it up and make hamburger. About the only thing I like tenderized is a pork Wiener schnitzel. If you buy meat in packer Cryovac packaging you can usually be pretty sure it hasn’t been messed with.

[Author]

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