Dumb frozen burger patty question

[negolien]

LOL sorry I feel kinda dumb posting this as I think I know the answer but... I got some of these frozen angus patties. it says to cook em to 165 but that really leaves them over cooked. Being beef can I cook em to a medium rare internal temp instead?

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-80-20-ground-angus-beef-patties-frozen-1-3-lb-18-ct/prod20295335?xid=plp_product_2

[DavidNorcross]

I probably approach hamburger differently than most. Love my steaks medium rare to rare. Cook the burger until it is done to be on the safe side.

[Huskee]

USDA says 160 is safe for ground meats, not 165. And technically that's 158, not even 160. But remember pasteurization is a factor of time at temp, not just a finished temp. A finished temp of 160 (158 to split hairs) is the instant kill zone, but you don't always need to go that high. So, if you take your patty to say 150, if it's there long enough, it's safe. How long exactly? I don't have the data, but I'd wager 1-2 minutes or longer.

I wouldn't do medium rare on a pre-pattied burger. You might be able to get by doing that if you grind the meat yourself. Take a chuck, dip the whole thing in boiling water for a minute or two to kill whatever's on the surface, then grind your patties and take them to whatever temp you want. But I wouldn't trust store bought patties anywhere near that low.

[acorgihouse]

Huskee I was going to say same. I like my beef more rare, and I like med rare burgers, but only if I grind it myself. I'm fairly paranoid, but still... not hard to notice that many of the meat recalls are in processed, sliced or ground meat. If the blades aren't pristine clean, then whatever is ground next can put "remains" from previous grind right into what you are grinding, and literally mix/fold it right in there. Same with commercial deli slicers. I would go to 160F.

[RonB]

^This^ It's what I do when I grind a chucky.

The problem is that the surface of a steak or chucky, or any solid cut may be contaminated. Cooking the surface will kill that contamination. If you buy commercially ground meat, there is a small chance that grinding a piece of contaminated meat will put the contamination inside the ground meat.

I had a chart on my old computer that listed time @ temp to be safe. I'll try to find it online.

time for 158° is about 20 sec.

[texastweeter]

acorgihouse spray bottle with a Tbs of bleach diluted with water sprayed on your gear and left to dry will sterilize it.

[Donw]

Since it is a ground meat product surface bacteria can be spread throughout the mixture so that is why they are saying cook to 160. However, we use frozen ground patties all the time and we only cook them to 135-140 most of the time and haven’t had any issues. Still to be completely safe 160. To take a slight risk you can do them lower. Your choice.

[Spinaker]

Man, I used to make those burgers all the time when I was in college. I loved those. They were like currency. I could trade burgers for beers bak in the day.

Like, Huskee said, time and temp is key to make it safe. Some of the best burgers come out as pink in the middle, but only when I grind them myself. I am sure you'd be fine, but you never know. So I would take that for what it is worth. Like most things, do it at your own risk.

[Purc]

Growing up in the 1960's, I remember getting a pinch of raw hamburger meat, a little salt and down the hatch. No long term problems besides hair loss, weight gain, poor eyesight. Of course, Steak Tartare in a trusted restaurant is different..........I hope.

[captainlee]

That was served in a large bowl for parties. Never thought twice about eating it and never got ill. The good ole days.

[RonB]

IThis is not the chart I had, but it should work: I normally cook to ~ 140°

[Huskee]

Poultry and beef have different temps though, due to different bugs. And this is sous vide cooking temps instead of meat IT.

[WI Bubba]

Here is a chart that shows time vs temp for meats. You can find more information from the USDA here. Tables 2,3, and 4 are for meats.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2021-12/Appendix-A.pdf

[RonB]

This is the chart I was looking for. Go to pg 35.

[Huskee]

Thank you! This was the one I used to have saved but lost it. Great info here.

[negolien]

Thanks i didn't realize ground meats had different internal temps than regular meats.

[Jerod Broussard]

Not just ground. Look up Intact vs Non-Intact meat.

[texastweeter]

Ever wonder why we overcomplicate things?

[Jerod Broussard]

Huskee I wouldn't want a chuckie in boiling water for much more than 2-3 seconds. Meathead likes 20 seconds. 2-3 seconds at 165-F will kill 10 million minus 1 of whatever is on chicken. Most areas of the USA will hit at least 200+-F at boiling. I've enjoyed the 211-212-F for my life.

[Huskee]

Touche, I knew it was s short time but didn't remember exact.

[MBMorgan]

Personally, I like to use a propane torch to sanitize the outside of a chuckie that I plan to grind. Any surface bugs get a few seconds exposure to 2000-3000F heat, there’s a bit of browning for flavor, and I don’t have to deal with a drippy piece of meat that needs to be dried before grinding.