I’ve had many readers ask: “Why do I soak and rinse meat before cooking?” Soaking meat does not remove or kill bacteria. Bacteria are killed when the meat reaches extreme cooking temperature. So the quick answer to the question is that it’s not absolutely necessary to soak and rinse meat before cooking it. However, while soaking meat won’t remove microscopic bacteria, in my book it goes a long way to removing the slickness, grime, and residue that is on it from product processing, whether by people or machine. Once cooked, it may be safe to eat bacteria wise, but you still don’t want to consume the cooked slime or particles that settle on the meat before it gets sealed. Water is just a means to remove a lot of that gross stuff prior to cooking.
Soaking only applies to cuts of meat, not to ground meat. You do not want to soak and rinse ground meat if you’re planning on having some left to cook. So if you want your ground meat to be the cleanest possible, first soak and rinse the cut of meat well before grinding it. Keep it in a bowl, in the fridge during soaking.
There are a lot of arguments whether you should or shouldn’t soak or wash meat in plain or salty water. My experience has been that giving it a salt water soak, the meat seems to get more tenderized. I don’t think I can eat meat that is slimy and covered with bone crumbs (i.e. bone in steaks). Water helps remove that. Also, meat is sprayed with artificial coloring to give it a beautiful, fresh-looking red color. Why cook and consume that junk? Chicken breast usually has a slimy, clear coating over the meat which is also unnecessary if you aim to consume meat that is lean and clean.
It is my personal preference
... to soak meat in plain water for an hour or so for the cleanest possible consumption, even if the meat was purchased fresh directly from a butcher. (If the butcher and his workers are not OCD about hand washing, their product may be fresh, but probably not very clean.) When I cook poultry or turkey, I soak those too in plain water first for an hour or so. Then I fill another large bowl with water, add some salt and transfer the one-time soaked meat into the bowl with clean salty water for another soaking for about 15 min or so. This multiple-step soaking process draws out and removes blood from the meat which is also not good to consume.
Meat doesn’t lose its taste by this soaking process, from my experience. If anything, it makes the meat juicier and more tender, especially wild-caught meat. Also, the meat has that really clean feel to it after the soaking and rinsing process is complete.
Instructions:
Meat Cut
I get my beef either from Costco or a butcher
Instructions:
1. Remove fat if necessary.
2. Cut meat into small strips. Place them into a large glass bowl and fill with water. Place the bowl in the fridge (bacteria growth control) for an hour or so. (It may stay in the fridge longer if necessary, with no problems.)
3. Remove bowl from the fridge. This is what the water looks like after 1 hour of soaking. The water is red with small fat and bone pieces floating. (Even though this cut of meat didn’t include bone, it must have been cut with the same, uncleaned, equipment used for bone-in cuts.)
4. Rinse meat under cold running water. Place meat into another large bowl. Fill the bowl with water and repeat the soaking step once more. Then rinse the meat one more time. Place into a strainer for excess water to drain, for about 10 minutes. Now the meat is ready to grind. (Or if you are soaking stakes then it’s ready to marinade. I like to marinade meat for about 8 hours before grilling, cooking or sautéing.)
Recipe Card
How to Grind Meat at Home "The Clean Way"
Ingredients
- Meat Cut
- I get my beef either from Costco or a butcher
Instructions
- Remove fat if necessary.
- Cut meat into small strips. Place them into a large glass bowl and fill with water. Place the bowl in the fridge (bacteria growth control) for an hour or so. (It may stay in the fridge longer if necessary, with no problems.)
- Remove bowl from the fridge. This is what the water looks like after 1 hour of soaking. The water is red with small fat and bone pieces floating. (Even though this cut of meat didn’t include bone, it must have been cut with the same, uncleaned, equipment used for bone-in cuts.)
- Rinse meat under cold running water. Place meat into another large bowl. Fill the bowl with water and repeat the soaking step once more. Then rinse the meat one more time. Place into a strainer for excess water to drain, for about 10 minutes. Now the meat is ready to grind. (Or if you are soaking stakes then it’s ready to marinade. I like to marinade meat for about 8 hours before grilling, cooking or sautéing.)
I use Cabela's Pro Series DC Grinder, but they don't sell them on Amazon. I like this grinder a lot and would recommend it to anyone. I used THIS little grinder for 15 years, but it served a good long life and it was time to demote it to light-duty jobs such as Meat Grinder Cookies. My husband noticed that I needed a new one, and one day he came home with a surprise from Cabela's. And it was this awesome new heavy-duty meat grinder! How nice of him!
What do you think about soaking meat before grinding? Do you do that as well? Please share your thoughts and pictures in the comments below, I'd love to know. Tag your pictures of Ground Meat at Home "The Clean Way" #valyastasteofhome, I’d love to see your creations! ?
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Joseph M Fister says
Hi Valya,
I wanted to let you know that I recently found out that Costco "blade tenderizes" their meat. It even says it on the packaging. That means the blades cut through the meat to tenderize it and takes the outer slime, bacteria and pushes it to the inner meat. It sounds like a bad practice to keep meat sterile. I like your site. Let me know what you think of that practice.
Thanks,
Joseph
Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says
Hi,
Blade tenderizing may be ok for cheaper cuts of meat that you cook in stews, etc., but if you purchase expensive cuts, it means you need to cook to the same temperature as ground beef, lol. So, no medium-rare steaks, for those who love em! :/
Jessica says
Awesome post! It's very important to clean meat this way. Thank you so much for sharing.
valya'stasteofhome.com says
You are very welcome. Enjoy making clean meals for your family. 🙂