| Archive for Active No-Carber Forums A veggie-free zone |
| bleublonde |
How to Begin Incorporating Raw into Your Diet?Okay, I admit I'm a sissy when it comes to this, but what is a good intro to eating raw meat? I don't have a huge phobia of germs in other areas of my life, but raw still makes me nervous. I eat sashimi with no issues (I'd eat it more if price wasn't a factor), and one time I did have raw beef at a Middle Eastern restaurant and it was absolutely delicious.I guess I'm just nervous about preparing it myself. What grades/types of meat are the best to start with? What about proper handling? I'm hoping to start incorporating soon, because I know how important raw meat is for health. 
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| ReddyMcMeaty |
are you squeamish about texture too? Or just the idea of raw meat and all the GERMS 
If you're scared of germs buy a big piece of meat and just slice off the outsides and eat them cooked. The inside is sterile.. use clean equipment and you can't go wrong!! You can also pour boiling water over the outside.. I used to do that. As for handling, just put it on a clean cutting board, I dont' do anything special...wash my hands before handling. I keep it referigerated and even when it goes "off" it's still safe to eat. I don't like the flavour, but it is not harmful... actually adds some good bacteria to your guy I think. If it's texture, seriously the ground beef stuff I've been eating lately is incredible. It's in the recipe section. To get used to the idea just slice into tiny pices, pop them into your mouth and swallow.
Grade really doesn't matter until you get into ground beef because you can't really trust commercial processors. I wouldn't go for cubed chuck either for the same reason, other than that anything goes. |
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| Viking Dan |
Or get a food dehydrator and make jerky out of it. | ||||
| Rob21370 |
I concur with Meg. If the germ thing is a factor buy meat in hunks and slice steaks off of it. I've been doing that with meat I buy in the cryovac packages. I usually cut it into big hunks and put the rest in the freezer. I know Bear said it would keep in the fridge in the bagging but I haven't done that yet.
Eat it in small bites until you get used to the texture. I kind of did that when I started. At some level you just have to trust that it's going to be ok and just do it. It was a little hard at first and I really had to force down the first steak  First I took it off the pan and I knew it was raw, then I took a few bites, then I kind of got nervous and put it back in the pan for a couple minutes, then I decided it was now or never, so I pulled it out and muddled my way through it 
Now I can't eat meat any other way! |
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| jl53563 |
The only thing you have to worry about is the possibility of bacteria on the surface of the meat. That is why Bear recommended searing the outside, which is what I do. I get a cast iron skillet medium hot and throw the steak on for 30 seconds per side. That's it. Hamburger is a little riskier since the meat is all ground up. Unless you grind your own and are sure of the sanitation. Going back to steaks for a minute...I don't like mine cold in the middle, so I take it out of the fridge maybe an hour before meal time and let it come up close to room temp. Then, after searing the outside, the inside is just getting warm. | ||||
| Dean |
But, what about the possible parasites inside the meat? That is the only thing I really worry about. I have deer meat and bison meat and don't trust it. Even beef could have some parasites, no? I have even asked a friend about taking some samples to a lab for me, just to see what worms are actually in this stuff.
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| jl53563 |
Well, with beef, I don't think parasites are much of a concern. Any beef bought in a store will have been inspected. Now, your deer and bison my be a diferent story. Personally , I wouldn't eat any wild animal raw. But that's just me. | ||||
| Dean |
I agree with you. I don't want to eat wild animals raw. That being said... the ONLY time I have eaten any raw meat was when I ate bison. At the time, I thought just the opposite... since the animal was raised naturally, it would be "cleaner". But, that was faulty thinking, I suppose. Parasites, once again, our my biggest concern... and wild animals seem to have their share of these. | ||||
| ReddyMcMeaty |
I bought some bison in one of those vacuum sealed packages and ate it all raw. Incidentally that was immediately before my "detox" which was 3 days of the runs every 30 minutes.. only letting up at night. Except for being stuck at home I felt great, which is why I thought it was a detox but maybe it was something in the meat?? Huntress is the one to ask, as a meat chopper she knows a lot about it. | ||||
| Dean |
So does my microbiology proff. He used to say that he thought twice about eating wild game meat after examining things under a microscope! And he was talking about eating it cooked!
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| ReddyMcMeaty |
DH said to me the other night when we were lazily lying on the futon not wanting to get up and brush our teeth and go to bed.. because we were too lazy to get up, that he wanted one of those little birds that crocodiles have to clean their teeth. There are a lot of animals that have either parasites or tinier animals to clean up their junk. I wonder what ones would be beneficial to humans. I'm not talking trich. obviously, just generally wondering what would be good... something comparable to the beneficial bacteria in our gut. | ||||
| Dean |
I know what you mean. There was obviously a symbiotic relationship with both bacteria and parasites that was beneficial to humans going on in paleo times. I know raw meat eaters who say that parasites will clean up things in our bodies, etc. I agree that the "germ theory of disease" is totally worthless and has caused way more harm than good.
OTOH... there were/are certainly some bugs that were/are there for the "larger picture" in nature, and were/are used as a means to wipe out "weaker" members of any species... or just as a way to keep populations in check, especially between different species (of plants and animals), etc. In the grand scheme of things, we are just one of many organisms in the world. Mother nature (evolution, ecology) is really the one in charge, and that doesn't always work in our favor, obviously (think hurricanes, for instance). So, it is really not as simple, on a species or individual level, to assume all is beneficial (symbiotic) with bugs in meat. |
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| Jaybird |
Taste wise, if you are wondering about a good way to try straight raw meat I'd recommend sirloin. Get a sirloin steak and grind it yourself, you can use a food processor. I suggest it because its relatively tasteless, maybe with a slight sweet flavor. And check out the steak tartare recipe in the raw food recipes section. I'm having it for lunch...its the ground sirloin spiced up a bit. It's very good. | ||||
| Dean |
April,
Do you always use some sort of "sauce" or something for the raw meat? I think this would help out a lot to start trying it. Thanks for the suggestion on how to begin this. Perhaps there should be a thread in the Raw Food Recipe Forum on "sauces" for raw meat eating. |
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| Jaybird |
Well, so far I do have some sort of sauce or spice. Except for the liver, I ate that plain. Beef brisket I made into Laab Isaan (in recipe section) which is spiced nicely, sirloin I love sprinkled with cumin and seared. The steak tartare is a great way to enjoy it completely raw. I just nibbled a little it of straight raw sirloin as I was preparing it...so yes, for the most part I spice my raw or slightly cooked meats
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| brklx |
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| jl53563 |
I usually sprinkle a littel pepper on my raw/seared meat. Sometimes some garlic powder too. My favorite, though, is butter. Sometimes I like it to melt, but my favorite is to have a few chucks of cold, hard butter on my steak. I like to spear a chunk of butter with my fork and then get a piece of steak on there and eat them together. It is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. Of course, if you are trying to forgo dairy, this may not be for you. |
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| Jaybird |
So Alisa, have you tried any of the suggestions yet?
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| bleublonde |
Umm, yeah, remember when I mentioned I was a sissy? Old habits die hard!
I think I'm going to buck up and get a nice piece of fresh meat this evening. I know once I try it I'm not going to have a problem. It's just making the leap. BTW, thanks to all of you for your suggestions! |
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| Dean |
Alisa,
I am in the same boat as you. I used to be very fearful of raw eggs. Now I eat raw egg yolks all the time... from commercial brown eggs from the grocery store (no special "organic/free-range" kind). I know what the yolks and whites should look like, and therefore eating these egg yolks gives me no worries at all. The cases of salmonella are VERY small. If the eggs look right (healthy), there is a bigger chance of picking up a deadly virus from simply breathing the air! So... it is what you say... getting over the fear factor. Once this is accomplished, eating raw meat will be easy. So, what exactly is your approach going to be? I want to join you in this endeavor. |
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| bleublonde |
Wanna be my "Raw Buddy", LOL? I think I'm going to jump right in and just do it. I'm going to find a nice, thick cut of beef. I'll cut off the outer portions and then slice it thin. Maybe I'll sear the outsides instead. One step at a time! |
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| Dean |
OK. What cut of beef are you going to get? I will do the same, and we will conquer our fear together! 
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| bleublonde |
I did it!!!
Okay, I took a steak (bottom round steak, certified angus) and placed in a hot pan coated with 1 T. bacon grease. I fried each side for about a minute, and then lifted it up with tongs to sear each smaller side. I served it with LC ketchup and mayo out of sheer nervousness. I cut into it, and less than a millimeter was cooked. I braved up, and ate it. A little strange at first. It's something I could get used to, however. And by the end, I was actually enjoying it! Maybe this is just coincidence, but I feel right now as though my senses are heightened and I have a bunch of energy akin to caffeine but not in an anxious sense. Has this occurred for anyone else? Your turn, Dean! |
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| Jaybird |
Alright!!! 
And yes, I have definitely noticed the calm energy and heightened awareness you are speaking of. |
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| Rob21370 |
See? Isn't it great raw? The way you describe it it's almost like you had a hit of Bear's finest blue cheer kool aid
Now even the rarest of fully cooked meats will bum you out. I still can't Terra to eat it raw. She's proud of me, but she thinks I'm nuts
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| bleublonde |
He he... my days of Bear's "koolaid" are long past... 
Where's Terra been at, BTW? |
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| Dean |
GREAT JOB, Alisa!
YES... It's my turn. I guess I HAVE to do it now! So... is Angus rib eye going to be OK? The thicker, the better? Please let me know, and I will get some and sear it in some bison tallow. |
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| bleublonde |
What, hoping I was just bluffing?
I'm a rather crappy carnivore, I'm afraid. I do not know my cuts of beef. I had to run downstairs twice to remember that what I had tonight was bottom round steak, LOL. Angus ribeye sounds really good. That's a relatively tender cut if I'm not mistaken (and I very well could be  ). The cut I had actually wasn't all that tender, but my steak knife did the work for me. I just cut it up into relatively small pieces. The piece I used was about 3/4 of an inch thick. I really only seared the outside. The middle was definitely raw. What does bison tallow taste like?
Make sure to let us know how it goes! |
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| Rob21370 |
She's doing the camping/Renn Faire thing in South Lake Tahoe. She'll be back around on Monday. |
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| Dean |
Well, I also ate some raw beef!
Last night, I threw a one pound slab of beef rib eye onto a hot skillet and seared each side (and the edges the best I could) for less than 45 seconds per side. I used bison tallow for the job. When I cut into this meat, it was like cutting into a fig newton. The inside looked totally different... because it was completely raw!  It tasted sort of bland, but the outside was what gave it it's flavor. Funny thing, the bison rib eye I grilled yesterday, was nearly as raw, being grilled for about four minutes per side on the lowest rack in my broiler. And, it was SO nice and tender! I have to give the bison rib eye the blue ribbon, folks! I think that if I am going to eat raw meat, it may have to be in other ways... like the ground stuff in those recipes. I could only eat half of this huge steak... so I will eat the rest today. I may cook it a bit first. ? So, Alisa... what are you eating raw, now?! What catching up must I do now?!
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