Water-injected meat & poultry: mostly just a rant

[Darienne]

Two nights ago I slow-cooked a [sale] Pork Shoulder Picnic. Called "All Natural". State of origin: VA. Also: "Contains no artificial ingredients and no more than minimally processed". 3.5 kilos. Did it in my 6.5 quart slow cooker on low. No water added. In fact, because of the extreme heat and humidity we are currently having and my laziness and tired state, nothing was added.

Imagine my chagrin the next morning, when I found the done roast swimming in liquid, quite high in the pan (not unusual...I know they inject meat and poultry with water), but also a large crusted pool of liquid under the pan in the body of the cooker. Now, that's a new one.

Just how much water are they injecting into meat and poultry anyway?

It was a cheap cut, and on sale. More than the usual amount of fat. I didn't expect pork tenderloin.

I guess it's too hot for a rant, but I don't like it. Yes, I know I can buy 'air-chilled while frozen' or something meat. It's not quite in my 'snack' bracket.

[liuzhou]

Caveat emptor.

[sparrowgrass]

When life gives you extra pork flavored liquid, use it to make green beans or pinto beans or . . . .

I did spareribs the other night in a new electric skillet, on low. Lots of liquid when that was done, too. I was initially disappointed, but the ribs were pretty tasty. Just not what I had in mind for dinner that night. (I will stick to the oven method, or the grill, from now on.)

[Justin Pinkney]

I'd heard of injecting water as a crafty way of bulking out meat, but also wondered if, as a side effect, it results in a moister (and therefore tastier) cooked product in the end?

[nickrey]

If the animal is properly cared for in the first place you won't need any additives to make it taste better.

As an aside when I was curing a ham and wanted to accelerate the curing process I used a large syringe and a penicillin needle to cheat a bit. I was stunned by the amount of liquid the pork was able to absorb.

Let's also consider the the added water is being sold to you at the same price as the meat; that's possibly even more expensive than bottled water.

[Darienne]

Let's also consider the the added water is being sold to you at the same price as the meat; that's possibly even more expensive than bottled water.

That is EXACTLY what it is about.

[Shalmanese]

a 3.5kg Pork Shoulder should exude about 4 - 5 cups of water/fat, even when not processed. Normally, most of this is evaporated so it can be disconcerting cooking it in an environment where evaporation is minimal. By law, processers are required to label when meat has been injected or brined. I'm guessing that you got an unbrined shoulder.

Also, liquid getting into the cooker has nothing to do with the meat and is a sign that you have a faulty cooker.

[Edward J]

Processors don't usually inject water. If you're gonna cheat, then cheat big time.

What many processors and even neighborhood butchers do, is vacuum tumble. Meat is put into a drum. "liquid" is put into drum. Drum is vacuum packed, drum is tumbled. Out comes meat anywhere from 10% to a whopping 50% larger and heavier and no liquid. Granted, the 50% stuff is gross, found in "insitutions", but most supermarkets will deal with stuff in the 10-18% range. Virtualy all frozen meat products have 10-15% junk added.

As others have noted, all meat processed this way MUST be labled as such, and the ingredients--usually some kind of soy-protein-- must be stated.

[Darienne]

Processors don't usually inject water. If you're gonna cheat, then cheat big time.

What many processors and even neighborhood butchers do, is vacuum tumble. Meat is put into a drum. "liquid" is put into drum. Drum is vacuum packed, drum is tumbled. Out comes meat anywhere from 10% to a whopping 50% larger and heavier and no liquid. Granted, the 50% stuff is gross, found in "insitutions", but most supermarkets will deal with stuff in the 10-18% range. Virtualy all frozen meat products have 10-15% junk added.

As others have noted, all meat processed this way MUST be labled as such, and the ingredients--usually some kind of soy-protein-- must be stated.

Thanks EdwardJ for this information. I did buckle down and start doing some research into the subject of added liquid (and SALT!) to pork, beef and chicken, and the results are staggering. And yes, they do inject solutions into the meat. And yes, this is legal and quite popular amongst consumers, according to the manufacturers. Butterball Turkeys are the best example of this practice.

Still the amount of liquid and salt injected can be disturbing...to me at least. Certainly the added salt is a danger to those with heart and other medical conditions.

As for the labeling. I suppose that in the USA your federal laws govern this? I have noticed that American laws and regulations seem to be much stricter and with luck more adhered to than what we experience in Canada...as far as I know...which isn't really all that far. But it certainly has been brought home to me quite forcefully that Americans are more careful and regulated in this area than are Canadians. I do know that most of the States have much more stringent codes for selling homemade items than we do here in Ontario for one.

I've skimmed the Canadian regulations for water in meat and if I get it correctly, then 20% of the final weight can be non-meat originated and it does not have to be labeled as such.

Enough for me. Thanks for the help.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Darienne (log)