I like that they only choose to spell "Patty" correct in SOME of the labels. That there is the sign of a company with stringent quality control standards.

I stopped eating ground beef a few E. coli recalls ago.

What kind of people does the beef industry hire for their quality control? This doesn't seem to happen with chicken, lamb, etc.

I guess cooking the meat was too hard for people? So the solution is to destroy a ton of food.

@Shoelace: It's not who they hire, it's the way beef is processed.

@youbastid: How is it processed differently from lamb?

Regardless, I'll take my chances. You can pry a hamburger I am eating from my cold dead hands.

@Shoelace: I'm not quite sure how lamb is processed, but the way most beef factories operate is at a pace far too frenzied for the workers. There is a very precise method of tearing out the intestinal tract of cows and oftentimes the workers are rushed to just do it quickly, so intestines burst and blow shit all over the carcass, which is then ground into the beef.

I don't think I would want to eat something called "flavor burst" anyway.

@Corporate_guy: I would think there was some tolerance for E. Coli, like parts per million calculations, that it has to blow before the USDA "strongly requests" they recall.

@Wubbytoes: I imagine it'd be as invigorating as eating a hamburger while getting punched in the face.

@Corporate_guy:
It irritates me to no end, but apparently the reason is that even if they cook the meat, people, being slovenly beasts, don't realize that they've touched the meat, and then touch everything else in the kitchen, thereby contaminating the whole place.

Then everyone gets sick, and they can't figure out why, despite the meat having been cooked, and even if they washed the cutting board, or whatever.

@Applekid: Seriously, did they get their marketing people from Trident?

@subtlefrog: It irritates me to no end that now the standard is that all meat has to be "cooked thoroughly" to be safe. High quality meat can basically be eaten raw. Burgers should be able to be eaten medium rare safely. This crap meat, you have to char until it's a brick for it to be safe. That's ok for SOME meat, but it shouldn't be the standard.

@subtlefrog: And also with this crap, no matter how well you cook it, you're still eating shit. That's not awesome either.

So much for "food safety" huh?

"Stay on topic moose!!"

Oh, right. I returned recalled ground beef patties once a year or two ago, for the same reason. Unopened box. And the company went out of business. Topps.

@youbastid: Ever toured a water treatment plant?

I've been buying roasts and grinding it myself for the past couple of years. I have a stand mixer with a grinder attachment. Not only is it safer, but it can be cheaper too.

Around here, Sam's Club sells sirloin roasts for around $2.20 per pound, which is cheaper than any of their ground beef. And I scored some round eye roasts on sale at $1.99/lb the other week. I also buy pork roasts ($1.14/lb or so) and make my own sausage.

@subtlefrog: It's disturbing to know people touch raw meat without washing their hands thoroughly before and after.

"Flavor Burst"?

Funny. The ingredients of the Flavor Burst burger include tomato powder, onion powder, various forms of sugar, vinegar, spices and salt. That's ketchup!

e coli doesn't go away if you cook it long enough?

@Wubbytoes: The "flavor burst" is that "rockin' e-coli kick!"

@Corporate_guy: I HATE well-done beef. It's dry and nasty. I want my burgers and my steaks medium-rare or medium, depending on mood and where we're eating (there is a place that has freshly ground, organic burgers and omg...they are the best medium-rare...mmm).

@rawsteak: Who wants a well-done burger?!

@rawsteak: The bigger concern might be from increased risk of cross-contamination or if the E. Coli produce dangerous endotoxins, which wouldn't break-down from regular cooking preparation.