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Let's not even mention all meat WILL NOT KILL YOU if it's NOT cooked to the perfect temperature.
We do it JUST IN CASE there is bacteria there that can make you sick.
It's a cover your ass thing for the meat producers. You tell everyone to cook to xxx temp, no one is getting sick. Even though only 14% of the meat you sell might actually make you sick. Even less things will actually kill you.
And we all know that some types of meat need more caution than others.
Actually, 'we all' probably don't know, which brings up a good point related to young people learning how to cook. Do you think most cooking skills are gleaned from watching parents cook and prepare food? Or from following recipe instructions or watching videos? I'm sure I've come across many recipes that call for, say, "cooked chicken, diced". So how exactly do you cook the chicken?
I have an old Fannie Farmer cookbook that contains a big section with information about all types of foods, what they're commonly used for, and tips on how to prepare them.
Actually, 'we all' probably don't know, which brings up a good point related to young people learning how to cook. Do you think most cooking skills are gleaned from watching parents cook and prepare food? Or from following recipe instructions or watching videos? I'm sure I've come across many recipes that call for, say, "cooked chicken, diced". So how exactly do you cook the chicken?
I have an old Fannie Farmer cookbook that contains a big section with information about all types of foods, what they're commonly used for, and tips on how to prepare them.
True, I don't have any answers to your questions. My kids have learned some from me but also have learned from others, youtube and so forth. IMO youtube is wonderful for learning things, mileage may vary by who you watch.
Raising pigs, we end up making a lot of pulled pork. In a stock pot with a lot of water, bring to a boil until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone. Then let it cool and strain it, with my hands remove all the bones and cartilage. Put the meat on a chopping block and cut into one inch lengths, then by hand tear it all apart. Once the meat is thoroughly shredded, re-introduce it back into the broth. And add diced onions and BBQ sauce. Boil it long enough to reduce to a thick texture and serve.
When I was a teenager there was a local Portuguese community that did an annual public meal, serving 'Sopa'. Ranchers would donate 2 or 3 old bulls. The bulls were quartered and put in HUGE outdoor stock pots, elderly men stood around for 3 or 4 days feeding wood into the fires to keep those stock pots boiling.
Eventually, that old tough bull meat was reduced to a thick meat broth. They served it by placing a thick slice of hard bread in a soup boil and ladling the meat broth over the bread.
Raising pigs, we end up making a lot of pulled pork. In a stock pot with a lot of water, bring to a boil until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone. Then let it cool and strain it, with my hands remove all the bones and cartilage. Put the meat on a chopping block and cut into one inch lengths, then by hand tear it all apart. Once the meat is thoroughly shredded, re-introduce it back into the broth. And add diced onions and BBQ sauce. Boil it long enough to reduce to a thick texture and serve.
When I was a teenager there was a local Portuguese community that did an annual public meal, serving 'Sopa'. Ranchers would donate 2 or 3 old bulls. The bulls were quartered and put in HUGE outdoor stock pots, elderly men stood around for 3 or 4 days feeding wood into the fires to keep those stock pots boiling.
Eventually, that old tough bull meat was reduced to a thick meat broth. They served it by placing a thick slice of hard bread in a soup boil and ladling the meat broth over the bread.
Cooked my first pork shoulder butt this week. The recipe I was given was to cook it as a roast, so the meat wasn't falling off the bone that way. So, different ways of cooking.....and maybe if Society goes South, your way of cooking is the only way.
It does sound like........recipe for elephant stew.
Let's not even mention all meat WILL NOT KILL YOU if it's NOT cooked to the perfect temperature.
We do it JUST IN CASE there is bacteria there that can make you sick.
It's a cover your ass thing for the meat producers. You tell everyone to cook to xxx temp, no one is getting sick. Even though only 14% of the meat you sell might actually make you sick. Even less things will actually kill you.
Wild meat does need to be cooked thoroughly because of the possibility of all sorts of parasites. Trichinosis in Bear meat, wasting disease in deer, etc. etc. etc
Poultry will go rancid quickly, so salmonella in chicken is a quick example.
Domestic beef is very safe as the animals are vaccinated and cared for medically, domestic pork is also very safe, but wild boar or feral hogs can carry any number of diseases
I flippantly stated, "stick a knife in it and if it bleeds, it ain't done", which is true, but incomplete. When done, the juices will run clear, so this is a good way to check turkey or chicken or pork.
Chef's will poke the meat with a finger to that's the doneness of a steak. A soft tender steak is rare or medium rare, one that is stiff and hard is well done.
Being aware of food safety, especially if you don't have refrigeration is a good idea. Food borne illnesses and pathogens do kill people every year, even with all modern safety regulations and conveniences, so learning to really be able to cook is a good idea.
Venison, duck and pheasant- medium rare for cooking cuts like venison loan, steak, deboned breasts etc. IF you want an edible and flavorful dish. 130-135 degrees is the magic number (if using a thermometer). For dishes cooked in sauces like venison stir fry or chili's- you can go longer as the sauces will help alleviate the dryness and off flavors that come with overcooking game.
Ducks like mallard often get a bad rap for tasting livery because they are overcooked. As far as chronic wasting deer and game- there is no evidence that cooking at any temperature will eliminate the prions. Period. If you are concerned get your game tested. I do.
Cooking even at high temperatures won't eliminate prions (the malformed proteins), and prions may persist for a long time in soil contaminated by dead CWD-positive animals and the plants that grow there. It's difficult, though not impossible, for TSEs to move from other animal species to humans.
But say it is the end of society as we know it and the thermometer has broken. How do we know when the food is cooked and ready to eat so we don't poison ourselves?
It's a learned skill achieved only by practicing it yourself. Cooking primitively is a fundamental survival skill that you should acquire before you need it. Acquiring practical skills require doing, not just theorizing. Surely you have observed how meat looks and feels when cooked to a safe temperature with a thermometer. Start with that knowledge but double check with the thermometer until you get the hang of it.
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FINALLY, it is the nature of these threads that others use them to rake me over the coals.
Well, your threads often make me wonder how you manage to survive presently with such poor problem-solving skills, evidenced by the many easily-solved "dilemmas" you have posted on CD for years. This thread takes the cake (no pun intended). I suggest you take steps to improve skills, especially practical problem-solving skills which are crucial under any circumstances.
... Cooking even at high temperatures won't eliminate prions (the malformed proteins), and prions may persist for a long time in soil contaminated by dead CWD-positive animals and the plants that grow there. It's difficult, though not impossible, for TSEs to move from other animal species to humans.
I was exposed to Mad Cow disease, 1987 - 1990, which is a prion contamination.
I was told that the only way to diagnose the disease is through examining slices of your brain.
Wild meat does need to be cooked thoroughly because of the possibility of all sorts of parasites. Trichinosis in Bear meat, wasting disease in deer, etc. etc. etc
Correct, but let's not get ahead of the OP. She first needs to learn how to cook a conventional pork shoulder without a thermometer. It doesn't sound like she's yet thought about where the meat will come from in her post-apocalyptic scenario; she's only worried about not having a working thermometer. Baby steps.
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