Why would anyone eat this stuff?

Ammonia is used as a processing agent in ground meats. It is not listed as an ingredient, but it is used in the processing. I would like to know where the person disputing what is a well-documented fact got their information.

And, yes, it is indeed toxic.

I stand partially corrected...Therefore It would appear there is a first time for everything.

That being said I remain highly doubtful that meat is processed to the point of becoming "toxic". For example, if I drink a gallon of bleach...I'm gonna die. If I place 3 drops of bleach in a gallon jug of water, all I've got is (to some extent) purified water. I would speculate that the concept of meat being "soaked" in ammonia is taking things a step too far.

There are things in the food chain that concern me MUCH more than the minute amounts of ammonia in my Big Mac...or little Johnnies either. Has anyone here ever researched the ingredients in all those sugar fee "Diet" products ? Google "Aspartame" sometime, spend about a half and hour reading and (anyone who does) will be giving up those Diet Cokes in a big hurry.

Anyway...sorry to offend, I just woke up crotchety this morning. BTW, Bloggers (and the NY Times) STILL piss me off.

I guess someone told Steve P over a cold Bud at a BBQ contest that it wasn't true.

Bingo

I heard Area 51 is real. It's on the internet!

Area 51 certainly is real. There may not be aliens there like a common rumor but lots of "Black" aircraft research certainly takes place there.

When it comes to my hot dogs or other processed meats I found the perfect solution....I just don't read the label. I figure as long as it tastes good and I know it is not past the expiration date...oh well I know we shouldn't eat all that stuff that is bad for us but I don't want to die healthy anyway ,might as well enjoy the ride.

The Urban Legend Reference Pages recently did some excellent research on these topics.
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/msm.asp
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Ahhhhhhh hell, that "soaked in ammonia" stuff is a bunch of B.S. as well.

While its hard to argue with such an infallible sources as "a guy Steve knows who works in a hotdog factory" I did run across this while doing a little research into the ammonia in beef rumors. It was very difficult to find very much about the topic on official usda/fda/ or .gov pages,but its out there if you want to look. And yes, I will agree its not "soaked" but it still seems a bit F'd up to me.

from this page about how to sample beef products
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/FSRE-HACCP ... mpling.pdf

Ammoniated Beef Products that are Sampled
Some establishments inject gaseous ammonia into LTR beef products such as partially defatted chopped beef (PDCB), lean finely textured beef (LFTB), and product known as
boneless lean beef tissue (BLBT)) to raise the pH of the product rapidly. Ammoniated beef products are typically intended as a component of raw ground beef and beef patty products. These products are produced from beef trimmings. The beef trim is warmed to partially melt and loosen the fat portion from the lean portion. The warming allows the connective tissue to be removed and also the edible fat portion can be separated from the lean beef using centrifugation. The edible fat portion can be further processed. The partially rendered beef trimmings are ground into a slurry. The sinew (tendon) and connective tissue are removed from the lean tissue in a subsequent step by forcing the slurry through a ―desinewer.‖ The lean beef slurry is then ammoniated with gaseous ammonia to rapidly raise the pH to produce the antimicrobial effect. The ammoniated lean beef portion is rapidly frozen on a drum freezer, broken into chips, and sprinkled with pelleted CO2. Some processes then grind these chips and compress them into 60 lb blocks using high hydrostatic pressure. The freezing and compressing steps typically provide an additional antimicrobial effect when combined with ammoniation. Production of ammoniated lean finely textured beef from beef trimmings can be done in less than 20 minutes. Scientific studies have demonstrated that raising the pH of the product reduces E. coli O157:H7 to an undetectable level in beef manufacturing trimmings.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/01/y ... your-beef/

Here is a clip from Food Inc. that shows the production of "filler product".

I'm guessing that McD's sausage, which doesn't taste like pork anyways, is probably made through one of these methods....so much for the rare McMuffin.

How are these processes any different than what some grocery stores do to meat to retain it's color or "refresh" it for a longer shelf life? We've all seen them...you buy a roast at the store that looks nice and red on the outside, but you cut into it and there's a gray line running through the inside where the chemicals didn't reach when they tried to bleach out the signs of age.

How are these processes any different than what some grocery stores do to meat to retain it's color or "refresh" it for a longer shelf life? .

Yep really different. The reason meat is so red at the store is that it is in a oxygen free environment. Most places use carbon monoxide or a different gas in the packaging to ensure no oxygen comes in contact with meat.

This entire thread is just more reason why, if I go to Hell when I die, clowns and ventriloquist dummies will be feeding me hot dogs and bologna with yellow mustard.

This entire thread is just more reason why, if I go to Hell when I die, clowns and ventriloquist dummies will be feeding me hot dogs and bologna with yellow mustard.

MMmmmmmmm....fried Baloney Sammichs. Can I come ?

This entire thread is just more reason why, if I go to Hell when I die, clowns and ventriloquist dummies will be feeding me hot dogs and bologna with yellow mustard.

MMmmmmmmm....fried Baloney Sammichs. Can I come ?

thats one thing i cant get..... the fried bologna sandwich?......

This entire thread is just more reason why, if I go to Hell when I die, clowns and ventriloquist dummies will be feeding me hot dogs and bologna with yellow mustard.

MMmmmmmmm....fried Baloney Sammichs. Can I come ?

thats one thing i cant get..... the fried bologna sandwich?......

OK...what ya do is to get a thick (1/2") slice of Baloney, ya fry it up and at the last minute ya throw a big ol' piece of cheese (your choice) on it. Serve between two slices of non-artisan bread with plenty of yeller mustard. Serve it up with plenty of ice cold Bud in a frosty mug (preferably while watching a winning football team) and we're talking "food group" here...Next to Buffalo Wings, BBQ and Ammonia Burgers it's one of the best things known to mankind and probably the "NBT" with all the -really- trendy chefs.

I think they are on the menu at the Anchor Inn....they use Wonder Bread and French's Mustard?

The best bologna comes out of a jar...pickled. A slice of pickled bologna, a saltine, and an RC....now you are in business. Sounds like my eastern KY childhood.

I thought pickled bologna was a Michigan thing. I love the stuff. My husband thinks it is VILE.