Bad beef...bad vension?

[Liver and Onions]

Lots of news coverage about the large ground beef recall going on now. I can't recall hearing about anyone getting sick on venison that had been contaminated with intestional matter, but I am sure that it has happened. Maybe we cook our vension burgers more thoroughly than beef burgers. I like my venison steak with a little pink on the inside....I doubt that the pink area has been cooked at the 160 degree mark that kills the bad microbes.
L & O

[PrtyMolusk]

Howdy, L & O,

I eat all my meat very rare.

In most cases, the red portion is just warm.

So far, so good.

[Fuzzz]

I could be wrong, but it would seem the problem comes in the handling of the meat and the cleanliness of the facility. If the ecoli was in the meat, then they would be having recalls on other cuts of meat, as well. I think smaller meat shops (like the ones that process venison) have a tendency to be cleaner. I could be wrong.

[Liver and Onions]

One reason that I'm a little surprised that I haven't heard of getting sick from tainted venison is that gut shots are not all that uncommon. We all know that this is a smelly mess and it seems like the chances for contamination would be rather high. I've seen several that have been dropped off at the processors that have been gut shot and it looked like that no effort had been made to clean the body cavity. I'm guessing that this meat tasted a little "gamey".
L & O

[Salmonsmoker]

Certainly, in any wild game there is a potential for bacterial contamination. Few, if any, people ever get sick from such bacteria, but if they do, it's their own responsibility.

Conversely, in meat purchased from a store, besides the potential for bacteria, there is also a potential for major litigation if anyone ever gets sick. Most meat processors (or more likely their insurance carrier) will not take that kind of risk - however remote the real threat may be. Thus, if there is any sign of contamination, the meat is recalled.

Salmonsmoker