Thursday, September 24, 2009

Educate Me!


I am need of a little education on a little something I have seen at the grocery stores since our move, Meat in a tube!! Let me start off by saying that I am not a MEAT kind of girl, I do not eat hamburgers, hot dogs, meat loaf, sloppy joes or anything that has a big chunk of ground meat involved. On the other hand I will eat select cuts of steak, tender roasts, turkey, chicken and a few other meats but I am a bit of a snob, thanks Dad :) !!

When we lived in Vegas I NEVER bought meat from Wal-Mart and when I was buying it from other big chain grocery stores, it was fresh from the butcher or occasionally in the little plastic covered packages. Well one of the first times we were at the grocery store when we moved here I was looking for some ground meat for tacos (they are on the "acceptable to eat" list) and I saw these ENORMOUS plastic tubes of ground beef!! I had never seen such a thing before and honestly it made me feel a little like throwing up!! Since our budget is limited I haven't been able to buy meat the way we used to but I just CAN NOT bring myself to buy meat in a tube. Now I am not talking about Jimmy Dean sausage, (I don't eat that either) but I have seen it before. Somehow it, (meat in a tube) reminds me of Spam or Bologna and the mere thought of fake meat makes me nauseous!! I am sorry if there are Spam and Bologna lovers out there, but I just can't!

This is where I need to be educated. Is meat in a tube really ground meat? Is it good? Does it give your unborn children birth defects? Is it safe? I know this might seem silly to some, but I am serious here, how exactly does one buy meat in a tube and not feel a little weird? Is the only difference the packaging, or is it like a hot dog and no one really knows what it's made with, except for those permitted into the plant to package it? C'mon now Educate me!!

9 comments:

Cynthia said...

You crack me up. :)

It's exactly the same. I buy mine from Costco, in the freezer section. It comes in a pack of I think 6 one pound tubes. It's extra lean, and I think it's something like $12, which is the best price (per pound) I've found for extra lean.

I won't eat chuck either. Yuck. :)

Sariah said...

They have Chub's here in Vegas. I cannot buy it either. It is real ground beef. But I am like you and have to get my ground beef from the butcher's counter. My inlaws do get the ground beef in the tubes just because it is eaisier to store. They just throw it in the freezer when they get home. It tastes just like the ground beef from the butcher. I just cannot buy it, it does seem very gross.

millisa said...

i have no educational advice. but i can stand with you in the "i don't eat certain meat" catergory. ask kevin, he can't stand watching me eat meat (if i do) b/c i trim all around it. i don't do fat, bones, those little hard balls that come in hamburger meat...which is why we only eat ground turkey in place of ground beef now. pls update if you do get educated on this phenom. and just a fyi, there is no way i would eva buy meat in a tube!!!!

Sarah said...

looks like you've got your answer . . . it is the same. I've buy mine in tubes like this all the time. tastes the same to me. thanks for the entertaining post!

Heather B said...

Well I have no problem eating meat out of a tube...maybe I'm picturing something different, but it tastes the same to me, and I grew up eating fresh beef from my grandparents cattle ranch. No defects, it's safe, it's clean, and it's cheap. Can't complain about it.

GHFamily said...

Well.. if I had to make a casserole for a ward party, I might buy it... :)

Deanne Hill said...

He He. I am a little late in responding, but I too buy the costco freezer meat in a tube. I NEVER thought I would, but, it is actually really good quality, cheaper, and super handy. I used to buy in bulk anyway and freeze it myself, so it saves me time and it seriously is good (I can only vouch for the Costco kind, though). Good luck! :)

Steph said...

Why are you asking about issues with unborn children???? Trying to tell us something :)

Glenna said...

My issue with ground beef is it STILL looks nasty even after it's cooked, no matter if it came in a tube or a special little butcher block paper or a Gucci handbag. Just reminds me too much of cow innards. I've been eating more ground turkey burger lately... can only really tell a difference when it's a stand-alone type of thing like hamburgers or meatballs. And yes, I buy the turkey burger in a tube. From Wal-Mart. :) You'll probably never want to eat at my house again now. Sorry.