Beef in E. Coli Recall Was Mechanically Tenderized

Dec. 31, 2009— -- A Christmas Eve recall of 248,000 pounds of beef linked to an E. coli outbreak in 16 states has focused new attention on an industrial method used to tenderize tough beef and pork.

Oklahoma-based National Steak and Poultry recalled boneless steaks, bacon-wrapped beef fillets, steak tips and skirt steaks. The Department of Agriculture says the meats are suspected in 21 cases of illness from E. coli O157:H7. No victims died, but several were hospitalized.

The USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a link between eating these blade-tenderized steaks and several cases of the illness.

Mechanical tenderization, or "needling," is done on tougher cuts such as strip and T-bone steaks, as well as sirloin, loin and rib steaks, says the American Meat Institute's Scott Goltry.

It involves poking hundreds of thin needles into a large piece of meat to mechanically break down muscle fibers. It is impossible to see the channels made by the needles after the steaks have been cut, Goltry says. With pork, the needles often are used to inject a marinade. In beef, no liquid is generally added.

This type of treated beef is typically sold to restaurants, not supermarkets, Goltry says.