Choose whole pieces of meat that have not been pricked or tenderized. Never use ground meat.
For tartare, sushi and other raw dishes, opt for farmed meat such as beef, veal, bison, red deer and boar.
Do not eat raw meat from wild game, such as bear, hare, white-tailed deer, moose, beaver, muskrat, squirrel or seal. Wild animals are more likely to be exposed to insects, rodents and birds that can transmit parasites to them.
When eaten raw, poultry is riskier than other meats. Do not eat raw chicken, turkey, duck, quail, guinea fowl, goose, pheasant or partridge.
How to trim farmed meat
The most effective way to eliminate bacteria that may be on the surface of the meat is:
- Sear the meat on all sides.
- Remove the thin layer of seared meat.
- Quickly refrigerate the central portion of raw meat.
This method is easier than traditional trimming because the layer of meat to be removed has been cooked and is more visible.
Use the following method for traditional trimming, when the meat is not seared:
- Remove a layer approximately 5mm thick (1/8 to 1/4in.) all around the piece. Roll the piece along the cutting board as you trim, so that only the trimmed sections are in contact with the clean area of the board.
- Wash your hands, then put the trimmed meat on another clean, disinfected cutting board.
- Grind or slice the trimmed meat using a clean, disinfected knife.
