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Originally posted: July 12, 2019
Over on Tumblr there was a recent post (well, as of mid-2019) by necrophagist about more authentic ways to satisfy ‘kin cravings, particularly meat-related ones. Considering my kintype is an obligate carnivore, I think a lot about meat. Specifically rare muscle meat and organ meat. I’ve never really shared what I look for in a safe meat to satisfy my cravings, so I figured it was time to share the food I consider when I’m feeling shifty.
I’ve worked as a chef or some variety of food service worker for a good seven years of my life (although that doesn’t make me an expert), and this is what I generally regard as safe if cooked properly (note some of these cooking temps are lower than what the USDA recommends). I’ve included a note on each one as to whether it needs to be cooked prior to consumption. Remember, the less cooked an animal product is, the more likely you are to contract food poisoning/parasites. Usually a quick Google will give you a safe recipe for any of these foods. If you want tips on how to cook something safely, please send me a message!
The following list contains meat and animal products that are often easily accessible (i.e. I’ve found most of these at my local Walmart) in the United States, plus some less common ones. Please shoot me a message if you have any easily accessible meats in other countries that I haven’t covered.
Red Meat
Poultry
Fish
Other Animal Products
Again, if you have any questions or want to know why I included/didn’t include something on the list, let me know! Stay safe folks.
Over on Tumblr there was a recent post (well, as of mid-2019) by necrophagist about more authentic ways to satisfy ‘kin cravings, particularly meat-related ones. Considering my kintype is an obligate carnivore, I think a lot about meat. Specifically rare muscle meat and organ meat. I’ve never really shared what I look for in a safe meat to satisfy my cravings, so I figured it was time to share the food I consider when I’m feeling shifty.
I’ve worked as a chef or some variety of food service worker for a good seven years of my life (although that doesn’t make me an expert), and this is what I generally regard as safe if cooked properly (note some of these cooking temps are lower than what the USDA recommends). I’ve included a note on each one as to whether it needs to be cooked prior to consumption. Remember, the less cooked an animal product is, the more likely you are to contract food poisoning/parasites. Usually a quick Google will give you a safe recipe for any of these foods. If you want tips on how to cook something safely, please send me a message!
The following list contains meat and animal products that are often easily accessible (i.e. I’ve found most of these at my local Walmart) in the United States, plus some less common ones. Please shoot me a message if you have any easily accessible meats in other countries that I haven’t covered.
Red Meat
- Beef liver - Cook
- If you eat this regularly, watch your vitamin A intake. Liver is extremely high in vitamin A, which accumulates in your body, unlike water soluble vitamins like vitamin C
- Beef tongue - Cook
- Oxtail - Cook
- Bone-in steak - Cook
- Ribs (beef or pork) - Cook
- Lamb shanks - Cook
- Beef soup bones - Cook
- Occasionally contain marrow…and often extremely cheap!
- Great for making bone broth
- Cured sausage - No cook
- Salami, pepperoni, summer sausage etc.
Poultry
- Chicken liver - Cook
- Like beef liver, watch your vitamin A intake if you eat this regularly
- Chicken gizzards - Cook
- Whole chicken - Cook
- Sometimes contains giblets like liver, heart, gizzards, and neck…check the packaging and it should tell you
- Skin-on chicken parts - Cook
- Peel the skin off, salt it, and fry it like bacon!
- Whole turkey - Cook
- Especially easy to find in the United States around Thanksgiving
- These will take multiple hours to cook, fyi
Fish
- Whole fish - Cook
- Make sure these are gutted before cooking
- Skin-on salmon or trout fillets - Cook
- Because these species have small soft scales, you can eat the skin, and it’s delicious if you fry it and salt it!
- Canned fish with bones and skin - No cook
- Anchovies, sardines, salmon, etc.
- Pickled herring - No cook
- Smoked fish - No cook
- Often salmon, trout, or whitefish
- Dried baby anchovies - No cook
- Usually sold at Asian food stores
- Raw, de-boned fish sold at sushi counters - No cook
- Fish sold at sushi counters is frozen at very low temperatures to kill parasites. Please let your grocery store/fishmonger do this step for you, as many home freezers cannot reach these low temps.
Other Animal Products
- Blood sausage - Cook
- Sometimes at delis or specialty stores
- Fresh pig’s blood - Cook
- Often at your local butcher if you have one
- Irradiated eggs - No cook
- These eggs are irradiated (it’s safe!) to kill any pathogens present in them
- Whole rabbit - Cook
- Often found at farmer’s markets
- Beef/pork/mutton organs - Cook
- Kidneys, brain, heart, trotters, tripe, lungs, etc. (often at your local butcher)
- Game meats - Cook
- Venison, wild ducks/geese/pheasant, elk, bear, etc.
- Sometimes sold in specialty shops, or buddy up to a hunter. Wild game isn’t screened for parasites like commercial meat is, so take extra precautions if you’re consuming wild meat.
Again, if you have any questions or want to know why I included/didn’t include something on the list, let me know! Stay safe folks.
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