On May 11, 8:13*pm, phaeton > wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Mon, 11 May 2009 08:17:01 -0700 (PDT), phaeton wrote:
>
> >> Hello boys and girls...
>
> >> I've always heard that a slow-cooker is pretty much idiot proof, but
> >> i've found a way to become a better idiot.
>
> >> As per the recipe in my BH&G, I made pork ribs with sauerkraut and
> >> apples. *The ribs in question were 2.19 pounds of boneless country-
> >> style, not smoked, and fully thawed (1.5 days in the fridge).
> >> Essentially, half the crock was filled with chopped carrots, potatoes
> >> and onion. *Then i pan-seared the ribs and put them in, then
> >> sauerkraut on top. *A little bit of apple cider and some spices went
> >> on top. *My slow-cooker is 4.5qt, and when all was said and done, it
> >> was full to the brim. *I put it on HIGH for 6 hours.
>
> >> When it was done, i removed everything. *The hunk of meat I ate was
> >> falling apart and delicious, fully cooked all the way through.
> >> However, this morning when I was going to pack a lunch for myself, I
> >> cut into one of the ribs and it was pink! *I don't know if this one
> >> was in the center of the crock or what the deal is.... but in a cross
> >> section it was cooked from one end to the center, and then pink from
> >> the other end to the center. *Not just a little pink, but unmistakedly
> >> so.
>
> >> I was home all day and there was no loss of power or anything. *The
> >> liquid in the crock was even boiling for the last hour or so that I
> >> was looking at it through the glass (I never lifted the lid, btw).
>
> >> What did I do wrong? * Did I overfill the crock pot? * Would it have
> >> been better if I put it on LOW for 12 hours instead (the book gives
> >> both options: HIGH for 5-6 hours, LOW for 10-12)? *Freak accident?
>
> > Why do so many people freak out when they see pink?
>
> > Afetr 6 hours at high, it's cooked. *The pink is normal and a
> > reaction to the sauerkraut (and plain cabbage will do the same).

Correct. The acid permeated the meat and alters the proteins.
>
> > Don't have a cow.
>
> > -sw
>
> I had never heard of that before. *Although, the pink is on the inside,
> not the outside (where the sauerkraut was).
>
> This was a 'salt injected' product, actually. *I didn't notice that
> until just before cooking it. *Had I seen that (tiny text in the corner)
> in the store I wouldn't have bought it. *I don't remember which salts
> they were (or which ones cause meat to keep its reddish hue), but as I
> stated, some were whitish-grey all the way through, but others were pink
> either on one end or in the center.
>
> The reason I'm a little nervous about pinkish meats is that I've had
> food poisoning before and I don't want to have it again. *I realize
> people take chances with it all the time and win (all the time), but I
> think I'm less lucky compared to average. *I'm getting better about
> eating (beef) steaks that bleed a little, but I've always been told that
> chicken and pork should NEVER be pink, EVER.

Undercooked chicken is kinda icky. Pork should be safe cooked
medium. The reason for the pink is not that it is undercooked. As
far as beef goes, I eat well seared steaks that are cold raw inside,
and I don't get sick from it.

The bacteria are on the outside. Even with chicken, if there is
salmonella present, it is on the surface, not inside the muscle
tissue.
>
> Next time I'll go the low-n-slow 12-hour route, and then use the juices
> to simmer the vegetables seperately.
>
> Thanks for the help and input.
>
> -J

--Bryan