Jeffrey Savell, a Meat Science professor at Texas A&M University, told HuffPost that animals with more active muscles and older animals have meat with more myoglobin. This explains why steak and turkey legs are darker compared to lighter breast meat—legs have more active muscle tissue and thus more myoglobin. The red color we associate with raw meat actually comes from the packing process, where the meat is exposed to oxygen.
Fresh beef is originally purplish, and oxidation turns it the bright red we see in stores. Oxidation also causes meat to turn brown after a few days. While this discoloration might look unappealing, it doesn’t mean the meat is unsafe. Savell noted: “Brown meat doesn’t mean it’s bad. But [supermarkets] will discount it and mark it down. If you buy brown meat, just be sure to cook it right away, because it’s likely already been out there for three or four days.”
Savell further explained why rare steak seems to bleed, saying that meat is “about 70% water.” When mixed with red myoglobin and other pigments, the liquid looks like diluted blood. He assured: “You have water, and myoglobin, and other pigments that leak out. That’s where this juice comes from. I can assure you it’s not blood.” Recently, influencer and steak enthusiast CarnivoreJT shared this fact with his followers on X, and it seems many are just now learning it.
“Did you know? The red liquid inside of your packaged meat is not blood. It is a mixture of water and myoglobin,” he wrote.
One person responded: “Wow. Always thought it was blood!!!” Another added: “I did not know this. Interesting.”
So, next time you cut into a juicy steak, you can be assured that the red liquid isn’t blood.
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