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Explain how needling steaks isn't dangerous.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:17 am
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:17 am
I understand that some restaurants, Texas RH for example, make tough cuts tender by needling them. It would seem that as the needles, or thin blades, pass through the meat, they can transfer surface bacteria into the interior of the steak. If the steak is cooked medium rare, is the consumer eating bacteria that wasn't killed because the interior was not hot enough?
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:21 am to andouille
I wouldn't know bro. I haven't had a needled steak in decades. Maybe they wash the needler
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:22 am to LSUballs
quote:
I wouldn't know bro. I haven't had a needled steak in decades. Maybe they wash the needler
I do it, but only the cheap cuts I'm going to simmer until tender.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:27 am to andouille
Is that needed on a good cut of steak? Maybe a sirloin? I see the needling most of the time on skirt, loin flap, and other beef fajita cuts. Don't know why anyone would do it to a ribeye/strip/filet.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 11:48 am to andouille
The shite people worry about with food. Good grief. How often are we really getting sick from food? I do not think it has ever happened to me.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 12:23 pm to andouille
Costco does this as well.
And it's not just the bacteria on the surface of one cut getting into that specific steak. They don't clean the blade between pokes.
And it's not just the bacteria on the surface of one cut getting into that specific steak. They don't clean the blade between pokes.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 12:34 pm to andouille
How else would you be able to pass off a sirloin as a filet
LINK
LINK
quote:
Man says Texas Roadhouse served him $20 steak instead of pricier filet multiple times
By Deirdre Bardolf
Published October 26, 2026
Fox News
Man warns diners after claiming popular restaurant chain served him cheaper steak 3 timesVideo
A loyal Texas Roadhouse customer is going viral after claiming he repeatedly got a cheaper cut of steak than what he ordered, leaving him wondering if he was being ripped off.
Kenneth Card took to TikTok in early October to warn other customers that he received a sirloin instead of a filet mignon three times at a Texas Roadhouse in Forsyth, Illinois. His post has since gotten over 30,000 views.
Card told Fox News Digital that his experience working in hotel and restaurant kitchens preparing and cutting steaks made him confident he could tell the difference.
MEAT EXPERT SHARES THE MISTAKE MOST AMERICANS MAKE WHEN COOKING STEAK
"I know what types of meat I get whenever I receive it," Card said.
Cars line up for the drive-thru during the dinner service at Texas Roadhouse, Friday, March 27, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. The restrictions have closed dinning rooms for area restaurants because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but restaurants have adapted to serving their customers through to-go services. Customers can order online or through a mobile app as well as onsite ordering when they pull up.
Kenneth Card said he was served sirloin instead of filet mignon on three visits to a Texas Roadhouse in Forsyth, Illinois (not pictured). (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Card said he has been going to the Texas Roadhouse location about once a week for over a year, and had even built a rapport with staff.
The first time it happened, he told staff he thought he had received the wrong steak and they gave him a filet. On his next visit, he said, he ate the steak without raising the issue. When he ordered filet mignon again on a third visit, Card said, he spoke with a manager.
EXPERTS REVEAL HOW TO SPOT FAKE 'WAGYU' SO YOU DON’T GET RIPPED OFF ON PREMIUM BEEF
"I was like, 'Look, this is the third time that y'all tried to sell me a sirloin or whatever else kind of steak it is besides a filet,'" he recalled.
The restaurant took the steak away to get a second opinion, Card said, and staff told him it was not what he had ordered. He said he waited for a new one, asked for it to go and posted his video after getting home.
16 oz USDA choice sirloin at Texas Roadhouse with baked potato.
The customer said he noticed a difference between the filet he ordered and the steak he received (not pictured). (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
"I just wanted to get the word out that, 'Hey, you're getting ripped off if you're ordering this, and they're selling you this,'" Card said.
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The 8-ounce sirloin costs about $20 at the restaurant's Forsyth, Illinois, location, according to its website, while the filet mignon costs about $30.
He said he was surprised by the attention and just wanted to make sure people are getting what they pay for.
A spokesperson for the company said it has "not been able to track that this occurred on three occasions," but confirmed it was corrected onsite once. Management "quickly made it right," the spokesperson said.
Some commenters said it was likely just an issue with that specific location, while others admitted they wouldn't know the difference between the two cuts.
"For those of us who don't know the difference, they would get by with that," one man said. "Fortunately, you happen to know the difference."
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
"[A filet] melts in your mouth. It's very tender," Card said, while the sirloin is "a little grittier, a little chewier."
The chain said it was aware of Card's post and looked into the allegations, confirming one mix-up to Fox News Digital, saying management corrected it by providing Card with a filet.
Dallas filet with mashed potatoes at Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse said it confirmed at least one steak mix-up at its Forsyth location and that management corrected the order (not pictured). (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
A spokesperson for the company said it has "not been able to track that this occurred on three occasions," but confirmed it was corrected onsite once. Management "quickly made it right," the spokesperson said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
It added that team members double-check food for quality and accuracy as it is expedited from the kitchen. Customers who believe they received the wrong steak or were charged incorrectly should alert their server at the time, a spokesperson said, so the issue can be addressed by the restaurant team.
Card said customers should recognize if they've received a cheaper cut of steak.
Card said customers should recognize if they've received a cheaper cut of steak. (iStock)
Card, however, said he does not expect to return to the Forsyth location.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
"I think I'm done going in there," he said. "I'll try somewhere else."
Deirdre Bardolf is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital.
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Posted on 10/27/26 at 12:42 pm to andouille
The Jaqured needler does seem like it could transfer bacteria. It was cleaned twice a shift but still. When someone ordered a mid well or well it was a life saver
Posted on 10/27/26 at 1:17 pm to andouille
quote:
It would seem that as the needles, or thin blades, pass through the meat, they can transfer surface bacteria into the interior of the steak. If the steak is cooked medium rare, is the consumer eating bacteria that wasn't killed because the interior was not hot enough?
since you're asking a hypothetical, I'll answer with the anecdotal: I haven't seen, read, or heard of anyone getting sick at TRH in recent memory. Therefore, no you don't need to worry about bacterial contamination of your cheap cut of meat at TRH or other fine dining establishments.
Or you could simply order your "steak" well done.
Or you could take the really easy way out and just not worry about it at all.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 2:10 pm to Napoleon
quote:
When someone ordered a mid well or well it was a life saver
Never thought about that. Also never ruined a steak in that manner.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 2:20 pm to andouille
I eat steak tartare and medium rare burgers, so some needles going into a steak don't bother me.
But yes, it is a vector for contamination. All about risk/reward, I guess.
But yes, it is a vector for contamination. All about risk/reward, I guess.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 4:28 pm to andouille
Eating needled steak anything other than well done is asking to make yourself sick. Can anyone say Ecoli?
Posted on 10/27/26 at 4:50 pm to andouille
quote:Yes & No!
It would seem that as the needles, or thin blades, pass through the meat, they can transfer surface bacteria into the interior of the steak. If the steak is cooked medium rare, is the consumer eating bacteria that wasn't killed because the interior was not hot enough?
Risk isn't a certainty because not every steak is contaminated. The presence of pathogenic bacteria is possible, not inevitable. Additionally, even when a steak is contaminated and undercooked, illness is not inevitable, although certain pathogens can cause illness at very low doses.
The FDA strictly regulates how restaurants handle and serve raw beef, but it does prohibit restaurants from serving it.
The important caveat emptor is that you the consumer knowingly accept the risks associated with eating said beef.
That's why the *consumer advisory is required on all items cooked outside of the FDA recommended minimum internal temperatures.
*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
Posted on 10/27/26 at 5:49 pm to andouille
The OP is 100% correct, to an extent.
The first concern is bacteria on the blades themselves. The needle can definitely pass bacteria into the meat if the needle isn’t cleaned properly.
But the OP has rightly mentioned the issue of surface bacteria. As Dropper said, there may be pathogenic bacteria on the surface of the meat, but it is rare to have it and to have ENOUGH of it to make you sick. But yes, there could be harmful bacteria on the surface. And when you needle, it can indeed introduce that bacteria into the meat.
If this rare case exists, there must be enough bacteria and enough time for the bacteria to grow into levels that will be harmful to consume.
The fact is, consuming undercooked meat has a level of risk. For beef steak, it’s a very small risk. And if you do needle, you do increase that risk. Another fact is, as Dropper mentioned, that risk is still very low.
I actually remember many years ago an LSU microbiology student doing a study specifically using a Jaccard meat tenderizer (needles) and Ecoli. But I never did get to see the final result of the study.
The first concern is bacteria on the blades themselves. The needle can definitely pass bacteria into the meat if the needle isn’t cleaned properly.
But the OP has rightly mentioned the issue of surface bacteria. As Dropper said, there may be pathogenic bacteria on the surface of the meat, but it is rare to have it and to have ENOUGH of it to make you sick. But yes, there could be harmful bacteria on the surface. And when you needle, it can indeed introduce that bacteria into the meat.
If this rare case exists, there must be enough bacteria and enough time for the bacteria to grow into levels that will be harmful to consume.
The fact is, consuming undercooked meat has a level of risk. For beef steak, it’s a very small risk. And if you do needle, you do increase that risk. Another fact is, as Dropper mentioned, that risk is still very low.
I actually remember many years ago an LSU microbiology student doing a study specifically using a Jaccard meat tenderizer (needles) and Ecoli. But I never did get to see the final result of the study.
This post was edited on 10/27/26 at 5:52 pm
Posted on 10/27/26 at 7:46 pm to andouille
How do some of you scaredy cats order your burgers?
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