Roast and Cooked Beef

(a) Cooked beef and roast beef shall be prepared by a cooking process that produces a minimum temperature of 145°F (63°C) in all parts of each roast or prepared as provided for in paragraph (b). (b) Cooked beef may also be prepared by any one of the cooking procedures described in the following table and in paragraph (c)(1) and roast beef may also be prepared by any one of the procedures described in the following tables and in paragraphs (c)(2) and (d) provided that the procedures produce and maintain the minimum temperature required in all parts of each roast for the stated period at least. 106 Food and Drugs TABLE FOR THE ALTERNATIVE PROCESSING PROCEDURES FOR COOKED BEEF AND ROAST BEEF Minimum Internal Temperature Maximum Processing Processing Time in ° F ° C Minutes 130 54.5 121 131 55.0 97 132 55.6 77 133 56.1 62 134 56.7 47 135 57.2 37 136 57.8 32 137 58.4 24 138 58.9 19 139 59.5 15 140 60.0 12 141 60.6 10 142 61.1 8 143 61.7 6 144 62.2 5 (c) (1) Bag Cook: Each roast to be moist cooked shall be placed in a moisture impermeable film, either vacuum packed or excess air removed and the bag sealed prior to immersion cooking in a water bath or cooking in an oven. Food and Drugs 107 (2) (i) Unbagged Cook (netted or racked) roasts processed entirely by dry heat must weigh 10 pounds or more before processing and must be dry cooked in an oven maintained at 250°F (121°C) or higher throughout the cooking process; or (ii) an oven temperature of less than 250°F (121°C) may be used for dry cooking of roasts of any size provided that the relative humidity as measured in either the chamber or exit vent of the oven in which they are prepared is greater than 90% for at least 25% of the total cooking time for the process, but in no case less than one hour. This relative humidity may be achieved by the use of steam injection or by sealed ovens capable of producing and maintaining the required 90% relative humidity. (d) Any processor who selects any of the alternative procedures specified in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section must have equipment designed to ensure that beef roasts do not contact each other during processing and shall have sufficient monitoring equipment to assure that the time (within one minute) temperature (within 1°F) and relative humidity (within 5%) limits required by this section are being met. The processor shall provide proper recording devices and make the data from these available upon request. Continuous recording devices with the prescribed accuracies will be acceptable for all 108 Food and Drugs products prepared under paragraphs (a) and (b).