Chapter 5 - REMOVING BLOOD FROM MEAT

Eating raw meat is permitted provided it is washed to remove the blood on its surface, there are no blood vessels in it that contain appreciable amounts of blood (67:2;76:3), and it has not absorbed blood from elsewhere (see 67:3-4).

Meat may be cooked ("roasted") to any desired degree provided the juices that come out of it are free to flow away (76:1-2; see 77:1 and 78:1). Objects that come into contact with these juices (see Ch.7) are regarded as having absorbed blood (76:4), but after the meat has been roasted until it becomes edible the juices that come out of it are not regarded as containing blood (76:5-6). It is customary to wash meat and salt it lightly just before roasting it and to wash it afterwards (76:2). If the blood vessels in the neck were not cut at the time of slaughter the meat must not be eaten raw and must be cut up before roasting (76:3; see 22:1-2 and 65:2-3).

Meat must not be cooked in a pot (a container that does not allow the juices to flow away) until its blood has been removed by roasting it until it is edible (69:21;76:2) or by washing and salting it as will now be described. Every surface of the meat must be washed thoroughly; if possible the meat should be soaked for half an hour (69:1). After the washing the liquid must be allowed to drip off and every surface of the meat must be salted, preferably with coarse salt, until it is too salty to eat; the salt must remain on it for at least 20 minutes, and preferably for an hour (69:1-6). The salting must be done in such a way that the juices that are drawn out of the meat by the salt during that hour are free to flow away (69:16), and objects that come into contact with these juices (see Ch.7) are regarded as having absorbed blood (69:17). After the salting, within 12 hours (70:5) the salt must be brushed off and washed off twice (69:7-8); the meat may then be cooked in a pot (69:19) or salted again (69:20;70:1). The salt is regarded as having absorbed blood (69:20;105:14) and must not be used again for salting meat (69:9); the water in which raw meat was washed should also not be used (68:14).

Meat should be roasted or salted within 72 hours after slaughtering (69:12). Soaking it during that time extends the period for 72 more hours, and this may be repeated. If it was not soaked its blood can no longer be removed by roasting or salting; it may be eaten raw or roasted but should not be cooked in a pot even after roasting (69:12-13). On soaking meat in vinegar or boiling water to prevent its blood from coming out when it is cooked see 67:5-6;73:2.

Large quantities of meat may be roasted or salted at one time even if juices accumulate between the pieces of meat (70:1); but the head, or an animal's hoofs, must not be roasted or salted in a way that allows the juices to accumulate (68:1-3,6-8;71:1-3), and other bones should not be salted together with meat (71:3).

Meat that contains significant blood vessels or has absorbed blood from elsewhere must be cut up before salting (or before roasting, unless the vessels are on the surface); afterwards it may be cooked in a pot (65:1-4;67:3-5;68:5;71:3;72:1,4). The liver must be cut up, roasted, and washed before cooking it in a pot (73:1-3,5); on roasting it with other meat see 73:4,6. On the removal of blood from other organs see 72:1,4;74:1;75:1-3. On trustworthiness regarding removal of blood see 68:12;69:10.

Shulchan Aruch, Copyright (c) 1999 Project Genesis, Inc.