Star-K Kosher Certification

Star-K Kosher Certification - Kosher Consumer

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Beware: Glatt May Not Always Mean Kosher
Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Star-K Rabbinic Administrator

"Ubosor basodeh treifa lo socheilu" (Shmos 22:30) It is written in our Torah that treif meat is forbidden. While the expression "treif" has become the universal connotation for food that is not kosher, in truth, the word treif specifically refers to an animal whose flesh was torn or ripped asunder. Technically speaking, if a kosher species of animal or fowl was attacked by a predator, the meat of the victim may be deemed treif, non-kosher. However, the meat of an animal improperly kosher slaughtered is not treifa, it is called a neveila. Generically, meat of a non-kosher animal species species is the meat of a temeiah. Yet, the term "treif" has found its way through the portals of the slaughterhouse, and the aisles of the non-kosher meat section of the supermarkets as well. No matter what the name, all of these categories are categories of meat that are forbidden to eat.

The halacha requires that all animals and fowl used for kosher consumption be of a kosher species and slaughtered by a shochet, a specially trained ritual slaughterer. Once shechted, the freshly slaughtered animal or fowl must undergo a series of inspections, assuring the wholesomeness of the animal. If the animal was found to have suffered an internal defect, such as a rip, puncture, or broken bone, or if the animal appeared to be suffering from an illness or defect that was determined to be terminal, had the animal lived, the animal would more than likely be treif.

While some treif characteristics may be determined by external examination, an animal or fowl cannot be kosher approved before being examined internally. The internal examination makes sure that the internal organs are free from any holes, punctures, defects, or disease that would disqualify the animal and render it non-kosher, treif.

During the internal examination, it is especially common to find adhesions on the animal's lung. An adhesion is an abnormal condition in which body tissues are united by fibrous tissues. These adhesions may be indicative of a puncture in the lung wall underneath the adhesion. A puncture of the lung will disqualify an animal and make it treif.

At times, the adhesion on the lung is not hiding a puncture. This can be determined through careful, skillful removal of the adhesion. Once removed, the adhesionless lung can be tested by blowing it up with air and submerging the lung underwater. If air bubbles appear in the water, it is an indication that the lung has been punctured and the animal is treif. If the submerged lung is airtight, the animal is kosher, but not glatt kosher.

What is Glatt Kosher?

If, after the shochet's careful initial inspection, the lung was found to be free of adhesions, the animal is glatt kosher. Generally speaking, it was the custom of the Ashkenazi Jews, Jews of European descent, to eat glatt and non-glatt meats, and accept both as kosher. Certain Sephardic communities, Jews of Spanish and Mid-Eastern descent, required an animal to be glatt in order to be considered kosher.

The glatt criteria applies to the meat of adult, large herd animals. This list includes the meat of steer, heifers, bulls, cows and buffalo. Therefore, a butcher could legitimately advertise glatt kosher rib steaks and kosher rib steaks. However, small herd animals, deer, sheep, lambs, calves, and all fowl (chickens, turkeys, and ducks) always have to be glatt to be considered kosher. That means that adhesions are not removed from calf lungs. Such defects would render the calf treif.

Sometimes suppliers or proprietors will advertise glatt kosher chickens to promote their product. This infers that the "glatt" chicken is of higher kosher quality than "regular" kosher chicken, and that a chicken could be kosher without being glatt. This is a myth since every chicken in the United States must be glatt to be considered kosher.

It can be reasonably stated that today's kosher consumer is caught up in a glatt kosher frenzy, and meat purveyors, suppliers, and manufacturers are the first to capitalize on this growing phenomenon. The problem is that there is a marked shortage of true glatt kosher meat; sometimes only one in twenty animals will be truly glatt kosher. Some have extended the glatt standard to include animals whose lungs have small, easily removable adhesions; others have reduced the glatt standard even more. We must bear in mind that even if the meat is advertised as glatt, the kosher meat process involves much more than a glatt accolade.

Traiboring

Certain fats found in kosher domestic animals are forbidden by Torah law. These forbidden fats are categorically called chailev, and are found in all varieties of bovines, calves, sheep, and lamb. Fortunately, most of the forbidden chailev is found in the hind quarters of these animals. In the United States, and most European countries, the hind quarters are not processed for kosher use. Nevertheless, according to Jewish custom, the chailev removal includes not only actual chailev, but also the removal of various parts of the animal which touch the chailev, fats that may be confused with chailev and those parts whose nutrition comes from chailev.

Moreover, the forequarters of these kosher species contain various blood arteries, blood veins, glands, membranes, and tendons that must be skillfully removed by a trained expert before the soaking and salting kosherization process of the meat can begin.

There are a number of reasons for their removal. Predominantly, the blood veins, arteries, and membranes must be removed, because soaking and salting alone will not remove the blood. Removal of these and other parts allows the free flow of blood from the meat during soaking and salting. The removal process is referred to as "traiboring" in Yiddish, or "nikkur" in Hebrew. The skilled craftsman is known as a "menaker."

The art of traiboring is not new to the Jewish scene. This tradition has been practiced perpetually and has been handed down from generation to generation. Understandably, many communities have their own traiboring traditions with their own differences and nuances. The following portions of the forequarter are traibored according to the Baltimore minhag:

Baltimore Minhag:

Brisket
1. two blood veins that run through the brisket
2. veins on the inside of the brisket

Brust Deckel
1. a gland that is found within the fats
2. the tendon that runs through the deckel

Chuck Sections
fat, veins and the artery located at the first rib

Rib & Plate Sections
1. removal of membrane skin covering all seven bones of rib and plates
2. the blood veins and tendons that run alongside the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth ribs
3. the fat located on the back and side of the meat beyond the twelfth rib
4. cartilage of the thirteenth rib

Pastrami
1. the veins that run through the pastrami
2. the fats that run on the inside until the vein
3. the pieces of cartilage attached to the breastbone

Neck
two blood veins on either side of the neck

Skirt Steak or Tenderloin
1. the membrane is removed from the front and back sides of the skirt steak
2. take out the fat sinews from the bottom tenderloin

Shoulder
1. the vein on the bottom of the bone
2. the vein that travels the length of the bone and splits into three tributaries
3. the vein near the deckel

Tongue
The tip is snipped, the cartilage bones the back of the tongue, the two pump veins and two tendons on either side of the tongue are removed.

Liver
The white fats on the bottom side of the liver are actual chailev and have to be totally removed. Note, the white arteries on the side of the liver and any white spots found under the skin of the liver are not chailev.

All meat and poultry must undergo a soaking and salting procedure, hadacha umelicha, before the meat can be further processed. This procedure must be initiated within 72 hours of the slaughter of the animal or fowl. Some authorities permit the washing down of the meat within the 72 hour period to extend the time for the kosherization of the meat for another 72 hours.

Most glatt-kosher facilities do not permit this practice unless the meat was actually soaked in water for a half hour within the 72 hour period. This extends the kashering time for the meat for an additional 71½ hours.

The wash-down system has been severely abused and compromised in the United States. There are places that have been known to use a spray mist or damp rag instead of water to "wash down the meat."

The soaking process must be done in the following manner. The meat must be soaked for a half hour in cool, but not freezing, water (approximately 50°F and up). The exterior of the soaked meat must then be cleaned of any visible blood and then salted on all sides with kashering salt. In the case of poultry, the inside cavity must also be salted.

The meat or poultry must be placed on a board or rack which will allow the flow of blood from the meat. The salt must stay on the meat or poultry for one hour and then rinsed three times to remove all salt and blood.

Since traiboring is not always done in a slaughterhouse, the fact that meat is slaughtered in a reliable slaughterhouse and is glatt kosher has no guarantee on the final kashrus status of the meat. The process of traiboring and salting by a reliable butcher, kosher provision house, or at home, must be done before it can rendered as usable for the kosher home. It goes without saying that if the meat was procured from a "kosher" slaughter which did not fully meet halachic requirements, even the most stringent traiboring and kashering (i.e. soaking and salting of the meat) would still leave the meat in a state of questionable kosher status.

Integrity and reliability, not "glatt," "super-glatt," or "mehadrin-glatt," labels or signs should be the true guidelines of the kosher consumer. All too often, the conscientious homemaker gets caught up with hearsay, fancy advertising, and fallacious claims without bothering to separate fact from fiction. Therefore, it is always advisable to purchase meat that has been endorsed by a respected Rabbinic Authority or respected kashrus organization. It is certainly advisable to purchase meat and poultry from a butcher who displays genuine integrity and commitment to Torah and mitzvos along with his reliable supervision.

In this matter, as in all matters of kashrus, the guidance of your Rabbi is needed.

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