Does anyone on here know from what part of the animal Prize Choice get their Frozen Wholemeat Beef Chunks?  When these are defrosted you can clearly see odd looking white spiky nodules along some surfaces.  These are directional but soft and I wondered if it was something to do with eating - allows food to pass in one direction only? 

I've had a look around some butcher type sites but as this isn't a part generally given to humans I'm not sure what to look for!  My daughter asked where it comes from and I'd like to be able to tell her.  The dog doesn't care where it comes from as he only wants it to go in one direction too - his way!!

Thank you

> These are directional but soft and I wondered if it was something to do with eating - allows food to pass in one direction only? 

I don't know much about how meat is cut, but I would have thought that 'beef' is the flesh of the animal, not any of digestive tract? Could the nodules you're seeing be ends of tendons/ligaments?
Ohh, I've never seen the stuff, but you have me intrigued now. I'm off for a google, to see what I can find out, LOL

Could it be from tongue or lip/cheek? I used to purchase whole ox tongues and head meat that contained meat covered in little spikey bits, for want of a better description. Look at the jowls on your dog and you will see something similar.

I know what you mean,dogs a babe,I had wondered that myself.I had assumed that it was part of the gut but maybe it is tongue?

I've been told it was beef cheek but if you are concerned contact them and ask.

All I've come up with is that meat from joint areas contains lots of connective tissue and ligaments, but haven't been able to find any pics to show what that looks like - yet.

> but haven't been able to find any pics to show what that looks like

if i'm thinking of the right bit it looks like a thin silvery shiney bit- a smidgeon like a slug trail

> odd looking white spiky nodules

I think it's ox-cheek. Like yours, ours love it :-)

> if i'm thinking of the right bit it looks like a thin silvery shiney bit- a smidgeon like a slug trail

Yuk!! That is a good discription, that's the connective tissues isn't it -the slug trail, and the ligaments look more like boiled spaghetti (or have I just come accross some dodgy meat in the past ).

> That is a good discription, that's the connective tissues isn't it

think so. you can see them on human grade meat if for example you bone something.

> if i'm thinking of the right bit it looks like a thin silvery shiney bit- a smidgeon like a slug trail

LOL Astarte, you are right, the ligaments are the 'slug trails', it's the tendons that are more 'noduley' and I've found a pick of 'stewed beef tendons'
Oh dear, I wish I hadn't googled now. I've found loads of dishes (for humans) made from beef ligaments and beef tendons, they don't look very appetising!

ugh... well, i'm of the view you should try anything once ;)

I use the beef chunks and wondered what the spikey bits are as you say they are soft to touch a bit like short quills. They make me shudder but the digs love it.

> I've been told it was beef cheek but if you are concerned contact them and ask.

No not concerned - my boys love it - just curious about which actual part it is

It's def not tendon (horrible picture, yuk) and doesn't resemble anything I've ever seen in or on conventional cuts.  My daughter says it looks like teeth !  It's definitely not teeth but I can see what she means, they are a similar shape as canine teeth.  Not tongue either.

The best description I can think of:  get a tube of white mastic (used for sealing baths) then dot it onto a surface and pull away.  You get left with a soft white spike...  well it's like that but lots of them.  From the way the meat is cut it seems as if it's a cross section with the spiky surface as the inside edge

Sorry, that's probably more confusing :)

**I should add that the spiky surface sits on top of something we'd all recognise as meat.  In fact the meat bits look more appetising than the Tesco stewing beef you can buy for humans

It sounds like it could be slivers of white tripe (not the green stuff)

hi, could you explain if the spikes are hard or soft etc as recently i was feeding my dogs whole tongue and they had hard spikey type things on them which is normal so maybe it could be tongue but would need to know about the spikes :)

hi i just read your first post again and saw that it says they were soft, so it wouldnt be tongue not sure what else it could be either :(

It's Ox cheek. Mine love it too!! Next time you see a cow in a field just ask it politly to yawn and have a look....LOL
Aileen

Why don't you ask the manufacturer?  I'd just tell them your dogs love the food by the humans are dying of curiosity trying to identify the cut of beef and part of the animal it comes from ... shouldn't be a secret.

Yeah i bought my dog same also, i know exactly what u mean, it looks really gross, it took me ages to find what part of meat it was as it was doing my head in. but i think u may find that it is actually beef lips, i know gross but they do love them, here is a pic
http://www.21food.com/products/beef-lips-64692.html

yep cheek /lips. Fine for the dogs

What about tripe?

> It's Ox cheek.

I actually found butcher selling Ox cheek yesterday, and bought some (for human consumption). It needed 18 hours on Low in the slow-cooker, but it was really delicious and tender, with a different texture to other cuts. I should add, there were no pointy bits attached!

pretty sure its ox cheek by the description,well,thats what ive always thought,anyway!

I can't believe it was 5 years ago I started this thread!  Oddly enough I bought a bag of this meat just a few days ago.  I hadn't bought some in a while, as it means a special trip to a specific pet shop, but I'd forgotten just how much the dogs love this stuff.  I might make more of an effort to get it regularly :)

oh yes so it was ! helps if we read the dates occasionally :)

I never think to,chris!