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| Looking inside the Slim Jim. Photo: Rachel Been |
According to manufacturer ConAgra, the Slim Jim was invented by Philadelphia sausage-maker Adolph Levis in 1928. The cellophane-wrapped sausage sticks were originally sold in jars that sported an illustration of a "tall, elegant man complete with top hat and cane" named "Slim Jim."
Today's Slim Jim, with an ad campaign that lets you create an avatar and wander around "Spicy Side," is likely a far cry from the original. And it's got Wired wondering where that meat stick comes from.
According to Wired, of the eight grades of beef classified by the USDA, its "the bottom three -- utility, cutter and canner -- [that] are typically used in processed foods and come from older steers with partially ossified vertebrae, tougher tissue and generally less reason to live."
Manufacturer ConAgra says the Slim Jim is made from beef, mechanically separated chicken, water, salt, corn syrup, dextrose, flavorings, spice, paprika, hydrolyzed corn gluten, soy and wheat gluten proteins, sodium nitrite and lactic acid starter culture. Yum!
Perhaps not as appetizing as it seemed at first, the second ingredient on the list, "mechanically separated chicken," is, according to the USDA, "a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue."
The next few ingredients come as no surprise in processed food: salt, corn syrup (sugar), dextrose (sugar), flavorings, spice and paprika. Which is a spice, begging the question, "What are those other spices?"
ConAgra did not return calls for comment from Slashfood on the issue.
The dextrose is likely food for the lactic acid starter culture, according to Wired, meaning that, like other fermented sausages, Slim Jims "use bacteria and sugar to produce lactic acid, which lowers the pH of the sausage to around 5.0, firming up the meat and hopefully killing all harmful bacteria." The sodium nitrate keeps it from turning an unappetizing shade of gray and the hydrolyzed soy gives the Slim Jim a flavor boost, Wired reports.
So what do you think about the Slim Jim? Let us know in the comments, and read more about disarming ingredients in food at AOL Health.
[Via Wired]
8-26-2009 @6:44PM DanGarion said... You know what would really be awesome to do, is take this two fold and tell us what the item used to be made of and show how it's changed throughout the years. Because I know there are a bunch of things I enjoyed as a kid that taste nothing like they did then. Twinkies, Captain Crunch, etc. I'd love to see how much these places have ruined the stuff that used to taste so good 20+ years ago.
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8-26-2009 @8:18PM mike said... WOW, those are the same ingredients they put in MR. COLON CLEANSE
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8-26-2009 @8:43PM Vinny said... My family doctor tells me all the time not to eat processed meat such as hot dogs or lunch meat. He said the little white specks in that meat is the eyeballs and the rest of it comes from the other end of the cow. As for the mad cow problem in Canada, watch what you eat. The law says you cant bring in LIVE cattle from Canada but if it is killed and quick frozen up there they can ship all they want in 40,000 pound loads.
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8-26-2009 @8:58PM azjohnny said... somehow the process of determining which of the steer chosen to go into the process of making this . . . meat . . . err . . . foodstuff . . . err . . . snack . . . seems somehow eerily representative of obamacare. it's out there . . . and scary . . . i can't quite grasp it . . . but somehow i know it isn't healthy.
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8-26-2009 @8:59PM Blurgle said... Vinny posted this tripe (no pun intended): "...He said the little white specks in that meat is the eyeballs..." My reply: Uh-huh. Although I do agree in general with one part I didn't quote, that one should limit eating processed meat, I am SURE the white specks are not the eyeballs. I think they are just specks of fat. Think about it, the cooking or smoking process, depending on the meat would change the color from white to brown or gray. But even if they are eyeballs, consider this. It's just meat. Yes, eating cowbrains due to madcow disease isn't wise obviously. BUT eyeballs are NOT made from nerve tissue, other then the optic nerve. So even if it is eyeballs, I'm sure it's safe. :P
Or to do the short reply Vinny...nice way to troll for a reply. You got one. Is your life more complete now?
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8-26-2009 @9:19PM Mary said... Vinny, I think those white specks are ground up peckers.
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8-26-2009 @9:27PM davislad38 said... I love slim jim but I cant eat them unless I place it between a few sheets of paper towel and squeeze out the excess oil.
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8-26-2009 @9:40PM Danielle said... We wonder why cancer and heart attacks are on the rise. Eat clean, shop on the outside of the grocery store, skip processed and overly packaged food. The earth and our health will thank us for it.
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8-26-2009 @9:53PM Brian said... As an OTR trucker, I hauled beef from the east coast docks to a plant that made similar product. Beef from New Zealand.
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8-26-2009 @9:55PM pam said... The only time in my life that I purchase slim jims is every 15 years or so when I have am driving to the vet to humanely put a beloved dog of mine to sleep. I stop at the deli, get a slim jim and unroll it in the back seat with my faithful companion who is usually a little blind and a lot deaf at this point. I feed one them the slim jim one broken off piece at a time and watch (usually cry) as my wonderful companion truly enjoys the taste and smell of their last snack. It's my one last "thanks for all the great memories" moment.
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8-26-2009 @10:15PM Dave said... well, just for the record, it is not old steers, they don't let steers get old, they are butchered age 14 - 18 months old. That is the meat you buy at the stores, steaks, ribs, roasts, etc. Old dairy cows and old bulls are what we are talking here. Old dairy cows are only turned into ground beef, or "slim jims" and I will agree, slim jims do not taste as tasty as they did to me as a kid. I am 53 now.
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8-26-2009 @10:08PM dcmaine32 said... never could stand slim jims as a kid my husband still eats them and i cant be in the room while he does they just smell gross i couldnt imaging eating one yuck!!
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8-26-2009 @10:14PM Dave said... well, just for the record, it is not old steers, they don't let steers get old, they are butchered age 14 - 18 months old. That is the meat you buy at the stores, steaks, ribs, roasts, etc. Old dairy cows and old bulls are what we are talking here. Old dairy cows are only turned into ground beef, or "slim jims" and I will agree, slim jims do not taste as tasty as they did to me as a kid. I am 53 now.
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8-26-2009 @10:26PM John said... #12PAM
What a wonderful way to help your pet leave this world. God Bless you. They say that dogs can't go to heaven. Well, wherever they go, I want to go there too.
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8-26-2009 @10:50PM Cheryl said... I will never eat another Slim Jim again. :::barf:::
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8-26-2009 @11:05PM DZADZY said... I love slim jims. I wish they would make a slim jim lunch meat so I could make a nice slim jim sandwich.
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8-26-2009 @11:08PM racing20guy said... Who cares, it's good, eat it!
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8-26-2009 @11:18PM Robert said... Mike #4- YOU WIN!!! I can go to bed with a grin after a bottle of gin, because... dammit man, that was the best response of ALL the blogs tonight! Kudos Dude!
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8-26-2009 @11:26PM jschiro said... that article just confirmed my theory.
processed food is delicious.
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8-26-2009 @11:28PM Your Friend Ben said... I don't care if they make them out of a rats ass. Give me one with a cold brew for break time about 9:AM any morning.
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