Faqs

Q. Can you advise me about cRc policy regarding the use of livers not kashered within three days. Can it be used in chopped liver? What about for other uses?

A. The general rule is that meat should be salted/kashered within three days of slaughter, and if it is not then (a) the blood can only be removed via broiling (as opposed to salting), and (b) the meat cannot be cooked after it is broiled (Shulchan Aruch YD 69:12). There is a discussion in the Poskim as to whether the three-day-clock stops "ticking" if the meat is frozen, and the cRc is machmir about that issue. Therefore, all meat served (or sold) in cRc-certified establishments or sold with the cRc logo, must have been kashered within 72 hours of shechita, even if it had been frozen. This is the rule for most meat, but liver is treated somewhat differently.

Liver must be kashered via broiling (rather than by salting), and there is a disagreement as to whether liver which was broiled after three days can be subsequently cooked. Shach (69:51) implies that liver has the same status as other meat: if three days passed between the shechita and kashering, it may not be cooked. In contrast, Aruch HaShulchan (69:70) argues that the entire three-day-rule does not apply to liver. In this matter, the cRc basically follows the stricter opinion but recognizes the legitimacy of the more lenient approach.

Accordingly, cRc-certified establishments which cook or fry liver must use liver which was kashered within 72 hours of shechita (even if the liver had been frozen). However, they may sell raw or broiled liver without indicating how many days have passed since shechita. Consumers who are particular not to cook liver unless it was broiled within three days of shechita (as per Shach) are encouraged to ask the merchant for details as to when the shechita occurred.