Woman orders steak for dinner, then she tries to cut it and realizes the horrific reason why it’s behaving like creamy pâté

You know, getting the perfect steak is tough. It takes skill, the right cut of meat, and impeccable timing. But sometimes, the problem isn’t the cook or the grill master; it’s the meat itself. One TikTok user, Alexandra (@alexandra.gaf), recently shared a video showing off a steak that was so fundamentally wrong it’s completely grossing out the internet.

The clip, which has racked up over 12 million views and has been covered by BroBible, shows a steak sitting innocently on a plate. When Alexandra presses down with her knife, the steak doesn’t cut cleanly like a regular piece of meat should. Instead, it spreads out with the texture of soft, creamy pâté. “ITS SPREADING??” she wrote in the text overlay. Alexandra did clarify that she had ordered many steaks for an event, but this bizarre texture issue only affected this one particular piece of meat.

The immediate and most disgusting reaction from viewers was that this was an “abscess steak.” If you’re not familiar with that term, an abscess is essentially a walled-off pocket of infection that can sometimes appear in meat. Dr. Crystal Heath explained that this mass is composed of dead tissue, bacteria, and immune cells, which sounds absolutely terrible.

Regardless of whether the problem was infection or poor processing, seeing that video definitely killed appetites across the internet

Generally, steaks that have abscess issues are caught way before they ever hit your plate, thanks to regulatory checks. Chefs typically notice them immediately because they usually have a bad smell or the abscess itself is visible. However, if somehow that all gets missed, the texture, smell, and color of the final cooked product will definitely give it away. If you ever find yourself in this situation, you absolutely must not consume the meat.

While the abscess theory is certainly the most shocking, experts say there are other, more common ways meat can end up looking like creamy mush. In the United States, meat is frequently tenderized before cooking to improve the dining experience. This process involves either chemically treating the meat with enzymes or physically cutting small holes into it. If the tenderization process goes wrong, it completely ruins the fibrous texture of the meat.

Back in October 2025, a Texas Roadhouse customer claimed that they received a steak with a texture similar to Alexandra’s. The restaurant explained that it was a combination of issues. The chain told customers that the steaks were “over-tenderized.” Furthermore, when those already compromised steaks were left covered in a to-go container, they continued to cook until they were severely overcooked. That resulted in the soft, mushy texture we’re seeing here. Arby’s also found itself in trouble with steaks.

The comments section was flooded with users expressing their horror and disbelief. One user joked that they needed to believe the video was simply “AI” for their own safety. Others offered practical advice for dining out. One commenter noted that customers should never feel rude about sending back bad food. “A true cook/chef wouldn’t be offended at all,” they insisted.

Maybe the most decisive comment came from one user who wrote, “Every time I get on this app I am so happy to be a vegetarian.” I can certainly understand why they feel that way after seeing that clip. If your steak spreads instead of slices, you’ve got a serious problem, and you can’t solve it by adding some ketchup to the mix.