Pulled my beef roast out of the slow cooker and saw these weird white stringy things poking out of the meat. They look like little worms or parasites.

white, stringy bits are not worms but rather parts of the meat’s structure known as connective tissue. Connective tissue is made up of proteins like collagen, which is common in beef roasts and can appear stringy after slow cooking.

Parasites in beef are incredibly rare, especially in countries with strict food safety regulations. Moreover, parasites typically do not survive the cooking process, particularly at the temperatures used in slow cooking. If you’ve cooked your meat to the appropriate internalemperature, it’s very unlikely that any parasites could have survived.
2. Understanding Muscle Fibers and Connective Tissue in Beef

Muscle fibers