Infected Meat

Flesh from the large abyssal creatures

The wiki ties Infected Meat to the Aquatica release, and our records list it for ARK: Survival Ascended. The game sums it up as "Consuming this infected chunk of flesh triggers some intriguing side effects; though one must ask, is the risk worth the gain?" Survivors eat it for a 30-second buff, and it also serves as a tribute for summoning Rifts.

Carving it from abyssal creatures

Kill any of the large Abyssal Creatures and use a Carving Knife on the body. The wiki places these creatures in the Abyss biome and notes that Rifts spawn them too.

Rift tribute

A Rift Generator accepts Infected Meat as a tribute when summoning Mastercraft Rifts and ascendant-tier Rifts.

Effects of eating it

• Survivors: one piece deals 25 damage and restores 10 food, then speeds up movement and makes food and water drain roughly 20% faster. The icon lists melee damage as well, but the wiki saw no change there.
• Tames: force-feeding raises movement speed without hurting the creature, and it does not raise its damage output.
• Duration: 30 seconds. A second piece eaten during the buff only resets that 30-second timer; the effects do not pile up.

Not a working barnacle ingredient

The Infectarium shows Infected Meat among the inputs for Infected Barnacles, but the wiki says it cannot actually be used for them. Put in together with other infected body parts, the meat simply vanishes and adds nothing to the finished barnacle.

Weight and spoiling

A piece weighs 0.1, a stack holds 100, and a full stack weighs 10. The wiki lists it as meat with a spoil timer.