Beef is one of the safest meats to eat raw. The problem with something like meatballs is that it is made with ground beef, which depending on your meat monger, may include pieces and parts that intermingled with bacteria laden offal (or prepared in the same space). That said, I bet MOST ground beef these days from a decent butcher is *probably* ok.
But a nice chunk of sirloin or tenderloin for example, is very safe and the inside of a sirloin that has never seen the light of day is almost perfectly safe.
I get a side of beef from my same family friend and I know the butcher who process it well. I don't hesitate to eat any cut raw from that cow.
I use top round, sirloin, or tenderloin for carpaccio. Slice/pound/roll thin, serve with baby arugula salad and vinaigrette in the middle of a chilled plate, garnish carpaccio with drizzle of olive oil, fresh ground salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and shaved parmesan.
