\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Therefore, even though spoilage bacteria wont make you sick, you should always discard spoiled ground beef to avoid consuming disease-causing microorganisms. The most common sign people know to spot a spoiled steak is the change in color. If ground meat passes the visual test, the next step is to touch it. If you are in a hurry, here it is a short list of the signs to have in mind to find out if the meat is safe to eat or not: Lets jump to each one of them and get into more details: This is pretty straightforward for most people. If you open a vacuum sealed piece of meat, and having followed the steps tips listed here you are still not confident it is safe to eat, THROW IT AWAY! wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. When doing the smell test, make sure to not press your nose against the meat but just simply cup your hand near the meat and move it towards your face and see if you can smell anything. My dad just bought a box of 30 ribyes for $30, all vacuum sealed & frozen, but had big half dollar sized brownish grey spots on half of them. So, if the sell-by-date is 2nd of June, the store must sell the meat by that time to give the customer the needed time to store or cook it. These colors usually appear on small patches rather than the whole surface, but still, they are a clear sign to not eat the meat. If this happens for a long time, your meat will turn rotten and smelly. The most commonly found harmful bacteria in ground beef are Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). However, the duration of time meat can be kept at this temperature depends on the product. If it smells rancid, strong, or unpleasant, the meat has probably gone bad and should be thrown away. Meat can last longer if it is frozen. Fresh, raw ground beef should be red due to its levels of oxymyoglobin a pigment formed when a protein called myoglobin reacts with oxygen (3). Is it safe to eat. Outbreaks of infections related to these bacteria occur fairly frequently in the United States (1, 3, 12, 13). My granddaughter suggested I google "ground chuck gray", which I did & chose your site. Kendrick is an outdoor cooking enthusiast, living in Kansas. This odor is released when the pouch is opened, but provided the meat has been stored correctly and is within its use by date, the odor is unlikely to be caused by spoilage.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yourmeatguide_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',149,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yourmeatguide_com-medrectangle-3-0'); if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yourmeatguide_com-box-4','ezslot_2',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yourmeatguide_com-box-4-0');As mentioned previously, it is perfectly normal for your vacuum sealed meat to have an odor to it when you first open the package. Its trash! If it feels sticky or slimy, it is probably bad. People who eat rancid meat are likely to get sick. You can get. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,544,399 times. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. If your meat has been in the fridge for a few days and you have no plans of using it. Rub vinegar onto the pork and let it sit for a minute. Keep in mind that the freezer will not make the meat last forever but just for a few weeks or months. Good website. If the meat has been staying for many hours or even days at room temperature, then throw it away. First thing: Fresh meat, like fresh fish, has no smell. Whole meat cuts (chops, roasts) will remain useable for another 3-5 days in the refrigerator before cooking. Not only will this allow the meat to cook more evenly, but you will find that the vacuum sealing odor has also disappeared. This can have happened prior to the meat being packed or after. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Its important to safely handle and store all types of meat. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Thawing frozen meat in the fridge is a safe alternative to the counter. Cooked ground beef sometimes gets a greenish tone when it goes bad. The critical thing to note is where the meat is gray. The best way is to smell and look at the ground beef: signs of bad ground beef are a sour smell and a slimy texture; discard any ground beef with an off smell or appearance, do not taste first. Fresh meat should be firm and slightly moist. With over ten years of experience, she specializes in catering, event planning, menu development, meal planning, and food business operations. Avoid eating meats with broken seals or liquids seeping from the package. Whether you'll get sick will also be determined by whether or not you fully cooked your food. Choose a package thats cold to the touch and in good condition, without holes or scratches. https://www.eatbydate.com/proteins/meats/beef-shelf-life-expiration-date/, https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/meat-goes-bad-how-to-tell, http://www.thekitchn.com/if-meat-changes-color-has-it-gone-bad-222538, http://meatmythcrushers.com/myths/myth-if-meat-turns-brown-that-means-it-is-spoiled.php, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/the-color-of-meat-and-poultry/the-color-of-meat-and-poultry/ct_index, https://ritely.com/how-to-tell-if-raw-chicken-is-bad/, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Removing_Odors_from_Refrigerators_and_Freezers.pdf?redirecthttp=true, http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/How-to-Tell-If-Chicken-Is-Bad.html, https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/raw-chicken-ways-to-tell-when-bad, http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/features/12261/, http://www.eatbydate.com/proteins/seafood/fish-shelf-life-expiration-date/, https://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm077331.htm, https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/myths/index.html, https://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm253954.htm, http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16788, http://greatgrub.com/reference/cooking_temperatures_for_beef, http://www.safebee.com/food/how-tell-if-chicken-bad, https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html, http://canninginfowarehouse.com/how-to/how-to-tell-spoiled-food.html, https://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellachicken/index.html. Organ meat to be frozen for up to 4 months. Thawed ground pork shouldn't have any smell. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Once you have patted the meat dry with paper towels, allow the meat to sit out at room temperature for up to 30 minutes prior to cooking. If you dont notice a funny scent but still see signs of spoilage in color or texture, its still safest to throw it away, as pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled (6). Baking soda is an effective cleaner for getting rid of bad smells. package of ground chuck from the store I usually buy from. However, it can play an important role to determine if the meat is fresh or not. Avoid fish with scales that look like they're flaking off. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Freezing can further extend its shelf life. Signs that you've eaten contaminated meat include: abdominal cramping, bloating, gas and nausea, according to Mayo Clinic. Opened it, began making patties, and. This is caused by the growth of Bacteria and is a clear sign that the meat is unsafe to cook. You look at the use by date on the package and it is still within the useable date. The foul odor is very similar to the sulfur or ammonia smell. Is it still safe to cook with and eat, or are you better off tossing it out? Remember you can't rely on appearance or odor. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/83\/Know-if-Meat-Is-Bad-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Know-if-Meat-Is-Bad-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/83\/Know-if-Meat-Is-Bad-Step-1.jpg\/aid9447533-v4-728px-Know-if-Meat-Is-Bad-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"