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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Meat color is a-changin’!

Let’s say you bought some steaks or a roast at the grocery store, brought it home and stuck it in the fridge. (Hopefully, stored on a plate on the bottom shelf.) You don’t get around to fixing it (that’s Texan for preparing it) for supper for a day or two. You take it out of the fridge and it has a brownish color. Maybe a few brown spots or maybe the whole thing is just a little browner than it was when you bought it. Has it gone bad? Should you throw it out? It wasn’t cheap, so you hate to throw it out. What to do?
Check the use-by date. Smell it. Does it smell bad? If it doesn’t smell bad and if you haven’t passed the use-by date, it’s probably ok.

Why is it brown in my fridge when it was red in the store?
 
Short answer. It oxidized. Muscle has an ability to prevent (really slow down) oxidation, but that ability runs out with time. Oxidized muscle is brown.
Long answer. Well, to understand why meat is brown, we need to understand why it was red, first.
Meat contains lots of proteins. Some are structural (they hold the meat together). Some are for contraction (remember that the meat was originally for moving an animal around). Some proteins hold onto oxygen to help provide the muscle with energy.
These oxygen-holding proteins are largely responsible for meat color. The main one is called myoglobin. Myoglobin is closely related to the hemoglobin that holds oxygen as it is transported through our blood. Just like we learned in sixth grade science class that blood comes in two colors (red when it is exposed to oxygen in the arteries and blue when the oxygen is gone in the veins), meat pigment comes in those two colors, too. When it is not exposed to oxygen, meat has a purple color. You can see this color right after it is cut. Meat scientists call this ‘deoxymyoglobin’ because the myoglobin doesn’t have any oxygen. If you buy meat that has been vacuum packaged, it will be purplish in color.
The meat will slowly take up oxygen from the air and turn red. In the meat business, we refer to the time it takes go from purple to red as ‘bloom time’. Most of the meat you buy in the store has been packaged so that the oxygen in the air is available to combine with the myoglobin in the meat. That’s why it is a pretty red color in the store.
We recently did a research project studying bloom time. This is a picture of some steaks from that study. The ones in the front had just been removed from a vacuum package and were the purplish deoxymyoglobin. The ones in the back had been setting out for an hour, and you can see the bright red color.
Purple to red… what about brown?
Ok. So, even though the animal is no longer living, the enzymes in the muscle are still somewhat functional. The enzymes in charge of using oxygen to produce energy will take the oxygen and metabolize it. To do this, the pigment (actually, the iron in the pigment) is oxidized (it loses electrons). When the iron is oxidized, the meat will turn brown.
 In fresh meat, other enzymes can fix the problem by reducing the iron (give it electrons back) and it will turn back to purple. Then, it can grab some more oxygen and produce more energy and the cycle begins again. This really only happens on the surface of the meat where it is exposed to oxygen, so at first, you have a red layer with the purple underneath (everywhere on the meat that is exposed to air will be red. You won’t see the purple unless you cut it). At first, the brown coloring is not around long enough to see. As the process slows with time, a brown layer of pigment will form between the red and purple.


Eventually, the enzymes will run out completely and the muscle will not be able to fix the oxidized, brown pigment and it will turn completely brown on the surface. That is the brown coloring you see. If you leave it long enough, the oxidation could spread to the fat and cause some off-flavors, but the paying attention to the use-by date should prevent that.
Here is a picture from a study we conducted. Some steaks were left in retail cases (in our lab) for a week and allowed to turn brown. Then we cut them into little cubes. You can see the completely oxidized brown coloring on the surface and the purple coloring in the middle.

Just remember to pay attention to the use-by dates on the package and if you don’t cook it by then, freeze it by then.  Use your nose and feel if the meat is slimy. If it’s smelly or slimy, cut your losses and throw it out.

I also have a video blog about why meat is red.

70 comments:

  1. Thank you, this was very helpful!

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  2. Replies
    1. That's a great question. I'm afraid I don't have a good answer. Fresh meat has a tangy, almost-bloody smell, but meat that has spoiled has a more rancid smell. Its very offensive.

      Pathogenic organisms may not produce a smell, but other bacteria do. If spoilage bacteria have had a chance to grow and be smelly, then pathogenic ones may have too.

      Delete
  3. Thanks so much. I will not be so wasteful in the future. Very appreciative of your post.

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  4. What about meat that's red on the outside, I go to cut it to repackage it, and I have a ring of brown on the inside, and inside that ring it's red?

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    1. That's a great question! That little ring of brown is from oxidation. The red ring is where the meat is oxygenated, but the oxygen only penetrates so far into the meat. At the border of the red, there is a very low level of oxygen which promotes the formation of the oxidized brown color. The muscle can reduce (or un-oxidize) the meat for a while, but eventually, its ability to do so diminishes. When starts to run out of reduction ability, the brown will form and stay. Eventually, that brown layer will work its way to the surface and make the meat look brown from the outside.

      Hopefully you repackaged it to freeze it because its shelf life is nearing its end when you see that little brown layer. You may only have a day or two left.

      I know this can be confusing. I hope this helps. Its not spoiled, just going through a natural process of oxidizing.

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    2. Thank you very much! This was much more helpful than what Fry's Food & Drug gave me for an explanation.

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    3. And yes, I cut to repackage it to refreeze it.

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  5. I bought Angus stew meat on a Saturday and put it in the back of the refrigerator (which I know to be just below 40 degrees — even in the door our milk is ice cold). On a Thursday mid-morning I went to prepare it when I noticed the Sell By Date was the day before.

    I can't find an expiration (use by) on the meat so I don't know if it's safe to use.

    I am typically very cautious about food, due to a bad case of food poisoning years ago. It's the summer months and so the beef was placed in a zippered club store refrigerator bag at checkout with the rest of the cold food, but it took 35 minutes between the point when I placed the meat in the shopping cart and arrived home thanks to long lines at the club store and one brief stop of less than 10 minutes. The refrigerated bag wasn't used until checkout so I estimate that the meat was in the cart about 14 minutes before it was placed in the refrigerator bag. (In the shopping cart, I cluster the cold items together.)

    Upon arriving home, the meat was placed at the back of the refrigerator. Five days after purchase, I looked but could not find a Use By date (only the aforementioned Sell By date). The meat had gone from bright red in the store to an oxidized color similar to the photos with this post (a dull brown). I opened it up and while I generally have a good nose, I could not smell anything off whatsoever. I did not touch the meat to see if it was slimy but visually it did not look to be changed or smell off in any way. I browned the meat for more than 10 minutes and while I didn't get that characteristic fresh beef fragrance it didn't smell bad, either. By the time I was done it still had no real smell to it at all, either raw or browned. I placed it in a crockpot on high for 6 hours with other ingredients (potatoes, onions, etc.).

    Is this going to be safe to eat? I realize the quality of the flavor will be degraded but I don't want to serve it tonight if it's going to cause illness.

    And with that question, a perhaps you can clarify something for me: Is it true that relying on smell is not a good test because the pathogens responsible for illness don't really produce an odor? I've read conflicting comments on whether or not you can smell the types of bacteria that are responsible for illness.

    Thanks!

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    1. I would use a thermometer and make sure the temperature of your meat reaches 160. Chances are it will reach a much higher temp than that in the crock pot.

      Meat color is generally driven by oxidation. If you get your stew heated good, you should be fine.

      Hope it's tasty.

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  6. Thank you! I appreciate the fast reply. I will use the thermometer as suggested.

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  7. I just opened new pack pork chops family pack of 8. all look good on top; but some discoloration in package where one rested on another. I cooked 4, then I wondered should I eat?
    I don't know if the color was brown, gray, etc. I froze 4, and the discoloration is gone on those. not frozen completely, so I opened to smell. no odor, but do feel "slimy"?? I mean, what is slimy? ok, the date use by is tomorrow. help with advice, please

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    1. Hi. Sorry I'm just getting to this. My internet at home is not great. In the evening, I'm easier to reach through a facebook message or an email.

      The discoloration on the lower chops is caused by the low amounts of oxygen available to them. That doesn't concern my at all.

      I'm not sure what you mean by slimy. Extreme slime can be caused by bacteria, but if they were frozen, I don't think that's what's going on. The moisture and protein can combine and be a little slimy especially if the chops were injected or marinated.

      I would just make sure you cook them to 145 (or 160F if they were injected) and they should be fine. Hope they were good.

      Sorry again about the delay.

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  8. Hey there, I bought some chicken today at the grocery store. Stuff I usually buy. It was packaged today and had a sell buy date of 5 days from now. I noticed it felt rather slimey but rinsed it and cooked it anyway. Figured it was fine. I didn't smell it at all. I cut it up into small pieces and cooked it in coconut oil. A lot of the small pieces cook up kind of grey and were very tough. I tried cutting them apart. Haven't actually eaten it yet. Think it's safe? I'm not sure why it wouldn't be if it was packaged today but I'm worried! Thanks

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    1. Did you make sure that you cooked the chicken to 165F? I'm not worried about it being unsafe if you cooked it to 165.

      I forwarded your question to a poultry scientist friend who does research on poultry quality. Hopefully she will have a better insight into why it looked the way it did.

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  9. I didn't check, they were cut up into bite sized pieces and I don't have a meat thermometer. But there seemed to be a lot of water out of the meat so maybe it had a bit of a boiling effect? I was thinking that might attribute to the grey/tough color and texture.

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    1. You know, I've never cooked in coconut oil, so that may have an effect on the color. Did you go ahead and eat them?

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  10. I haven't tried it. I'm too chicken! Haha!

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    1. Can you take a picture of it and send it to my email? jws09@uark.edu

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  11. Hi there! This may be a dumb question, but now my paranoid self has got me worried. I bought a pack of pork loin yesterday and put it on the fridge. It's use by date is 12/17. Today I took it out to prepare it for the crock pot. I opened the package and it had two pieces folded in half and on the inside of the pieces, it was an off color. Definitely grayish, but I'm not sure about green. Nothing for me to be immediately concerned and the outside was nice and pink. It didn't smell bad or feel slimy so I finished and threw it in the crock pot. Now I'm thinking about it and can't decide whether or not I should eat it tonight for dinner. The uncertainty of not knowing whether it was green is worrying me. I've purchased the same thing before and didn't have this issue. Any suggestions?

    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I wouldn't worry about that color at all. Especially since you didn't notice a smell or any sliminess. When the two pieces were stuck together, it created a situation with low oxygen. That causes the meat to oxidize and turn a brownish-green color. Sometimes you will see the same thing under the label of a package of meat.

      If its cooked all day in the crockpot,it should easily reach a safe temperature of 145 or more. Stick a meat thermometer in it and double check.

      Thanks for the great question!
      Janeal

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  12. Bought a very large exoensive prime grade prime beef 7 days ago. Realized tonight it has been in my trunk since. It has been single digits outside n today high of 40. Car only been in non heated garage at night. No brown spots or smell. Not slimy. One dark blackish spot underneath a fat layer. It does look rather bloody to me. Splurged big time so purchasing another is not an option. Is it okay to still eat?

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    1. I don't know. I don't think I could comfortably tell you it's safe to eat. It may be fine, but I would be very nervous.

      I'm so sorry.

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  13. Ho there last night we went and bought a two pack of thin sliced sirloin for quesadillas. When we opened the pack the part that over lapel were very brown and the inside was a little purple so on both half of them were like this but the other half were not. They were fresh just bought anf did not expire for 4 more days so we cut into the brown part and it was brown and purple threw the hole thing (thickness wise) and it smelt bad. So we cut off the halves that we believed were bad and went ahead and cooked the other halves we thought were good some still had a little brown in the middle. My husband was the only one who ended up eating it and 3 hours later began throwing up continuesly and having sever stomach pains it's been almost 24 hrs nd vomiting has stopped but still in pain. So my question is if u have a steak and only half is bad does that mean that u should throw out all of it and if u didn't could that make you sick?? Thank u hope to hear back soon

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    1. Tiffany, I would contact the store and tell them your story. Sounds like he got some food borne illness. When I worked at a grocery store as a student, if someone came in with a story like that, we tried to make it right. Other stores may not have the same policy.

      For future reference, if part of it smells bad, I would throw it all out.

      I am so sorry that you have had a bad experience. I hope your husband gets to feeling better soon. Be sure to tell the store that he was the only one that ate it and the only one that got sick.

      Take care,
      Janeal

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    2. Yes I did contact the store and they wanted me to bring the meat back I told them I threw the bad meat away but I could try to dig it out they said they would replace it or give me my money back but I had to bring the meat in as crazy as that sounds. Iv cooked steak before that had brown spots and everyone was fine but this was weird because it was all through the thickness and just half of each piece where it was over lapped and once we separated the bad from the red part of the meat the red part we cooked smelt nd felt fine I've never seen it look that bad ever and he is still very sick in the bed he took medicine to atop vomiting but still in pain. But thank you so much for getting back to me so fast iv been disenfecting the whole house because I didn't know if it was the meat or a horrible bug of some sort. So for now on if half is bad it's all bad correct?

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  14. " (Hopefully, stored on a plate on the bottom shelf.) " can you explain this me please. I usually just throw the package in the fridge or freezer. does this mean that's the wrong answer. does on a plate mean covered or uncovered? eeeek, now I feel like I've been getting this wrong for about 40 yrs!! elizabeth

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    1. Sometimes those packages can leak and you don't want meat juice getting all over other foods in the fridge. So I always put fresh or thawing meat on a plate and/or on the bottom shelf of the fridge. If you have lettuce or fresh fruit in the fridge, you are probably going to eat them without cooking them, so you would want to store those things about the meat. The plate doesn't have to be covered.

      I have a whole post about storing food safely called Safety in Knowledge. http://momatthemeatcounter.blogspot.com/2011/09/safety-in-knowledge.html

      Thanks for the great question!

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  15. We just bought a pound of ground chuck. Just a standard one in a black tray and covered in plastic. It's all red, except the part that was right under the label explaining the contents of the package. That part is much darker than the rest of it, but I'm not really sure what I'd call the color. It's like a hint of purple and grey or something. Do you think that the label was just blocking oxygen or something?

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    1. Thats a great question and yes! I think that's exactly what was happening. The label blocked the oxygen some, but not completely and that caused the meat to oxidize and turn it a little brown.

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  16. I purchased a pack of six porkchops and five of them were we're fine thry didn't smell or have discolouration but 1 of them have discolouration and a nasty oder threw out the one but have the rest cooking is that ok?

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    1. I think they are probably ok if you cook them to 145. The outside will get very hot, so any bacteria that might be there will be killed.

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  17. I purchased a meat prder yesterday which came with $50 worth of lean hamburger meat. The burger is extremely dark.. like a chocolate brown/burgundy color.. it smells fine but i am super leery of the color as i have never purchased burger that dark before... thoughts??

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    1. Meat color can be driven by lots of factors. I have a few questions about it.

      Was is frozen? How was it packaged? How lean is it? Did you buy it at a store or order it to be delivered? Is there any way it could have been temperature abused?

      Can you send me a picture to jws09@uark.edu?

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    2. I just emailed you two pictures. I am unsure of tenperature abuse. It is the first time I have personally purchased meat at this local establishment but they sell meat like crazy and are known for their meat orders. I called it in and when we got there, they were putting the order in the box. We live roughly 45 mins away from the city where we got it and we were probably 2 hours shopping after we had picked it up. The meat was however deep in the box under alot of other cold/frozen meat

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    3. Thanks for the pictures. It looks to me like its just deoxymyoglobin. Its just the purpley-red color from not being exposed to oxygen. The surface may be a little oxidized (brown) from a little oxygen leaking in the package. I think it should be just fine. Enjoy!

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  18. To answer ur other questions, it was not frozen when i got it. The packaged date was yesterday, same day i got it and as far as how lean is it? We are in Canada so our hamburger doesn't have the % lean on label.. we have regular, medium, lean and extra lean.

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  19. Hi,

    I just defrosted a pack of pork ribs. While the meat part has a slight freezer burn, it didn't smell funky or slimy. However, the bone part is now very dark, almost black instead of the usual grey. Is this still safe to eat, considering im marinating the ribs?

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    1. Hi Kevin, Sorry for the late reply. I've been out of the office.

      Black bone is not a cause for concern. We actually did research on this when I was a student. The hemoglobin in the bone marrow oxidizes just like the myoglobin in the muscle and it looks dark brown or black. Its perfectly safe to eat. I hope you enjoyed your ribs.

      Janeal

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  20. I bought a pack of a stew meat from the local grocery and it has black vein likr lines in some of the meat and fat . Is this normal ?

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    1. Jamie, Its really hard to know without seeing the product that you are asking about. My first thought is that it might be a little bit of coagulated blood or a vein. Sometimes those can look very dark, almost black. They are sometimes found in cuts that we would use for stew meat. If you have a photo, shoot me an email to jws09@uark.edu and I'll try to figure it out. :)

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  21. Hello all! I need answers! I bought chicken breast last week and imediatly put it into the freezer when I got home. Took it out last to thaw in my fridge. I put it directly into my slow cooker to make shredded chicken with a mixture of chicken broth, salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. I came home around 5 hours last and some of the liquid evaporated so the top of the chicken breasts were exposed with a purple like color on it. The chicken didn't smell or taste bad. No slime, and fully cooked. It fell apart with a poke of a fork. What causes this and is it safe to eat??

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  22. Hi. Honestly, I really don't know much without seeing it. It sounds like maybe it possibly dried out as it was exposed on top. I doubt that had any effect on the safety of it. How moist was the entire cooking environment? Browning of meat can also occur in dry environments so with that portion exposed, some browning may have occurred. This does not necessarily explain the purple, but maybe a difference in color. My best guess, based on information given, is that the moisture level was different (lower) and it cooked differently as a result if being exposed. --- Mom at the POULTRY meat counter (friend of Mom at the meat counter)

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  23. Last night I cut a 1/2 porkloin into sections freezing some then placing roast meat in the refrigerator. I wrapped the meat in plastic wrap before putting in the fridge. This morning when I took it out to place in crock pot one side looked green and kinda funky smell. Only on the one side, so I cut it off and rinsed the good portion. That piece smelled okay so I went ahead and put it in to cook. I'm still questioning if this is okay since I cut the bad part off. The parts were separated by some fat which is why I'm thinking it should be okay. Please help a mom out

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    Replies
    1. I think its probably just fine. The plastic wrap probably cut off the oxygen supply and made some of the roast oxidize. In post the oxidized part can have a greener look to it. It will smell a little rancid, too.

      I wouldn't worry about eating it from safety perspective. Hope it tastes good.

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  24. So I bought steak on Aug 27, it sat in the fridge for one day and then I put it in the freezer (got stomach flu and wanted to save it). Took it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge again on Sunday, Sept 10, and want to cook it tonight. Still ok? one steak is a little brown.

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    1. Yes! I would totally eat it! A little brown is perfectly fine.

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    2. Thanks for the quick reply! It's obvious your blog is still relevant after 3 years! :)

      Delete
  25. Someone left me a comment and I accidentally deleted it with my fat fingers on my phone. I am so sorry. Their comment was still in my email. Here it is:
    I bought a pkg of roasts on 9/29. Sell by 10/5. I forgot about it, and took it out tonight. Spots are brown, no smell, and not slimy (as far as I can tell). I don't know if I wasted all this meat, or if I can still eat it.

    My answer:
    Yes. You can probably still eat it. I would make sure you get it cooked thoroughly.


    Sorry I accidentally deleted your comment.

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  26. Hi, I have a London Broil that's been in the fridge since Thursday with a sell-by date 2 days from now. I took the meat out to put in the crock pot and noticed a patch of light discoloration on the front and back (in the area of the label). I cut the meat open through this patch and it was discolored on the outer edges, not the inside. No smell, texture was ok. Still ok to eat? Thanks!

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  27. Hello! My wife bought a very large beef chuck roast. I usually like to marinate them for a day or two before I cook them. As I was removing the roast from its packaging tonight I noticed a grey/brown spot on one end of the roast. It was just bigger than a quarter and wen I touched it, it was pasty and rubbed off. The meat under the spot was also gray/brown. The pasty stuff smelled rotten. Not over powering, but it was there. The rest of the roast is beautiful and bright red, not slimy, and very fresh smelling,and two days before the sell by date. I cut the bad tip off and finished preparing the marinade. The roast is now back in the fridge waiting to be cooked tomorrow night. Should be afraid to cook and eat this roast? I hate to waste so much meat. But, I don't want to be sick either. Thanks!

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    1. Hey Joshua, great question. You did exactly what I would have suggested. Cut off the discoloration and enjoy the rest.

      I hope its tasty.

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  28. Hello, I was wondering about a package of boneless pork ribs I bought. They were Smithfield prime natural, from a Ray's food place.
    They were reduced price, in a basic plastic wrap/foam tray. The sell by date was from two days ago, something I didn't notice until I got home.
    The ribs themselves looked ok. Maybe slightly dull in color, not slimy.
    But they have a slight smell of old beef.. It's an odd smell. Not particularly bad or rancid. Not Like sulphur or vinegar. But really weird.
    Like when beef turns brown and has that unusual smell.
    I've never had pork ribs that smell like old beef. I always throw beef away when it starts to smell like that, even if I buy it fresh.
    I was afraid to use the pork ribs.
    For future reference, if I ever encounter this again, can you tell me if it is a health hazzard.. Will I get sick or food poisoning if I were to cook and eat them? Is that old beef smell (on either beef or pork) a nefarious warning scent?
    Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. That’s such an interesting question. I think aged beef smells acidic or kinda tangy. That’s an ok smell in meat. I would think that if it’s not sulfur or rancid smelling, it’s probably ok to eat. Especially ribs because they are cooked for a long time and any dangerous bacteria would likely be killed.

      However, I always tell people, when in doubt, throw it out. So, if you thought they were questionable, it’s probably best not to have eaten them.

      Hope this helps.

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  29. Hello. I think your blog is really great. I was wondering if you can clarify some questions since I was not able to find any photos on the internet that helped me make some comparisons. There are lots of written description, but not too many photos.

    When raw meat (beef in particular) is fresh (just cut) it is a deep purple color. When it is packaged for the grocery store, it turns from deep purple to bright red because it is exposed to oxygen and light. Overtime, while it sits on the shelf at the grocery store, the bright red fades to a brownish red and eventually into a dull brownish red. Please correct me if there is a mistake I wrote so far. I am interested in what's happening with the colors here.

    My question is, if I wanted to buy the freshest meat, would I be looking to see which one is the most purple? Or bright red? And stay away from those that are getting brownish red or dull brownish red (even if still edible)?

    I've read somewhere that meat (beef) that is purple is not good as it turns bad quickly and factories often cannot sell it to stores. However, this contradicts the fact that fresh cut meat is purple (assuming this is correct). Which information is true?

    Also, is there any infographic or resource that you can direct me to that let's me look at the various colors of beef from freshly cut to spoiled? I know you have a few great photos, but it would be helpful to see the different stages of beef and its colors from farm to spoiled. Thanks for your help!

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    1. Kay,
      These are great questions. You are right. Beef is purple when it is freshly cut, but it will turn red due to the oxygen in the air in about 30 minutes. Then as it ages, it will slowly oxidize and become brown. I have another post about it called My meat turned to the dark side :http://momatthemeatcounter.blogspot.com/2017/05/it-turned-to-dark-side-why-did-my-meat.html. I've worked on an infographic about it, but I never published it. Check out my facebook page. I will try to get it shared today.

      I'm not sure where your info about meat being bad if its purple came from. That one is not true. If meat stays in a vacuum package, it will stay purple and stay fresh for a long time. That's how get steaks that are aged for 3 or 4 weeks in fancy restaurants.

      Thanks for the great question!

      Delete
  30. Hi there,

    I bought a pot roast on Tuesday (now Friday) it smells totally fine and looks fine but it felt slightly sticky to the touch and a little slippery is it bad or is it maybe because it was in the original brown paper(from the butchers). Do you think it would still be okay to cook it in my crockpot today?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I think it should be fine. The long cookery of the crock-pot should take care of any bacteria.

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  31. Hey! I work at a restaurant that serves deli meats. We slice our meats daily. Our hold time procedure says we should only keep sliced darker meat for 2 days max and sliced lighter meat for 3 days max. If we haven’t used it all, is it still safe to use the rest of whichever meat when past the “hold time”? Why would hold times be set at those lengths of time?

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    1. Deli meats are different than fresh meats because they are served without being cooked or reheated like fresh meat. There are certain pathogens that can grow in cold environments. Without knowing anything about your meats, I'd say a food scientist came up with those hold times to be extra careful when you are serving Ready-To-Eat meats to consumers. Not sure why there would be differences in light and dark meat. It may have to do with discoloration.

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  32. I usually buy meat (chicken breasts or some form of beef- skirt steak, fajita cuts, etc) from the meat counter. They put it in a plastic bag and then wrap it in brown paper. The label they print has what the product is and the date of purchase but it never has a use by date. I bring it home and place it on the bottom shelf of my fridge on a plate and packaged the way it is. I typically try to cook it the same day or the next day at the latest. But how many days is it really safe and considered good? Also sometimes they have a couple steaks already prepackaged on a styrofoam try and wrapped in plastic wrap but again the label only has the product and the package date. No sell by date. How long is it really safe? For example: on Friday they had a great deal on filet mignon steaks that were already packaged in the styrofoam trays and plastic wrap, said they were packaged that day. I got several packs with the plan to bring them home and freeze them. Brought them home and placed in fridge (on a plate, bottom shelf). Then I got busy and didn't get them frozen. Now it's Sunday morning and I take them out and almost all of them are brown. Some don't seem to smell at all but some have an odor (not really bad just different- maybe that does mean bad lol). Should they still be good after sitting in fridge for 3 days or should they be thrown out?

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    1. I would say that filet steaks would be just fine if you froze them yesterday or today. That cut is particularly prone to turning brown because it has so much myoglobin. The smell may have been lactate or a little rancidity. I would be a little more concerned about chicken, but those filets should be fine.

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  33. I browned some lean ground beef and used it as the bottom layer of shepherd's pie in a crockpot. When I went to serve it, the ground beef had reverted to a red color, looking completely uncooked. Is this safe to eat and how did this happen? I have made shepherd's pie using this same recipe, cooked with the same method and never had anything like this happen. Thanks

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    1. Did you check it with a meat thermometer? If you checked it with a meat thermometer, it should be safe.

      We have seen some hamburgers remain red after being cooked twice to 160 degrees. They were very lean and made with beef from older animals.

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  34. This is the second time I buy fresh good quality reputable thin minute steaks fillets and I want to throw them away like I did last time, but maybe Im wrong and being too worried. I did the same thing a few weeks ago. So I bought some steaks (it was a stack of about 10 of them thin thin sliced large and flat in a sealed supermarket refrigerator package. I both times I bought it on a Friday ( supermarket is 12 minutes from home) and put it in the freezer same day. The day I put them on the freezer they were bright red and beautiful...now one and a half days late today I am defrosting it and as I defrost it I see quite alot of grey it smells fine and fresh meaty smell. I want to throw them away as Im scared but my husband says they are safe and its freezer burn...but its alot of grey...Thank you :)

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    1. I think your husband is right. The freezing is probably oxidizing the surface of the steaks. I bet they will taste just fine. I wouldn’t worry about them being unsafe either.

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  35. Thank you very much for the quick reply:) will eat it Thanks again

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