\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Rub vinegar onto the pork and let it sit for a minute. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Meat Safety: Storing and Handling Meat, Poultry, and Fish, Top 9 Foods Most Likely to Cause Food Poisoning, Beef 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Effects, Can I Still Eat It: How to Safely Store Meat, Does Red Meat Have Health Benefits? Even with all the strict measures in place to ensure that quality is maintained throughout the whole meat processing procedure, ocassionally a bad piece of meat makes its way into the system and it is nobodys fault. The best thing to do when you put the meat in the fridge, is to write the use-by-date if it isnt already written on the package. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. A few simple techniques, including looking for changes in color, odor, and texture, can determine whether your ground beef has gone bad. Freeze any beef if you dont plan on cooking or eating it right away. Red meat, poultry, and seafood all exhibit different spoilage signs. In general, the steak is still safe to eat even if the sell-by-date has passed by a couple of days. Wash your hands after handling raw poultry whether you believe it is spoiled or not. Avoid eating meats with broken seals or liquids seeping from the package. The Salmonella and the E. coli are destroyed when the meat reaches a 150F temperature. Keep in mind that if you put the meat in the freezer by the use-by-date, that date no longer apply. This is the reason why you should not rinse chickens etc under a running water tap! Raw or cooked ground beef has gone bad if it smells funky, changes color, and/or feels slimy. You should toss it immediately (14). For red meat and steak, it is 1-3 days if it is raw and 7-10 days if it is cooked and kept on the recommended temperature. If the smell is strong and off putting, and doesnt reduce after 30 minutes of airing, then you may need to look a little more closely to make sure it is not spoiled. Wash drawers or racks in a similar way and replace them in the freezer. Returning it! If you dont plan to cook anytime soon, place it in the fridge or freezer. Salmonella and E. coli can also cause intestinal bleeding, resulting in bloody diarrhea. "All beef, including ground beef, is a deep purple until it hits oxygen . Foul odors are most apparent when freezers defrost because food often spoils inside. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. However, if your nose tells you it isn't spoiled, put them in ice cold milk in the . This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Read on for tips on storing ground beef to keep it from spoiling! By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. My granddaughter suggested I google "ground chuck gray", which I did & chose your site. But there's an unexpected way to get rid of that lingering yuckiness for good. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. So, if you have a dry age steak, then you should use different methods to tell if it is bad or not as the smell test may be easily mistaken. of Health and Human Services, Ultimate Guide to Cooking Meat: Best Ways to Get Juicy, Tender Meat + How Long to Cook Meat For, How to Check if Your Bacon is Spoiled (And How to Keep it Fresh), How to Keep Flour Weevils Out of Your Pantry, How Long Does Ham Last? Feel the chicken. This doesnt indicate spoilage. It's slimy. If your meat is slimy or sticky, your meat has likely become contaminated by some sort of microbe. This article has been viewed 2,544,399 times. The interior of raw ground meat may be greyish brown due to a lack of exposure to oxygen. If you're ever unsure about how long meat is good after defrosting, the best thing to do is to check the package. With over ten years of experience, she specializes in catering, event planning, menu development, meal planning, and food business operations. Ground meats, poultry, and fish typically maintain their quality for only 4-6 months. However, your meat's quality will decline if it's kept in the freezer for too long. If it smells rancid, strong, or unpleasant, the meat has probably gone bad and should be thrown away. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Also, within 30 minutes of opening, any smell should have all but disappeared. Tags: Chicken. ", smell. To destroy these bacteria and reduce your risk of food poisoning, cook ground beef thoroughly and use a meat thermometer to verify that its internal temperature reaches 160F (71C) ( 3 ). It is important to take note of the sell-by date printed on package labels. Ground beef may change color due to multiple factors, including temperature, light, microbial growth, and exposure to oxygen (4). Though the bacteria that cause meat to spoil arent generally harmful, other disease-causing microorganisms may proliferate when it goes bad. Manage Settings We have a maxim in our trade, "If in doubt, throw it out". Luckily, both raw and cooked ground beef display obvious signs when they go badand were here to show you exactly what those signals are. As you are aware by now, a tangy sulpher type smell is not unusual, and following the previous steps should see the smell disappear before you come to cook it.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'yourmeatguide_com-banner-1','ezslot_6',165,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yourmeatguide_com-banner-1-0'); However, there are instances where the meat may have spoiled and this should not be eaten under any circumstances. The critical thing to note is where the meat is gray. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. I looked it up to see if it was safe to eat. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Also, when you touch it, it has a slippery or sticky feel, which is very noticeable, especially if you have cooked raw steaks several times. I will just say that, although the smell of vacuum packed meat can seem a little funky, it is rarely an overwhelming smell or so strong that you are disgusted by it. Take a cooler along to the store with you with a few ice blocks inside. So, what happens if you cook a spoiled steak? Poultry can be kept in your refrigerator for two days. It may not be safe to eat. Beef thawed with water needs to be cooked right away, while beef defrosted in the refrigerator can be refrozen within 24-48 hours. Fresh ground beef should always be bright red in color. You should also avoid eating meat that has a grayish or greenish color, or which is past its expiration date. Keep raw meat separately in your cart to avoid cross-contamination, or the spread of bacteria to other food items. Be sure to reheat the chicken to at least 165F (74C), using a food thermometer to measure its internal temperature ( 2, 3 ). Keep an eye on the meats internal temperature while cooking. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. In case you let meat at room temperature with no cover, the bacteria density will multiply two times compared to when it is refrigerated and sealed. It applies to both raw and cooked ground beef. Additionally, mold can spoil cooked ground beef, so you should toss your leftovers if you notice any fuzzy blue, grey, or green spots (5). If you defrosted the meat in a bowl or water or in the microwave, it's no longer safe to refreeze. Fresh and frozen meat has a date that is intended to be sold and to be consumed. Last Updated: January 9, 2023 You can still try to rinse the meat at this point, but after resting, if the meat still smells and is discolored, then you should dispose of it as it has spoiled.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yourmeatguide_com-leader-1','ezslot_7',167,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yourmeatguide_com-leader-1-0'); There may be instances where you open your vacuum sealed meat and the smell immediately lets you know that something is not right. Cooked meat leftovers: 2-3 months Place the foods you will be keeping inside a cooler or plastic storage bag together, which will help them stay cold. If you have been unfortunate enough to open vacuum sealed meat that has spoiled but is within its useable date, there are several reasons why this may have occurred.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yourmeatguide_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_11',168,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yourmeatguide_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Occasionally a vacuum sealed product can appear to still be sealed, however a tiny air hole may have allowed oxygen to enter the packet. If it is a bit gray on the inside, that's probably fine. Concerned about Frozen Meat? After passing the look and touch tests, then it's time to use your nose. When meat stays for a while exposed to air, the color will start to become darker but that doesnt always mean that the meat is spoiled. Dont eat expired or unrefrigerated meat. It may take several days for symptoms to appear. For example, ground meat is only good for 1-2 days after defrosting, while chicken breasts can last up to a week. Freezing can further extend its shelf life. Check The Color Of The Meat. You should target internal temperature of 120 to 165F for the best results. If after 30 minutes the meat appears to be a grey or brown unnatural color, and is still giving an offensive odor, then the meat has probably spoiled. Remember you can't rely on appearance or odor. Freeze both uncooked and cooked ground beef for up to 4 months. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You'll know if you have rancid meat in your fridge because it smells sour, sulfuric or like ammonia. {"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":"