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Chicken Disaster!

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    Chicken Disaster!

    It worked pretty well in Cookeville, so I stopped at Whole Foods on the way to the contest in Batesville, AR to purchase chicken. I bought 2 packages of Bell & Evans chicken thighs, 4 thighs to a package. Trimmed chicken on Friday night. First package was fine, but the second had a rank, off odor. What to do? I ended up trimming all of it and dunked it all in brine. Very, disappointing chicken results on Saturday and there was no question about why! So, I bought and trimmed and froze chicken for this weekend yesterday. I don't want to have to deal with that again.

    #2
    Seems to be an issue quite often: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...irst-open-them

    Maybe docblonder could weigh in here. I've lost two racks of lamb to horrid odor these last two years--both in cryovac and both well within their sell-by dates. Quickly stunk up the whole kitchen. People say some odor is normal, but that is not my general experience. Were your chix in cryovac?

    Comment


    • CandySueQ
      CandySueQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes they were and the plastic was tight.

    • Willy
      Willy commented
      Editing a comment
      yep--the cryovac was "tight" on the lamb, too. No apparent leaks whatsoever. Still stunk to high heaven.

    • Attjack
      Attjack commented
      Editing a comment
      Is that true that some odor is normal or okay?

    #3
    Bummer! Best of luck to you this weekend.

    You would think they would be selling you quality meat at Whole "pay-check" but obviously that is not the case.

    Comment


      #4
      Beyond bummer.

      Comment


        #5
        I never risk that. If it does's smell good then I'm throwing it out. Not risking getting sick to save a buck.

        Comment


        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Likewise.

        • CandySueQ
          CandySueQ commented
          Editing a comment
          Couldn't get to where I could buy more. I had to turn in 6 pieces. Not a good excuse, but it's all I have.

        #6
        Keeping this thread alive for more than one reason.

        Comment


          #7
          Meathead, Huskee, Jerod Broussard, @docblonder: I think this subject needs some serious attention. It has arisen several times before (cryovac packing/stinky meat) and I have yet to see a reliable answer. PLEASE can we address this seriously? I do not trust my nose well enough to know when a "quick rinse" is sufficient vs when I should toss the meat. So far, for me, stink = garbage--no questions asked.

          Comment


            #8
            Willy, I'd say your plan is the best plan there is. Stink = garbage. Chicken is cheap anyway.

            Comment


              #9
              Cryo stink and bad stink ain't the same stink. Not that cryo stink is not bad it's just "not bad". Bad stink is bad. It's never "not bad" bad. Meat smells bad in general. Like that grinding burger meat processing bad. Which is not the same as bad bad. Bad bad is bad.

              Last edited by Jon Solberg; September 22, 2017, 05:07 AM.

              Comment


              #10
              I treat ALL my raw meat like kryptonite. Careful to have no cross-contamination.

              I find cryovac pork butts to have a pretty strong odor, always. If you are not used to it can be somewhat alarming. Same with ribs. Never had them drop me to my knees, but the kitchen has been quite smelly at times.

              Only a couple pathogenic bacteria can cause spoilage and even those instances are very uncommon.

              With that said, technically the spoilage microbes won't get you sick; but if conditions were such that it allowed the proliferation of spoilage microbes, then any pathogenic microbes present would likely proliferate also.

              Toxin producing bacteria are the worst since toxins from something like Bacillus cereus are heat resistant for 90 minutes at 250 degrees.

              One reason I don't mind cooking chicken at 375-400+, if it's covered in Salmonella or Campylobacter, them dudes are getting roasted too to the tune of 7+ log reduction. If 5 million are present, one might survive.

              Comment


                #11
                This is known as "confinement odor" http://www.meatupdate.csiro.au/data/...ging_04-88.pdf Generally occurs if the meat pH is too high when sealed. High pH meat is often a result of slaughter conditions, and sometimes diet. Not thought to be dangerous, BUT, other non-sulfury odors might be a sign that bacteria are in a favorable growth situation, which might include dangerous bacteria (most of which do not emit bad smells on their own).

                Cook and give your dog a treat. I'd err on the side of caution.

                Comment


                • Danjohnston949
                  Danjohnston949 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  docblonder, I don't know if this is relevant! But Years Ago when we put 1/2s of fresh Slaughtered "Warm" Beef, Pork, Mutton in the Cooler we had to be Careful not to Let the Spine Bones Touch for Fear of Bone Sour Setting In❓
                  No Problem once Cold?
                  Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

                • docblonder
                  docblonder commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Bone sour, which is bacterial growth near the bones, occurs because it is hard to effectively cool near the spine due to its curvature and nooks and crannies. Cracked ice packed around the spine in the field will help. "Bone touching" simply creates larger gaps that are hard to cool.

                #12
                I've been eating cryovac pork, lamb, and chicken for decades--hey, I live an hour and a half from Costco--got no choice--. Yeah, I suppose one could say that the meat doesn't smell like roses, but it rarely stinks and when it stinks, I toss it. My suspicion is that SOMETIMES--based on comments from others herein--that the stink is actually not an indication of rotten or spoiled meat, but, I can't tell for sure, so, ALWAYS into the garbage. I like to say I don't smell too good (lol), so maybe my less sensitive nose doesn't pick up well on the "normal" "bad" smell, but I'm thinking that at least some of those who recommend a quick rinse are smelling the "normal" bad smell and have never been around the really "bad" smell.

                So, my question remains. Why does well with-in date, non-leaking package, cryovac meat sometimes REEK?

                Comment


                  #13
                  Because it's bad. It's a wet agricultural product in an imperfect world. The meat does not care what the date on the package is. If it's within date and bad. Take it back.

                  I guess at the end of the day you need to make a call on if its safe or not. No one in there right mind will tell you "go ahead it's fine" and if they did are you comfortable with it.


                  Alton Brown had this to say

                  ​​​​​​"Smell it. If it smells bad, odds are you shouldn’t eat it. Touch it. If it’s slimy or sticky, don’t eat it. If you look at a piece of meat and it’s got splotches of green on it, you shouldn’t eat it."

                  From the USDA:
                  ​​​​​​Does Federal Law Require Dating?
                  Except for infant formula, product dating is not required by Federal regulations.

                  For meat, poultry, and egg products under the jurisdiction of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), dates may be voluntarily applied provided they are labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and in compliance with FSIS regulations1. To comply, a calendar date must express both the month and day of the month. In the case of shelf-stable and frozen products, the year must also be displayed. Additionally, immediately adjacent to the date must be a phrase explaining the meaning of that date such as "Best if Used By."



                  Last edited by Jon Solberg; September 22, 2017, 10:49 AM.

                  Comment


                  • Willy
                    Willy commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Thanks for the comment. The reason I am pursuing this so far is that I've seen a lot of advice, right here on AR, saying a "bad" smell is "normal" and that it's OK to rinse and eat. Alas, "taking it back" means a three hour round trip, so I just toss it and eat the cost.

                  • Willy
                    Willy commented
                    Editing a comment
                    One example: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...irst-open-them

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