When in doubt, throw it out. :)

[Michael_in_TX]

Nothing like a bad piece of meat to up-end one's plans.

So, I have been looking forward to doing jerky for quite some time now. And I had a 2.5 lb piece of eye of round roast picked up at my local HEB for me today.

I stuck it in the freezer for two hours to firm it up and then sharpened my knife and started slicing. I was actually kinda impressed with myself: my slices were uniform and the correct thickness for jerky.

Then I started noticing something. On some of the slices, there was a very obvious, and relatively large golden-sheen. I have never seen anything like this. I cut a few more slices. The sheen persisted and has an almost iridescent quality to it.

Is there something on my knife? No, I had just cleaned it after sharpening. Is the meat expired? No, of course, I checked that; the sell by date is Monday.

I finished slicing the beef. I then noticed that I could rub the sheen off so I did as best I could for all of the slices with a paper towel, but something started to bother me. I've been at this grilled/smoked meats cooking thing since 2019 now and I never have had to clean raw meat like this.

Off to the Google!

The first reputable sources I found were promising. In some meats, this is simply an effect of diffraction, caused by cutting across the grain, which I was most certainly doing and it was safe to eat, although unsightly. However, I started noticing that these references were all for deli meats, either cooked or cured. This was raw meat.

A few more searches with a tighter search criteria got me my answer: If the sheen can be removed by wiping it off, it is not an inherent quality of the meat or the method of slicing causing the sheen, but possibly a surface film of liquid produced by microbes that may not be the best friends with humans.

That is all I needed to hear. I am not using this roast and certainly not for slow and low smoked jerky!

[Michael_in_TX]

Although on further reading/digging, I may have overreacted. Apparently this type of thing is very common in hind meats, such as eye of round. I am doing further testing (I had not yet thrown out the meat).

[smokenoob]

Dang! hate it when ya just don’t know, better safe than sorry. I can’t add to the decision.

[Michael_in_TX]

I do believe I was overreacting. When I was 'wiping away the sheen' what I was doing was drying the meat. I noticed that if I flicked water back on the meat, the sheen returned, instantly, and with the previous intensity. Microbe slime doesn't do that.

I also remembered something else that has changed since the last time I messed with round roasts -- my dimmer, diffuse fluorescent lights are replaced by halogens, which enhance the shimmering effect. (I did feel a bit strange running around my house putting a slice of eye of round up to different lights. And yes, that piece of meat was discarded.)

I think I'm safe, after getting a little weirded out there. Additionally, the meat is uniform in color, no oxidation (grey) anywhere, and no off-smells.

And my marinade is very salt forward: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup Worcestershire, and 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot, plus a but of prague powder thrown in as a safety buffer.

[GuyG]

I’d think you’d have caught a smell, even briefly, of some spoilage. That’s always been my experience anyway, and I’m not particularly sensitive.

[RonB]

There is a simple sure fire test to see if the meat is safe. Go ahead and prepare it. Then feed a slice to your MIL. If she survives, you're good to go.

[Stuey1515]

Your nose knows, imo

[fzxdoc]

I hate when that happens--when you're about 98% sure that the food is probably safe to eat but there's that nagging 2% of doubt. Sometimes I have to just walk away from it, think of something else, and come back to deal with it one way or the other.

In the end, if that 2% uncertainty is not dissipated, out it goes. I enjoy cooking for my family and don't want concerns about the safety of the food to harsh my buzz.

Kathryn

[Carolyn]

This thread makes me feel better about myself. I have thrown away more meat than I care to think about. Probably from being too cautious.

[Michael_in_TX]

Yep....also, welcome!

[texastweeter]

It would not have been bacteria INSIDE the meat, maybe on the outside, but the inside should be relatively sterile. I see it a lot on deer and hog hams and rumps that I am processing, that I killed myself and I KNOW are fresh and handled properly

[Michael_in_TX]

That is a very good point. As I was slicing the meat and seeing it on the inside of the slices, deep in the roast, it stands to reason it isn't bacteria. Jerky was good, too.