smelly corn beef

[DeusDingo]

So i got some brisket point corned beef from kroger at $1.99/lb. same deal as last year. i bought them around march 2nd and they have been in the fridge until yesterday afternoon (3/27). packages says good until May something. when i opened up the bags they smelled...weird. i don't really know how to describe it but it did not smell like corned beef like it normally has. i thought it might go away so i soaked them in water for about 26 hours, cut off a piece and cooked it to check the salt level and it tasted the same kind of weird that it smelled when i first opened it (just not as strong).

i know there wasn't any bacteria going on in there since nothing could survive in that brine. but i wonder if Kroger might have used some beef that was past it's prime to corn? i've done this a few times before and with kroger brand as well and this smell/flavor is new to me.

i'm thinking of going ahead with the cook just to see what happens. besides the taste i worry if it's safe. any ideas? similar experiences?

[Timbo54]

I'd return to store and get my money back. No sense in getting sick.

[JGo37]

I agree - returning it if you can is the best bet. Pasteurizing properly when cooking keeps you 'safe from death', but do you want to eat something that 'isn't right? No, you don't.

If you can't return it, cook properly and feed the dogs.

[FireMan]

I really don’t like eating anything that tastes or smells weird. I mean that’s just weird in itself. Don’t be weird. 🕶

[Murdy]

When I used to work in a butcher shop, we'd get people calling in asking, "I bought this meat X days ago, is it still good?" Lots of variables in play, of course, so I'd tell them to go by the smell: if it doesn't smell right, don't eat it. I think that's generally good advice. (though I've come to learn that smelling okay may be a necessary condtion, but not sufficient).