Just opened a purchased today from Costco pack of ribs. Had plenty of them without issue. But as soon as I cut the cryo package, the stench was unbearable. (Insert clever analogy here.) Not going to chance it, so going to pick up some more tonight, but WTH! Any ideas? Any remote possibility these are still safe?
I have 3 outdoor devices (plus a couple indoor items) Starting with the PBC, Faux Kamado Kooker,(Akorn metal Kamado) & Oklahoma Joe offset grill and smoker. I use the FireBoard WiFi Thermometer. IQ110 (heat control device for akorn) recently acquired a Char-Broil Big Easy TRU-INFRARED 3-in-1 Roaster, Smoker and Grill, I also have A Anova & Joule Sous Vide Wands and The Steakager ( a unit for Dry aging big hunks of meat!)
I wouldnt chance it. Fresh meat doesn't have a smell. better to discard it than spend a night lying around the porcelain thrown. (or worse) if you just bought it I would take it back to Costco and get your money back.
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Sorry to hear that, I know firsthand the disappointment. The good news is they should exchange with zero trouble!
I had the same thing happen at Sam's couple years back. Sam's is essentially the exact same thing as Costco in case you aren't familiar. Bought a 3-pack of ribs. The morning of the cook I decided to prep them instead of the night before (mistake). Started the smoker. Opened 'em up --3 days before their sell-by date -- and WHEEEWWY! The noxious smell was instant. Obviously I'm returning them or at least getting new. I called Sam's to ask if I needed to bring the foul meat back or if the wrapper would do, they said the wrapper would do. Don't remember if I had my receipt or not, their packaging should be receipt enough. They gave me a new 3-pack and I either paid the tiny price difference or got a little change back, whichever. The only real trouble was my Sam's is 35min away, plus the time in the store. So I lost a good 90min of cook time, and had to re-start my fire, thus making dinner that much later. I then learned it's best to prep ribs the night before a cook in case that happens again I could get up early to exchange them w/o loss of cook time.
We buy a lot of meat at Costco. We had a gorgeous Prime standing rib roast for Christmas, and bought a full tenderloin for New Year's Day the made a great Beef Wellington. But my wife refuses to buy pork ribs there. We had been getting them at Costco for a while, but one night I opened a Cryovac package to prep them, and my wife started gagging. They were a tad ripe. She refused an exchange and got a refund, and now we buy our pork at a local Mexican chain market that actually has great meats (no Prime beef, though). They do have some unidentifiable stuff, and some weird things like chicken feet, but if we tell the head butcher what we want and what we are doing with it, they come up with some good cuts. That reminds me, I haven't done a pork butt in a while - off to the mercado!
A friend of mine who took up smoking on a pellet cooker a couple of years ago decided to try to tackle the brisket. Our Costco just started carrying them. He had the same experience opening the package that you had with the ribs. He debated taking it back because he wondered if it was just aged meat. He ended up not chancing it and received a refund. Unfortunately, his GF is now completely against his brisket experiment.
I worked in the meat department at a local Oklahoma grocery for several years, as well as going through a lot Cryovac ribs and brisket for personal use. It's pretty often that there will be a slight odor when opening, but it should go away with a rinse. However, there's nothing so disgusting or nauseating as the smell from bad pork or chicken. I got to where I'd put a small hole in the plastic bag so, on the slight chance the contents were bad, the whole place didn't need aerating. I wouldn't blame Costco or Sam's - they all buy from the big meat packers, who simply put the brand name on the bag.
I agree. I suspect the problem was somewhere in the cold chain. It happens, and I suspect I will not be the last to ask for a refund. You're right about the disgusting smell -- even my kids most ripe diapers way back when didn't compare. I like the idea of the small hole -- I'll use that.
Thanks all. As I do not have a gas mask or stomach pump in house (the stench was truly remarkable) I ended up at Safeway last night and picked up three racks. I may look for an alternate brand (other than Swift) at Costco. But it does beg the question: where in the process chain did things go wrong? Huskee I like to salt my protein at least the night before, so I guess this is just another reason to begin prep early.
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If there is a "slight" odor with cryovac ribs, I will rinse them really well, and brine them. Stick them in the fridge for a couple of hours. If no more smell, good to go! But it sounds like your ribs were beyond redemption.
As pointed out, cryovac ribs can have a slight funny smell that blows off quickly. But I recently had a running discussion with a reader on the free site about some cryo meat that smelled funny that they cooked anyway and people got sick. Don't eat them. You could take them back or just the recpt and demand a refund.
Took the receipt back and told them what happened. He nodded and said it was probably the 7th return on ribs he had taken in the last week. BTW, the ribs I did cook were, wait for it, amazing, thanks to you and your website. Thanks!
Help -- 'fresh' ribs reek!
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