Should I cook it or toss it?

outd00rs · Jun 27, 2008

I bought a brisket last week Thursday 6/20 from Costco (Flat approx. 3.5 pounds) and put it in my fridge in the garage. Completely forgot about it until today. Pulled it out and took a look at it. Sell by date on the packaging was 6/23. Should I cut my losses on this and toss it or should I give it a whirl?

Thanks!

pineywoods · Jun 27, 2008

cryo- vacumed or just cellophane? whats it smell like?

seboke · Jun 27, 2008

cryo packed should be OK, but give it the smell test - AFTER you rinse off the smell that comes with cryo-pak

mavrick813 · Jun 27, 2008

I'd give it 5-10 days past the sell by date as long as it looks, feels and smells right.

I mean think about it? What happens if you walk in to a store and buy it on 6/23? Does it mean you have to cook it that day? No, it just means they can't sell it after that day.

Just my 2c.

Mike

outd00rs · Jun 27, 2008

It was cellophane and I did give it a good smell before rinsing it with cold water. It didn't smell fresh and the meat that had been in contact with the plastic wrapping had started to turn more of a grey color. The meat that had not been touching the plastic was still red.

I would say that it smelled like ground beef that's been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days.

I'd hate to toss it out, but I don't much want to spend any time in front of the porcelain god this weekend.

Thanks for your quick responses.

ronp · Jun 27, 2008

It should be fine as long as the seal hasn't been broken. Cryovac meat always smells when you open it. Let it air out and rinse it, it sould be fine.

Good luck!
Ron

pineywoods · Jun 27, 2008

If it still smells good it should be ok if it worries you see if you can slice that grey off and see if its not red right below it
Just cut shallow shouldn't be deep

erain · Jun 27, 2008

i agree with piney, if it does not smell disagreeable, that colored darker areas shudnt make a diff. if for cosmetic reasons you want gone should be able to trim that off.

richoso1 · Jun 27, 2008

What Pineywoods said.

smokebuzz · Jun 27, 2008

Aged beef?
I have had cryo vacced brisket set in the beer fridge for 30+ days.
cellofane wont keep a seal, what they said applys

waysideranch · Jun 27, 2008

What was the cost$$$$$$$$$. You may be sick for ?? days. Stomach feels like sh** . Sorry, I'm not into iffy meat.

rivet · Jun 27, 2008

If it was kept in a fridge at 40 deg F or below for that whole time, it should be fine. If it smells bad (funky, "off", "slightly sweet") then DO NOT use it. If it was cry-o vac;d and kept at that temp you are good to go.

capt dan · Jun 27, 2008

How did it smell after you rinsed it. Thats whats important. Often rinsing meat will make the water contact surface turn a lil grey or off color. I would think that it would be fine if it smells fine.I age my briskets at least 2 weeks from the time I buy them, some folks go a month or more. Some of the worlds finest cuts of steaks are dry aged for 6-8 weeks!

yankeerob · Jun 27, 2008

I know of several serious competitors who "age" their brisket for up to 6 weeks in the cryo before bringing it to competition. It should be fine.

-rob

bbq addict · Jun 27, 2008

I think Piney's on the right track. Air it out a bit and if it smells ok, you're good to go. I wouldn't even cut the grey area off, that's the aged meat itself. If you want, just make one or two small slices into the grey area to make sure it's pink underneath.

By dry aging the meat you stand to loose about 15% of the weight of the meat by the time you use it. That 15% loss is concentrating the flavors and tenderizing the meat. I can't imagine that leaving it in the cry-o should change much. That should make for a pretty tasty brisket!

gyasim · Jun 27, 2008

Color is more of an issue of Oxygen. The more oxygen the meat gets the more it will turn grey. This is why the underside (no O2) was still red.

Or at least i'm pretty sure thats what my science teacher said way back when.

Thats why the smell test is the better way to go!

nitrousinfected · Jun 27, 2008

The lights in commercial meat cases and some fridge's will turn meat a greyish color. Something to do with the uv rays the lights put out.

boston · Jun 27, 2008

your nose will tell you if its bad.

blacklab · Jun 27, 2008

If it's cryovac and kept it's seal I wouldn't worry about it. The sell by date is freshness. Your only a few days out if it were a couple weeks than I'd give it some thought. Season it smoke it and enjoy it

scrapiron · Jun 27, 2008

It should still be good. Some stores will take the cellophane wrapped meat and rewrap them and put a new date on them. The dark color is just the meat aging. If it doesn't smell funky, it should be okay.

Should I cook it or toss it?

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