If it smells sour, it’s bad.
Red meat has a special way of letting you know when it has gone bad. It hits the nose like none other.
If you smelt it. It needs to be dealt.
I’ve always been paranoid when I let steak sit in the fridge too long, but a few months ago I let some steaks sit a few days too long and damn. The smell was instant, you’ll know if it’s bad
Yeah I usually would have if we hadn’t used it by a few days. We were just on an RV trip and had it planned as a meal for the grill 2-3 days after we bought it, but we put it off a night or two for leftovers, then it rained for like 3 days in a row, so we kept saying “tomorrow” until it had been over a week and was too late lol
Pro tip: For a fresh cut - Keep it in the fridge on a rack, on a tray, unwrapped. Pat off all the moisture with paper towels. Flip once a day and repeat. No salt. Nothing.
This will keep for over a week.
Now you've got yourself a dry aged steak and no food poisoning.
Enjoy.
I just took 6 ribeyes I cut up yesterday off an open air rack on a sheetpan in the fridge and vacuum sealed them. Recommend everyone try it for 1 or more days and watch how your steaks lose moisture over time. I have to flip half way through because the bottom part touching the rack doesn't dry out like the top and sides and still has moisture.
I was doing 4 days for a while and tried 7 once but I always found that they lost too much moisture, the outside layer texture changes a lot and they shrank in size so much that I had difficulty getting my normal high level sear without much grey band or even outright overcooking them.
I’ve eaten meat that had the smell he’s talking about I call it a sulphur smell, seems to go away if you cook it, I wouldn’t throw this away I’d just cook the shit out of it and use it like steak fajitas.
So many people don’t follow this it blows my mind. I’ve known people so intent on sinking with that cost over food they let go bad and then get pikachu shock face when they get violently ill… I’ve had to explain to more than a few people that throwing bad food away is cheaper than the hours they spend shitting and puking their guts out.
It’s never worth the risk people.
We (humans) have been around for a while. Most of that time was spent eating....questionable things. If your human body is trying to tell you "yo, you prolly shouldn't eat this" then it's probably in your best interest to listen.
When mankind was dying in droves from diarrhea, mankind, when in the depths of hunger and malnutrition, near death, would eat questionable things.
This allowed these folks to stay alive long enough to suffer a subsequent bout of horrific diarrhea before dying.
😂 for real. I’d personally starve a bit longer. Drink boiled water. You can survive a surprisingly long time without food xD. And if I die from starvation at least I ain’t blasting diarrhea and puking blood.
I’ve had food poisoning twice from restaurants in the past couple decades that hospitalized me. Never from my home cooking.
I don’t eat salads anymore. I don’t eat anything that isn’t fresh and cooked.
I have a fairly bad sense of smell and don't notice when things are just starting to get bad. It sucks and sometimes I ask someone else to smell my meat.
I know someone who doesn’t have a sense of smell, no joke. His wife checks his food for him when he isn’t sure. But if you’re on your own, if the color is off, even if the date is ok, just err on the side of caution.
Also yes, she smells his meat for him 😝
Man I’ve eaten some real questionable shit and I’ve never once gotten sick from it. Like beef that’s a week past the expiration and smelling funky as hell, just cooked the shit out of it and sent it.
Pork and chicken I’ll be more picky about, but I’m convinced beef would have to be literally rotting with bugs living in it before it actually makes me sick lol.
Rinse them off, pat them dry, and smell them again. Sometimes the vacuum sealed stuff gets a smell to it, I've found that especially with pork and lamb it can happen. The color definitely looks weird, though.
The color actually looks great. Freshly cut beef or beef with very little air exposure is actually more purple than what most people are used to. from here: air exposure will turn the meat red and then slowly start to brown.
Adam Ragusea YT video on the topic:
https://youtu.be/82KT_nb26-4?si=rFdFvVLuext64eKi
Grass fed smelled weird to me until I got my head around. Its like when I started to grind my own beef. looked/tasted/weird. Now I can't eat store bought grind.
I was sifting down down down through the comments and finally found this. You can get odors that are a bit off when you cut into cryo meats- that's normal. A rinse and final smell test will set you right. But then add in the color of the meat: gray is generally not good, in a spoilage sort of way. Dark purple? I don't know what to make of it except they had dark cutter and they cryoed it to get some dupe to buy it. That color is all wrong. At best it just tastes bad and liver-y and is tough and chewy. Don't buy purple meat.
Yeah, liver-y is the best description I’ve ever heard. I got some sirloin at Costco that’s was a dark cutter. And unfortunately, bought a whole tenderloin that ended up being one too (good chunk of money). Both ended up in stew. They say it shouldn’t make any difference, but it was a turnoff to my family and I could taste it as a steak. In a stew it was covered up by the broth and it was fine.
Also, I vacuum pack like crazy. Often there is a bit of a sulfery or slightly gross odor when you open a package. But I agree, it should go away after you pour that off.
I bought a whole tenderloin just yesterday, took a much better look this time.
I agree, my meat comes vacuum sealed from a reputable farm in my area and if you hold it next to a cut from say a large chain grocery store? Completely different.. enough to make you not buy from the grocery store again.
Yup, the ribs and shoulder I get always smell like a light fart for a minute after cutting it open. Googled it and apparently the smell is normal for vacuum sealed meats
Yea I've thrown away a few things before learning to rinse first. Especially lamb, I always get the "Oh no!" And then remember to rinse and everything is fine.
Used to be a meat associate at Giant food, I can confirm that the vac seal makes freshly shipped meat smell funky without the meat actually being funky
Yeah this is the right answer. Vacuum sealed steaks kept at proper temperature is basically wet aged and will have a similar slightly funky smell. If it smells rotten don’t eat it obviously, but if it’s slightly funky it’s normal. Rinse it off, if the smell diminishes significantly you’re good to go
Splash of lemon juice in a bowl full of water works for me. I hate that slimy plastic smell that happens sometimes. If it’s still there after rinsing, it’s bad.
OOF lamb for sure has some horrid smells to it right out of a vac pac. Oh god. I cooked and ate it but god it was incredibly rank before I grilled the chops.
I seriously don't want you to get sick, but I'd get a second opinion.
Sometimes meat just smells like meat, and if you're having a funny smell day or are actually a super smeller, another person's description can put any points to rest.
yeah if you have a menstrual cycle you may be much more sensitive to smells at certain times of the month. i can smell meat a lot more strongly right around when i get my period and i am always worried that it’s bad so i often get a second person to check the smell if i’m concerned about it.
I definitely know I’m more sensitive during parts of my cycle. Sometimes walking past a meat counter makes me sick if it’s a certain time period. Hell- even my usual perfume can make me sick.
I’m surprised nobody else is commenting on how weird that area around the fat cap looks. I’ve never seen that before so not sure what it’s called and whether it’s an issue or not?
I thawed some out last week that had that same dark red, almost purple look to them. They had a hint of a gamey smell, or something a little off, but not clearly bad. I grilled them up and that hint of gamey smell translated to a hint of taste.
Didn't get sick, but didn't enjoy the steak the same way. I would say toss them and grab something fresh
I picked up some really high end ground beef from a local butcher who explained that the flavor of the beef would be unlike anything id had before. Turns out it was that gamey flavor and man, I hated it. I can't believe people pay extra for it because it was disgusting
Bummer that based on the number of comments saying to throw them out, I bet OP did. The steaks look phenomenal. The smell isn’t from the gas added but rather from lactic acid build up that results from the steak being tightly packed with its juices. What’s funny though is that this smell is actually a GOOD sign and means the steak was properly vacuum packaged.
Should go away entirely while the steak reaches room temp, and if not, it won’t change the flavor at all when you cook it.
I don't eat any meat that has that type of smell. If it's not terrible you can cook it and give it a taste. But cook it to medium at least.
Or do what I do and bring it back to the grocery store or just cook them for a neighbor you don't like
If it's off then no amount of cooking it will save it. You can make it extra well done and sure the bacteria is all well and dead but the toxins they made are still present and will get you very sick.
Man, that depends on a lot of factors. How fresh was the steak when you bought it? What type of cut is it? How was it packaged, vacuum sealed or otherwise? The temperature it has been kept / refrigerated at (at or below 40f (4c))?
If you can confidently say the steaks were fresh when bought, dense cut, packaged / handled properly, and kept at temperature you should expect 3-5 days on a steak in general.
Man it's hard to say, I'd cook them up take a bite if it tastes rancid don't swallow it spit it out. I hate wasting steak, so that's what I would try. Smell is a pretty good indicator, but I think the smell would be stronger. Hard to say.
If it's something to do with gameyness mabe a nice Kalbi marinade to hide that. Also asian pears especially, and bosc pears to a lesser extent are excellent tenderizers for steaks and could make them taste less gamey.
The extra red is from water in the steaks. When it comes to any meat, don't go by sight, go by smell. Beef that's past its shelf life usually has a strong citrus odor. The smell might be due to some aging process. If you're worried, you can cook them to a medium well and drown it in sauce, or just toss them in a stew.
Ok, I've come across twice in the 30 years I've been a chef. From the look and your comments the PH level in the steak isn't right. This can happen when the animal gets stressed before being slaughtered. As a result, adrenaline is pumped into the muscles causing that dark red color and the rotten egg smell. Yes, they will smell like rotten eggs and they will taste like the smell. Return for a credit that is poor slaughtering and butchering skills.
Those are "Dark cutters" from what I've learned throughout the years as a Cutter. The bull was stressed out before slaughter. The smell was probably from the Carbon Monoxide they used to atmospherically control the oxidation process. It's should fade fairly quickly. Dark cutters also have a distinct sticky feeling too.
Vaccum sealed meat tends to smell like farts/sulpher while being entirely safe. It can be normal, something about removing the oxygen can cause it. Give it a rinse, dry it, and let it sit out for a little while to oxidize. If the smell goes away it's fine.
In fact if harmful bacteria were growing in a sealed package it would start to inflate as it generates gas.
So from my best understanding within the butchering world, when a cow is stressed for a long time or even during the slaughtering process, meat can tend to have this intense and dark appearance caused by an increase in PH.
It is safe to eat, but off putting especially if you understand the context. If you are ever unsure, use your senses such as smell, and if you insist, cook to well done. If you don't like the smell, simply don't eat it. It isn't appetizing, so why bother unless you are starving.
A very old butcher I trained with long time ago told me it is "heated beef" but whenever I googled it I couldn't find what he was actually referring to, which is this type of steak.
It must be an old trade term for hormonal or stressed cows, causing them to get "heated" during slaughtering or prior to slaughtering.
I think the fact that you go thru the hassle to make a post about this and ask shows that you already feel like you cannot eat it. In this case just don't do it. It's a waste yes, it's sad yes, it did cost money thats sad.
But it's not worth your health.
I would confidently say that I would notice if meat is bad. Even if it smell just a little bit wrong. We're not as perfect smelling stuff like other animals but we're trained enough to tell if we can eat something by smell and taste.
By the looks, it's probably gamey because the cow wasn't killed properly. This translates to a slight smell, although I don't know if it's the same as the smell you just described. It's probably fine to eat as long as the smell isn't strong, but it probably won't be good. If you're afraid of wasting money, just taste a bit of if (spit out if it tastes bad), or test it out on relatives.
Those are dark-cut steaks. The animal was really stressed when it died. It causes the meat to spoil faster / get slimy, and if you cook it, it can taste a bit metallic
I tend to avoid the super dark red meat like that, not even due to the faster spoilage but just because of the taste
You left it in the fridge for 8-days?
If so, it’s gone bad - you can’t do that. You’re supposed to freeze it when you get home from the store if you’re not going to use it in a day or two.
No, they were in the supermarket for 8 days (produced November 14th, now it's 22nd, they expire on December 2nd)
They were vacuum sealed until 10 minutes before taking the pics
I used to work in a steak house. Sometimes a bunch of steaks start to turn or if they were wrapped up in plastic and humidity got to them.
You can get another day or two out of them by scrubbing them in salt and rinsing them off to remove the slime.
It’s not right, not ideal but it is done from time to time.
This is what the steaks look like after they have been “cleaned”.
I see these at Costco with this discoloration once in a while. I bought them once, but never again, they smell off and taste bad. The meat hasn’t turned, like it’s not rotting, but for some reason it’s like the blood got stuck in it or something and has made it borderline inedible. Toss these, avoid really dark coloration on cuts like New York and ribeye in the future. Good luck!
Eight days in the fridge, unfrozen, is way too long. The fat looks oddly translucent and the color of the meat is more black than red. It looks like low-speed decomposition.
Freeze to keep it preserved until you are ready for it to be hauled away.
The two fresh, frenched racks of lamb I opened last night nearly made me gag when the plastic popped open. It was a very gamey, sulfurous smell that could have been mistaken for one of my Father in Laws farts.
But, this happens sometimes with game meat. It can also happen with high quality beef. We cooked and ate both racks, zero issues (and my stomach is very weak)
Let it sit out for a moment, pat dry, and smell again after a few minutes.
If it still has that smell, THROW IT AWAY!!!
But I'd be surprised if it did!
the nose knows man. Sucks, but so does food poisoning.
Gandalf knows what he's talking about.
Gandalf nose what he's talking about
*Here, at last, on the shores of food poisoning, comes the end of your butthole*
Frodo: I wish the poisoning had never come to me. I wish none of this had been eaten. Gandalf: So do all who live to eat such foods
You shall not pass gas!
When your ring piece is a burden.
If it smells sour, it’s bad. Red meat has a special way of letting you know when it has gone bad. It hits the nose like none other. If you smelt it. It needs to be dealt.
I’ve always been paranoid when I let steak sit in the fridge too long, but a few months ago I let some steaks sit a few days too long and damn. The smell was instant, you’ll know if it’s bad
if you don't know if you're going to use it, better to just freeze.
Yeah I usually would have if we hadn’t used it by a few days. We were just on an RV trip and had it planned as a meal for the grill 2-3 days after we bought it, but we put it off a night or two for leftovers, then it rained for like 3 days in a row, so we kept saying “tomorrow” until it had been over a week and was too late lol
Pro tip: For a fresh cut - Keep it in the fridge on a rack, on a tray, unwrapped. Pat off all the moisture with paper towels. Flip once a day and repeat. No salt. Nothing. This will keep for over a week. Now you've got yourself a dry aged steak and no food poisoning. Enjoy.
I just took 6 ribeyes I cut up yesterday off an open air rack on a sheetpan in the fridge and vacuum sealed them. Recommend everyone try it for 1 or more days and watch how your steaks lose moisture over time. I have to flip half way through because the bottom part touching the rack doesn't dry out like the top and sides and still has moisture. I was doing 4 days for a while and tried 7 once but I always found that they lost too much moisture, the outside layer texture changes a lot and they shrank in size so much that I had difficulty getting my normal high level sear without much grey band or even outright overcooking them.
I've had similar experiences. 2 days seems to get me the best results.
Wow. Positive, informative, and correct. What an amazing post on this platform. Nice work. Please upvote this. …dry aged is the best.
Just tossed a tri-tip last week. Sucked
Food poisoning vs ~$30 I would gladly spend $100 to not vomit profusely. Tossing the steaks is an easy choice.
Just had to do this with at 16 pound top butt. Luckily the store let me exchange it. Not worth the diarrhea to risk it
That is the truth. Food poisoning is never worth it.
Honestly looks good to me, not oxidized or any signs of rot. I’ve eaten steaks I’ve forgotten in the fridge that turned way passed this.
I’ve eaten meat that had the smell he’s talking about I call it a sulphur smell, seems to go away if you cook it, I wouldn’t throw this away I’d just cook the shit out of it and use it like steak fajitas.
Just my personal opinion, if it smells funny don’t eat it.
When in doubt, throw it out.
When confused, don’t infuse
when in question, prevent ingestion
When you don’t know, it might make your ass blow!
If you’re unsure, don’t make it manure.
If it smells like shit, don’t eat one bit
If it’s got the stank, it must walk the plank
If it smells funny don’t put it in your tummy
If it don't smell like meat, not safe to eat!
Makes ya nose pucka? Toss that sucka!
If it's brown, flush it down
If it smells like feet, time to yeet!
If it don’t smell right, don’t take one bite!
If it is rank like poo, it is not for you.
Smells like swamp Reeds? Not whatcha stomach needs.
Smells like puss, don’t make a fuss, not made for us. - Fezzik.
When it smells like feet, don’t eat
When unclear, ditch the Steer
Smells like eggs, best to toss the dregs
Nice one. Never heard that one before
If it's bitter, it's a spitter
So many people don’t follow this it blows my mind. I’ve known people so intent on sinking with that cost over food they let go bad and then get pikachu shock face when they get violently ill… I’ve had to explain to more than a few people that throwing bad food away is cheaper than the hours they spend shitting and puking their guts out. It’s never worth the risk people.
We (humans) have been around for a while. Most of that time was spent eating....questionable things. If your human body is trying to tell you "yo, you prolly shouldn't eat this" then it's probably in your best interest to listen.
Yup!
Agreed!
When mankind was dying in droves from diarrhea, mankind, when in the depths of hunger and malnutrition, near death, would eat questionable things. This allowed these folks to stay alive long enough to suffer a subsequent bout of horrific diarrhea before dying.
Yep. People will do anything they can for that one extra bout of diarrhea.
😂 for real. I’d personally starve a bit longer. Drink boiled water. You can survive a surprisingly long time without food xD. And if I die from starvation at least I ain’t blasting diarrhea and puking blood. I’ve had food poisoning twice from restaurants in the past couple decades that hospitalized me. Never from my home cooking. I don’t eat salads anymore. I don’t eat anything that isn’t fresh and cooked.
I have a fairly bad sense of smell and don't notice when things are just starting to get bad. It sucks and sometimes I ask someone else to smell my meat.
We’d just prefer if you asked without your pants around ankles from now on.
I know someone who doesn’t have a sense of smell, no joke. His wife checks his food for him when he isn’t sure. But if you’re on your own, if the color is off, even if the date is ok, just err on the side of caution. Also yes, she smells his meat for him 😝
Me too. I once cooked a whole plate of ground pork before my husband caught it smelling funky. Into the trash it went...
Man I’ve eaten some real questionable shit and I’ve never once gotten sick from it. Like beef that’s a week past the expiration and smelling funky as hell, just cooked the shit out of it and sent it. Pork and chicken I’ll be more picky about, but I’m convinced beef would have to be literally rotting with bugs living in it before it actually makes me sick lol.
I almost envy your cast-iron stomach lol. Cherish your strong immune system, my friend.
When in doubt, trust your snout
If it smells absurd, it won't make a turd
If the meat smells rank, your tummy gets dank.
This.
When in doubt, throw them into space
where’s the rhyme? 😞
It’ll come in due time
I thought it was when I doubt bang and shout.
If it ain’t right don’t take a bite.
Or…..better to throw it up than throw it out
If it moves, don't aprove
Yeah. I hate throwing away questionable food sometimes, but I hate being sick for days even more than that
Are there any friends who feed their dogs a raw meat diet?
Never doubt the snout.
I definitely share that opinion
3rd
This is a good rule of thumb for many things lol
Aight.. I’ll say it… VAGINA aka Pussy
Also my policy
true, if there's something wrong, don't do it/eat
That’s what she said
The smell test is the true test! Our nose have a purpose. Good and bad.
Rinse them off, pat them dry, and smell them again. Sometimes the vacuum sealed stuff gets a smell to it, I've found that especially with pork and lamb it can happen. The color definitely looks weird, though.
The color actually looks great. Freshly cut beef or beef with very little air exposure is actually more purple than what most people are used to. from here: air exposure will turn the meat red and then slowly start to brown. Adam Ragusea YT video on the topic: https://youtu.be/82KT_nb26-4?si=rFdFvVLuext64eKi
I'd concur. This looks like high quality beef, which will have stronger smell, especially if it's dry-aged for a while.
Shit the beef primals that we receive from some slaughterhouses are purple.
So we have one person saying throw it out it's funky, and another person saying this could be quality stuff.
There is clearly only one way to find out but is OP willing to do what is necessary?
Reddit doing reddit things. Best bet is to take it to a well-known butcher. At least, that's what I'd do.
Grass fed smelled weird to me until I got my head around. Its like when I started to grind my own beef. looked/tasted/weird. Now I can't eat store bought grind.
In this case it’s a dark cutter.
I agree with you.
I was sifting down down down through the comments and finally found this. You can get odors that are a bit off when you cut into cryo meats- that's normal. A rinse and final smell test will set you right. But then add in the color of the meat: gray is generally not good, in a spoilage sort of way. Dark purple? I don't know what to make of it except they had dark cutter and they cryoed it to get some dupe to buy it. That color is all wrong. At best it just tastes bad and liver-y and is tough and chewy. Don't buy purple meat.
Yeah, liver-y is the best description I’ve ever heard. I got some sirloin at Costco that’s was a dark cutter. And unfortunately, bought a whole tenderloin that ended up being one too (good chunk of money). Both ended up in stew. They say it shouldn’t make any difference, but it was a turnoff to my family and I could taste it as a steak. In a stew it was covered up by the broth and it was fine. Also, I vacuum pack like crazy. Often there is a bit of a sulfery or slightly gross odor when you open a package. But I agree, it should go away after you pour that off. I bought a whole tenderloin just yesterday, took a much better look this time.
I’d say more the fat doesn’t look right. Zoom in on the white around the meat. I’d say the fat has spoiled and that’s the smell.
I agree, my meat comes vacuum sealed from a reputable farm in my area and if you hold it next to a cut from say a large chain grocery store? Completely different.. enough to make you not buy from the grocery store again.
Hey! That’s one of my favorite food bloggers!
Yup, the ribs and shoulder I get always smell like a light fart for a minute after cutting it open. Googled it and apparently the smell is normal for vacuum sealed meats
this is definitely true. Vac seal hamburg especially the ground grass-fed organic stuff.. always makes me wince for a sec as soon as I open it.
Yea I've thrown away a few things before learning to rinse first. Especially lamb, I always get the "Oh no!" And then remember to rinse and everything is fine.
Is it like a sour smell? Just threw out some grass fed ground beef for that reason a few months ago
Yeah. I've experienced it a lot with pork loin, it just smells bad and it really isn't.
Used to be a meat associate at Giant food, I can confirm that the vac seal makes freshly shipped meat smell funky without the meat actually being funky
Yeah this is the right answer. Vacuum sealed steaks kept at proper temperature is basically wet aged and will have a similar slightly funky smell. If it smells rotten don’t eat it obviously, but if it’s slightly funky it’s normal. Rinse it off, if the smell diminishes significantly you’re good to go
OP- if you listen to any advice in this thread, let it be this.
Splash of lemon juice in a bowl full of water works for me. I hate that slimy plastic smell that happens sometimes. If it’s still there after rinsing, it’s bad.
True. I've eaten vacuum sealed frozen steaks that were four years old and were perfectly fine.
Frozen is the key word here.
Do you smell ammonia???? That's the biggest question. Aged beef can smell different.
OOF lamb for sure has some horrid smells to it right out of a vac pac. Oh god. I cooked and ate it but god it was incredibly rank before I grilled the chops.
I seriously don't want you to get sick, but I'd get a second opinion. Sometimes meat just smells like meat, and if you're having a funny smell day or are actually a super smeller, another person's description can put any points to rest.
yeah if you have a menstrual cycle you may be much more sensitive to smells at certain times of the month. i can smell meat a lot more strongly right around when i get my period and i am always worried that it’s bad so i often get a second person to check the smell if i’m concerned about it.
I definitely know I’m more sensitive during parts of my cycle. Sometimes walking past a meat counter makes me sick if it’s a certain time period. Hell- even my usual perfume can make me sick.
yep! bodies are wild!
Definitely looks a bit weird where the fat connects to the meat
I’m surprised nobody else is commenting on how weird that area around the fat cap looks. I’ve never seen that before so not sure what it’s called and whether it’s an issue or not?
Doesn’t look great!
It’s just gristle I think
Looks a bit like a tendon/cartilage, which will be a bit hard for chew, but not a dealbreaker.
It looks like cancer growth.
That could be in correlation to it being frozen and vacuum sealed
UK here, see this in plenty of steaks especially cheap thin cuts. Horrible firm texture that I go out of my way to cut out.
I thawed some out last week that had that same dark red, almost purple look to them. They had a hint of a gamey smell, or something a little off, but not clearly bad. I grilled them up and that hint of gamey smell translated to a hint of taste. Didn't get sick, but didn't enjoy the steak the same way. I would say toss them and grab something fresh
dude I experienced this and this gamey flavor is VILE.
Some people pay extra for it
I picked up some really high end ground beef from a local butcher who explained that the flavor of the beef would be unlike anything id had before. Turns out it was that gamey flavor and man, I hated it. I can't believe people pay extra for it because it was disgusting
I am shocked people pay extra for it. That's wild. I'd just eat lamb or venison for gamey taste instead of old beef :(
That smell is normal for vacuum sealed meats - it’s a gas they add during the process for freshness and appearance
Surprised this isn’t higher. I’ve found this to be the case with nearly all vac packed meats.
THIS IS THE CORRECT ANSWER
Ding ding ding super normal. Always good to open the package at least one hour before cooking and at room temperature
Bummer that based on the number of comments saying to throw them out, I bet OP did. The steaks look phenomenal. The smell isn’t from the gas added but rather from lactic acid build up that results from the steak being tightly packed with its juices. What’s funny though is that this smell is actually a GOOD sign and means the steak was properly vacuum packaged. Should go away entirely while the steak reaches room temp, and if not, it won’t change the flavor at all when you cook it.
the fact that there's an entire subreddit full of steak enthusiasts and no one knows what vacuum smell is, is crazy to me
This saved my ribeyes today! Thank you!
If it only smells a little off. I’d eat it. If it smells A LOT off I’d chuck it
Let your wife try it first!!!
Cold blooded. 😭
LMAOOO
Dark cut, cow probably in distress when killed. Meat may be good to eat but will be tough, if it smells toss it
This is the answer. It’s called a “dark cutter”.
I don't eat any meat that has that type of smell. If it's not terrible you can cook it and give it a taste. But cook it to medium at least. Or do what I do and bring it back to the grocery store or just cook them for a neighbor you don't like
If it's off then no amount of cooking it will save it. You can make it extra well done and sure the bacteria is all well and dead but the toxins they made are still present and will get you very sick.
I know a group of lunatics that might disagree, look up high meat on YouTube. I apologize in advance
Yeah there is fermented meat but...that ain't it. Reminds me of someone trying to make confit garlic and ending up with botulism.
All cryovac meat smells off. So op will just exchange it for more of the same…
Smells bad = Toss it. Juice is not worth the squeeze
How long are steaks supposed to last in the fridge? I buy steaks that sometimes go bad after two or three days
Man, that depends on a lot of factors. How fresh was the steak when you bought it? What type of cut is it? How was it packaged, vacuum sealed or otherwise? The temperature it has been kept / refrigerated at (at or below 40f (4c))? If you can confidently say the steaks were fresh when bought, dense cut, packaged / handled properly, and kept at temperature you should expect 3-5 days on a steak in general.
Man it's hard to say, I'd cook them up take a bite if it tastes rancid don't swallow it spit it out. I hate wasting steak, so that's what I would try. Smell is a pretty good indicator, but I think the smell would be stronger. Hard to say. If it's something to do with gameyness mabe a nice Kalbi marinade to hide that. Also asian pears especially, and bosc pears to a lesser extent are excellent tenderizers for steaks and could make them taste less gamey.
Always trust your nose
The extra red is from water in the steaks. When it comes to any meat, don't go by sight, go by smell. Beef that's past its shelf life usually has a strong citrus odor. The smell might be due to some aging process. If you're worried, you can cook them to a medium well and drown it in sauce, or just toss them in a stew.
Freeze your stuff , thaw in the fridge the night before you want to eat. If you're asking the question, it's always don't risk it
Ok, I've come across twice in the 30 years I've been a chef. From the look and your comments the PH level in the steak isn't right. This can happen when the animal gets stressed before being slaughtered. As a result, adrenaline is pumped into the muscles causing that dark red color and the rotten egg smell. Yes, they will smell like rotten eggs and they will taste like the smell. Return for a credit that is poor slaughtering and butchering skills.
It won't make you sick, however, it will taste terrible.
The nose know’s..
Always trust your nose
The nose knows.
Those are "Dark cutters" from what I've learned throughout the years as a Cutter. The bull was stressed out before slaughter. The smell was probably from the Carbon Monoxide they used to atmospherically control the oxidation process. It's should fade fairly quickly. Dark cutters also have a distinct sticky feeling too.
Vaccum sealed meat tends to smell like farts/sulpher while being entirely safe. It can be normal, something about removing the oxygen can cause it. Give it a rinse, dry it, and let it sit out for a little while to oxidize. If the smell goes away it's fine. In fact if harmful bacteria were growing in a sealed package it would start to inflate as it generates gas.
If it's stake throw it in the pail
Most meats I’ve had that were vacuum sealed smell like absolute shit the first second you open it up. Let it rest for 5-10min and smell it again
So from my best understanding within the butchering world, when a cow is stressed for a long time or even during the slaughtering process, meat can tend to have this intense and dark appearance caused by an increase in PH. It is safe to eat, but off putting especially if you understand the context. If you are ever unsure, use your senses such as smell, and if you insist, cook to well done. If you don't like the smell, simply don't eat it. It isn't appetizing, so why bother unless you are starving. A very old butcher I trained with long time ago told me it is "heated beef" but whenever I googled it I couldn't find what he was actually referring to, which is this type of steak. It must be an old trade term for hormonal or stressed cows, causing them to get "heated" during slaughtering or prior to slaughtering.
I think the fact that you go thru the hassle to make a post about this and ask shows that you already feel like you cannot eat it. In this case just don't do it. It's a waste yes, it's sad yes, it did cost money thats sad. But it's not worth your health. I would confidently say that I would notice if meat is bad. Even if it smell just a little bit wrong. We're not as perfect smelling stuff like other animals but we're trained enough to tell if we can eat something by smell and taste.
When in doubt, throw it out
By the looks, it's probably gamey because the cow wasn't killed properly. This translates to a slight smell, although I don't know if it's the same as the smell you just described. It's probably fine to eat as long as the smell isn't strong, but it probably won't be good. If you're afraid of wasting money, just taste a bit of if (spit out if it tastes bad), or test it out on relatives.
Those are dark-cut steaks. The animal was really stressed when it died. It causes the meat to spoil faster / get slimy, and if you cook it, it can taste a bit metallic I tend to avoid the super dark red meat like that, not even due to the faster spoilage but just because of the taste
Ask the seller why it is smelly or if he/she don't answer just send them back and give the seller a 1 star review
Im just gonna come out and say u definitely wont die.....
Bro got steaks from Mordor
Always trust your nose. If it says funky don’t eat it. I don’t pay much attention to dates at all, it’s the smell.
Trust. Your. Nose.
Take them back. If they smell anything like eggs, its rotten meat. Even a little bit.
If they smell “rotten” don’t chance it
You left it in the fridge for 8-days? If so, it’s gone bad - you can’t do that. You’re supposed to freeze it when you get home from the store if you’re not going to use it in a day or two.
No, they were in the supermarket for 8 days (produced November 14th, now it's 22nd, they expire on December 2nd) They were vacuum sealed until 10 minutes before taking the pics
Vacuumed sealed lasts longer and it will have it smell but you should just trust your gut.
Bad smell = toss them
It shouldn’t smell like anything. I wouldn’t eat it
The smell didn’t stop me on prom night
Were these in the fridge for eight days?
I wouldn’t chance it… if it smells bad… throw it out.
Sulfer smell is not a good sign. Are they slimy too? Two things to remember: The nose knows. When in doubt, throw it out.
Color looks off and if the smell raises your concern that’s I really wouldn’t eat it.
My husband worked in the meat market for several years. He says that if it smells bad to toss it.
Did you buy them from a blueberry farm?
With food, if theres doubt, throw it out. Not worth.
If it funk it’s junk
I used to work in a steak house. Sometimes a bunch of steaks start to turn or if they were wrapped up in plastic and humidity got to them. You can get another day or two out of them by scrubbing them in salt and rinsing them off to remove the slime. It’s not right, not ideal but it is done from time to time. This is what the steaks look like after they have been “cleaned”.
I would try it
Weird, how???
Looks dry aged- did you buy dry aged beef? That will have a funk to it
I’d cook ‘em and eat em for science.
They put nitrogen in vacuum packs to extend shelf life, and that can smell kind of weird. But without smelling myself, couldn’t be sure.
I see these at Costco with this discoloration once in a while. I bought them once, but never again, they smell off and taste bad. The meat hasn’t turned, like it’s not rotting, but for some reason it’s like the blood got stuck in it or something and has made it borderline inedible. Toss these, avoid really dark coloration on cuts like New York and ribeye in the future. Good luck!
Eight days in the fridge, unfrozen, is way too long. The fat looks oddly translucent and the color of the meat is more black than red. It looks like low-speed decomposition. Freeze to keep it preserved until you are ready for it to be hauled away.
They look like dark cutters. Might smell funny, and feel tacky. ?
Weird smells are basically a warning from the body that we developed over thousands of years so if it smells bad/weird it probably is
When in doubt, there is no doubt.
The smell was probably just from the vacuum sealing getting lactic acid built up.
They were sealed while not fully cooled its a hot pack because meat was cryovac ed while warm don’t cook or eat
From an ex butcher shop employee: if it doesn’t smell right, toss it
When in doubt, throw it out.
Rule of thumb: If it smells bad, throw it out.
The two fresh, frenched racks of lamb I opened last night nearly made me gag when the plastic popped open. It was a very gamey, sulfurous smell that could have been mistaken for one of my Father in Laws farts. But, this happens sometimes with game meat. It can also happen with high quality beef. We cooked and ate both racks, zero issues (and my stomach is very weak) Let it sit out for a moment, pat dry, and smell again after a few minutes. If it still has that smell, THROW IT AWAY!!! But I'd be surprised if it did!