meat - please advise

pavlovs_dog · 28 July 2005 at 10:50AM

i bought some beef braising steak from tescos yesterdy to go in my everything-bar-the-kitchen-sink soup/stew today.

whilst the top of the meat is still that nice reddy pink beef colour, the bottom has started turning that horrible brown that meat goes.

it has been stored properly, and is dated until the second of august. FIL says it is fine so long as it is cooked thoroughly, but i dont want to poison everyone - oh is ill as it is :eek:

is it ok to use meat that has gone that funny brown colour, or does it mean it has gone off?

apprentice_tycoon · 28 July 2005 at 10:51AM

Does it smell? if so take it back, if not then wash and cook well.

pavlovs_dog · 28 July 2005 at 10:55AM

umm...well it does smell, but never have cooked with it before im not sure if its supposed to smell like this, or whether it smells like this because it is off

bloody tescos :mad:

apprentice_tycoon · 28 July 2005 at 10:59AM

It doesn't sound too good, it really shouldn't smell of anything much at all so I'd be very wary. The thing is if you are at all suspicious you won't enjoy eating it.

squeaky · 28 July 2005 at 11:01AM

Doesn't sound good. Can you take it back? And ask for compensation for having to travel back there too!

Check out Shopping in the MEGA Index for experiences similar to yours.

pavlovs_dog · 28 July 2005 at 11:04AM

cheers guys, i think you're right

i just dont want to have to drag OH out because he is feeling so rough bless him. i guess i can buy him some pecan pie as a thank you, he loves the stuff!

Jet · 28 July 2005 at 11:11AM

I think you will find the brown colour is to do with the blood draining from one part of the meat to the other and doesn't mean that the meat is "off".

Meat does have a slight smell, but it shouldn't be strong.

I think knowing if something is off or not just comes with experience and it's difficult to comment without actually seeing or smelling it.

idiot_3 · 28 July 2005 at 11:27AM

when meat is vac packed (as the chances are this is) some discolouration will occur due to changing oxygen levels in the meat itself (i.e. its not getting any.) take it out of the packaging for an hour or so before cooking to rest/breathe and it should go back to normal.

of course tesco's may have received a duff batch. if you are not sure take it back, but some discolouration is perfectly normal.

Rave · 28 July 2005 at 12:48PM

I had a steak the other day that had gone a bit brown on one side. It was fine even though I only cooked it to about a medium (on a very hot griddle). As others have said I don't think beef going brown is necessarily a sign that it's gone off. If you're stewing it for a couple of hours then you'll nuke any bacteria that might be present anyway- and I'm sure it won't affect the taste either.

According to this it's just that it has been refrigerated for 5 days or more:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Beef_from_Farm_to_Table/index.asp

Pal · 28 July 2005 at 1:19PM

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

The fact that the beef in the supermarket vac-pacs is red should be more of a cause for concern than the change of colour. It remains red because there is little oxygen in the packaging, in order to prolong the shelf life. But while it is perfectly safe to eat it almost certainly has not been hung properly and will probably not taste that good.

Beef will naturally change colour to brown as oxygen gets to the blood. When proper beef is being prepared it is hung for weeks unwrapped to get it to tenderise before being sold. The supermarkets normally don't bother as it costs them money, but a good butcher or farm shop will hang beef for three weeks (longer if you ask them). You can even eat beef that has been hung somewhere cool for over six weeks, although you might need to cut some mould off the outside first. Although this sounds gross the meat inside will taste excellent!

Unfortunately this only works with very large joints - you can't do it with steaks or small cuts as they just dehydrate.

Take a look at the beef in Sainsbury that has been hung for 14 -21 days (they charge a premium for it). Notice that it is darker than the non-premium meat, despite the vac-packing?

Given that you are also going to cook it for several hours, there is really nothing to worry about.

pavlovs_dog · 28 July 2005 at 1:22PM

its never easy with meat.

mince and steak are the only cuts of beef i've ever cooked with before, and i bought the braising steak for a change. with mince and steak i can tell when they are off, but with this im not so sure.

its just a horrible murky grey-brown colour, and it smells...dont laugh....but uncooked pastry is what it reminds me of!

OH is slowy rising so i'll get him to have a sniff and see what he says as well

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meat - please advise

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