Discoloured meat

rosy

I could have had an organic leg of lamb today in Tesco reduced from around£8 to 50p ( sell by date was today, eat by tomorrow), but I didn't take it because some bits of it looked browny/grey rather than all pink like the fresher joints ( it was in a sealed plastic pack, not loose from the butcher's counter). I've seen other reduced meat looking similar. For future reference, does the discoloration mean it's not great or would it have been OK to buy and freeze for later? Thanks.

Gingernutmeg

The discolouration is generally from the meat being oxidised - where the tissues have discoloured because they've been exposed to air. It's not dangerous, just a little unsightly. This tends to happen to meat as it gets less fresh, but as long as the meat was in date it would be fine to eat it.

comping_cat

Im sure i heard on the telly, that the brown on the meat just shows that its an older cut, and with red meats like beef and lamb, its better to have the older meat as its more tender and tastier!! ??

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there Rosy

Next time...GRAB IT:D ....

a lot of the discolouration is caused by the lighting they use in the counters..i used to work on a deli an it used to be a pain... A lot of people like meat to look nice and bright, but the meat that is hung for 21 days min is usually darker and tastier.....so fill that trolley :T :T

Gingernutmeg

catowen wrote: »

Im sure i heard on the telly, that the brown on the meat just shows that its an older cut, and with red meats like beef and lamb, its better to have the older meat as its more tender and tastier!! ??

Yes, well-hung meat (that sounds rude but it isn't lol) is generally much darker, and will have a better flavour and be more tender when cooked. It's uniformly darker though, normally a much deeper red, not patchy brown. Really bright red meat generally hasn't been hung much at all, I personally tend to avoid it as it tends to be much tougher when cooked, and doesn't have as much flavour.

Discoloured patches on meat, as in patches that look greeny/grey/brown is oxidisation though. It happens to all cuts of meat, regardless of how long it's been hung. It often happens when meat has been cut up and left out to the air for any length of time.

rosy

Thanks everybody! I 'm kicking myself that I didn't buy it now but never mind, I know what to do next time!

DawnW

Lamb is especially susceptible to this discoloration, it happens quite quickly after the meat is cut up, quicker for some reason than other meats. It is still fresh and perfectly good to eat, but looks less attractive. Reductions like this are a bargain!

kdean

My mum dated a butcher before she met my dad (a few years ago now) and he always said the darker meat was best and if he was taking meat home it was always dark meat.