Is "boiling beef" equal to a brisket?

[Bluesman]

Seinfeld - Frank Costanza has a flashback - YouTube

[Hoss]

FYI,He either hates you,or he is cheap or both.Meat(any kind) can be frozen that long or longer without adverse results,cannot tell it from fresh,IF and I mean IF it was packaged correctly to start with! Not sure how well you know this dude but sounds to me like he is cleaning out the freezer to make room for fresh and your cooking abilities are the scapegoat."I gave him my home raised beef", "not sure guys,but I think he ruined it"! " He claimed to be a great cook,what do ya'll think?" Either way,you LOSE! Pi$$ him off because you do not use his generous gift of meat,or all your co-workers think you do not have a clue!Lose/Lose! OR maybe his meat is fine if packaged correctly,cook a little for a test run,then decide. Never look a Gift horse in the mouth,and never trust the giver,ride the horse before you feed him.(just my thoughts).

[Grizzly6]

Buy a pork butt and some chicken, cook those and tell him this is what was in the package. maybe throw some frog legs on just to mess with him...

Either that or go talk with him about your concerns and see what he says. He trusts you enough to cook for the group, I would assume he would respect you enought to understand your concerns.

[jestridge]

Simple asked him if he aware the meat is four years old. He either say yes or no

[Cayman1]

Originally Posted by jestridge

Simple asked him if he aware the meat is four years old. He either say yes or no

+1.

I'd bet I had meat older than this when I was in the service. Consumed many gray steaks and was happy to get them.

[Eggspert]

Thank you all for the advice and the humor! Many of them made me laugh out loud - especially the Seinfeld video.

When I brought the packages into the kitchen, my wife said "What is that smell? It smells like an old freezer." That settled it right there. No way am I cooking this stuff. I don't want my name tied to the end product.

On another note, I thawed one of them out just to see what it is. It is a brisket flat with almost a "red wine" purple color to it. And smell? Holy smokes does it smell!

I'll talk to the boss and let him know this meat has turned and I cannot cook it to serve to fellow co-workers. A guy has to keep his reputation intact.

[BobBrisket]

So tell us, is the Boss Man a cheapskate?? Seriously though, if your wife picked up on the smell and asked what it was, that is NOT a good sign! You did good!

Bob

[Eggspert]

I don't think he's cheap, but rather, ignorant on what it takes to make good BBQ. Like many of the people in this part of the country, he doesn't have a clue what good BBQ is and probably thinks Applebee's has good ribs.

As for keeping meat in the freezer for 4 years and expecting it to be top quality, I thought common sense would prevail. Clearly, I was wrong.

[chingador]

man, that is a rough spot. 4 year old meat stored in butchers paper is no bueno. My uncle pulls that all the time. Since he raises his own cattle, it is probably safe to say that they are grass fed, which will have a slightly different taste than the corn fed beef people are used to eating, and that is if it is not freezer burned.

What you do depends on your relationship with this supervisor and how candid he allows you to be with him.

If your relationship is good with him, all you have to do is mention "hey do you know that the package of meat you gave me is over 4 years old?". It is possible that he didn't look at the date and thought he was giving you something newer. Hopefully, he will realize his error and will either hook you up with something more suitable or spring for a decent brisket.

If your relationship is not open with the guy, or if he is a tyrant that doesn't allow his subordinates to voice concerns candidly, then just buy another brisket on your own and cook both. You simply cannot let that garbage represent your cooking. But I would still cook the meat he gave you. Just don't do anything that would make you appear that you are trying to show him up. Cut off all visible evidence of freezerburn and apply a good coat of red wine vinegar the night before. That will tame some of the off flavors, but will not fix it completely. I would definitely foil with a good amount of bbq sauce to mask the off flavors.

[landarc]

The color of the meat means little, there are cattle that have naturally darker meat, plus, how they were fed and slaughtered affects that as well. But, you should never be able to smell meat while it is still wrapped.

[landarc]

Although, I once bought a pork butt, and it smelled, which I chalked up to cryo funk. It stopped stinking after a few minutes, so I cooked it. When I pulled the bone, it was horrific. Sooo, I took it back to the butcher. He immediately got me a new butt, plus, added a little something. Then he took a whiff, said it smelled terrific to him. I told him it was not terrific smelling (in my head, I am now wondering about this guys nose). He asks if I mind if he keeps it. Then he pops a chunk into his mouth and proclaims it to be terrific. I was horrified and told him that I am certain it is spoiled. He says he would never argue with me, but, he just thinks it is delicious. Bearing in mind, he replaced the meat, before even smelling the returned item, I figured it was his business. I warned him. The next time I wandered in there, he said he ate the whole pack, his family loved it.