Vacuum sealing meat. Off smell when opened?

souroull · Apr 17, 2019

Took the plunge and got me vacuum sealer a couple of months ago. It works wonders with deli meats, sausages, cheeses, however i ran into a problem when vacuum packing meats.

The smell after opening the bag which was in the refrigerator for just 3 days after buying fresh was horrendous. It didn't go away even after the cook phase. Needless to say it was thrown out.

Some say to rinse/pat dry and let it air out right after removing the meat from the bag, however doing that and then having to re-season is a bummer.

Any tips on this? I did notice some liquid in the bag after taking it out, so maybe rinse and pat dry thoroughly before vacuum packing? I'm also dry brining before sealing.

sudsandswine · Apr 17, 2019

Guessing the meat was spoiled or on the verge of spoiling before you put it in the bag. I don't really use vacuum sealing to extend the life of raw/pre cooked meat in the fridge, usually I'll buy meat, portion it out as necessary, and freeze immediately what I don't use.

What kind of meat was it? I never make a point to rinse and dry meat before vacuum sealing it, unless it's so wet it might cause problems getting a good seal on the bag.

16Adams · Apr 17, 2019

10 years ago I vacuum sealed a lot. Now I seldom vac anything. HD Freezer zip locks or double regular work great. In fact guessing a couple years since Ive vacuum sealed anything. . Stored this way chicken is the only thing I kind of need to watch a little closely.

Kind of depends on your situation. Beef, pork etc seem to last just as long.

souroull · Apr 17, 2019

sudsandswine said:
Guessing the meat was spoiled or on the verge of spoiling before you put it in the bag. I don't really use vacuum sealing to extend the life of raw/pre cooked meat in the fridge, usually I'll buy meat, portion it out as necessary, and freeze immediately what I don't use.

What kind of meat was it? I never make a point to rinse and dry meat before vacuum sealing it, unless it's so wet it might cause problems getting a good seal on the bag.

Couldnt have been spoiled, was just bought and was there when the butcher pulled a fresh half pork out the fridge.. I let it sit sealed in the fridge for 2-3 days before freezing to let the dry brine work.

sudsandswine · Apr 17, 2019

What other explanation would there be for a "horrendous" smell? I suppose "horrendous" is subjective but to me, "horrendous" is an intolerable smell and I've only ever had that from spoiled meat. If you're dry brining you are adding a preservative (salt) to the meat. I've dry brined hundreds of pounds of meat and never had a "horrendous" smell from doing so.

16Adams · Apr 17, 2019

What’s exact temp in the part of fridge you’re using? My beer fridge varies dramatically from bottom shelf to mid to top. Like things thaw in three days in middle shelf and 7-10 days on bottom shelf.

One other suggestion. Advise your meat market what you’re about to do, give them the exact temp you’re working with and get their opinion. Take the off smelling protein with you.

Most times in life close enough is good enough. With food poisoning close enough will put people in the hospital

souroull · Apr 17, 2019

horrendous as in meat gone bad, sulfur smell

i dont immediately freeze to give the dry brine time to work, but upon opening the vacsealed pork, the smell was prevalent.

Maybe it wouldnt have smelled like that if i didnt vacseal, so wondering if i'm doing something wrong in that respect.

sudsandswine · Apr 17, 2019

I frequently dry brine in vacuum sealed bags. I think 16Adams is on to something...parts of your fridge are warmer than you think.

I've had *light* sulfur smells when opening meat packaged by the store, most often pork butts, but it goes away and stays away with a rinse. And it wasn't what I'd call "horrendous", just a little funk from the bag. If it was still off even after cooking, guaranteed it was spoiled. Dry brining or vacuum sealing are going to help meat stay fresh longer, so the last variable is temperature. If it didn't smell when it went in the bag and it was "horrendous" when it came out....all signs point to...........

Robert · Apr 17, 2019

souroull said:
horrendous as in meat gone bad, sulfur smell

i dont immediately freeze to give the dry brine time to work, but upon opening the vacsealed pork, the smell was prevalent.

Maybe it wouldnt have smelled like that if i didnt vacseal, so wondering if i'm doing something wrong in that respect.

Pork will sometimes smell like you describe but usually goes away after about 10 minutes or if you rinse it. If the smell does not go away, it is spoiled. Doubt that it was anything you did. I'd lay the blame with the butcher. Just because you purchase from a butcher doesn't always mean that their meat is the freshest. Test this practice again, but meat from a different source.

Robert

ronbrad62 · Apr 17, 2019

If the butcher pulled a vac packed piece of pork out of the cooler, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is fresh. It could have come from a case that has been sitting in his cooler for a while. If the item (beef or pork) is opened from the original vac pack, it should still be ok even if it's past the expiration date, but will start to decline once the seal is broken. Cook, then freeze, or immediately freeze any unused portions to be safe.

BuffettFan · Apr 17, 2019

I'm in the "It was on the verge of spoiled when you bought it" camp.
Unless your fridge is too warm, but then you should see other indications of that issue.
I don't see how the vac pack had anything to do with it.
I would let the butcher know and see if anyone else had the same issue.

sickhick · Apr 19, 2019

You could have had a small hole or tear in your vac bag. Lots of consumer bags are 1mil thickness and can easily be compromised.

dward51 · Apr 19, 2019

And there is no telling how it was handled before your butcher received it. Could have been on a truck with a bad refer unit (no, not a 4:20 joke).

Vacuum sealing meat. Off smell when opened?

souroull

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sudsandswine

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16Adams

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souroull

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somebody shut me the fark up.

souroull

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Robert

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