OneHump
is one Smokin' Farker
I recently made the "mistake" of watching Food, Inc. Most of you don't want to watch this documentary about the food industry, but it was very eye opening for me. Because of it, I'm making a transition away from factory raised and processed meats and toward independently raised meat.
I rarely get my butts in cryovac, but they stink when I do. Yesterday, I opened some butts that just about knocked me over. I've done some research about cryostink and it's normal, but also very subjective. The question is, how do you know when it's bad?
Some of you will toss any meat that smells, others will recognize that there will be a smell when you open a cryo. I decided to call Bryan Flannery, an amazing SF Bay Area butcher who knows more about meat than anyone that I've met.
I asked him several questions and here is what I learned.
1. Is meat in cryovac supposed to stink?
It always will to some degree, but should not be overbearing and should dissipate after some exposure. Cryovac meat should be completely sealed, but is sometimes compromised; about 1 out of 15 packs is compromised. The plastic should be completely pressed against the meat with no air penetration. If there is air, the meat could be bad, or on it's way to bad.
The smell is gas from the natural enzymes breaking down the meat. This is very similar to dry aging, but the gasses are trapped in the cryovac and can emit an odor, especially if there is oxygen in the pack.
Bryan says that bringing the meat to 200 will kill the bugs, but bad meat will have an off taste after being cooked. He would not sell meat with an overbearing smell, but that smell is very subjective depending on who you ask.
2. I buy $4/lb butt from Lunardi's, $3.50/lb from Draeger's and $2.20 from Costco. It's all either IBP or Swift. Is there a difference between the IBP that Lunardi's is getting and what Costco is getting?
No, all factory processed meat is exactly the same. IBP isn't going to give Lunardi's a better butt than Costco.
3. Is it possible to buy meat that isn't factory raised?
The issue here isn't about whether it's factory raised, but that it's factory processed. There are some really good ranchers out there doing some really good things with their livestock, but they have no choice in many cases but to send it to IBP. That meat can then no longer be distinguished from other cows.
There are some independent farms that will sell non-factory processed meat, but it's not common anymore.
--
This was a very educational conversation. I'm sure there are categories within IBP, certainly when it comes to grade, and probably for different breeds of pork and cattle, but within those categories, it's all the same. That has me confident that the speciality markets in my area offer a product no better than what a warehouse store offers, but at more than twice the price.
As for stinky meat, it's normal to a certain extent. I have never opened a cryovac of butt and not smelled something bad. To what degree that stink matters remains very subjective.
Just thought I'd share.
Dave
I rarely get my butts in cryovac, but they stink when I do. Yesterday, I opened some butts that just about knocked me over. I've done some research about cryostink and it's normal, but also very subjective. The question is, how do you know when it's bad?
Some of you will toss any meat that smells, others will recognize that there will be a smell when you open a cryo. I decided to call Bryan Flannery, an amazing SF Bay Area butcher who knows more about meat than anyone that I've met.
I asked him several questions and here is what I learned.
1. Is meat in cryovac supposed to stink?
It always will to some degree, but should not be overbearing and should dissipate after some exposure. Cryovac meat should be completely sealed, but is sometimes compromised; about 1 out of 15 packs is compromised. The plastic should be completely pressed against the meat with no air penetration. If there is air, the meat could be bad, or on it's way to bad.
The smell is gas from the natural enzymes breaking down the meat. This is very similar to dry aging, but the gasses are trapped in the cryovac and can emit an odor, especially if there is oxygen in the pack.
Bryan says that bringing the meat to 200 will kill the bugs, but bad meat will have an off taste after being cooked. He would not sell meat with an overbearing smell, but that smell is very subjective depending on who you ask.
2. I buy $4/lb butt from Lunardi's, $3.50/lb from Draeger's and $2.20 from Costco. It's all either IBP or Swift. Is there a difference between the IBP that Lunardi's is getting and what Costco is getting?
No, all factory processed meat is exactly the same. IBP isn't going to give Lunardi's a better butt than Costco.
3. Is it possible to buy meat that isn't factory raised?
The issue here isn't about whether it's factory raised, but that it's factory processed. There are some really good ranchers out there doing some really good things with their livestock, but they have no choice in many cases but to send it to IBP. That meat can then no longer be distinguished from other cows.
There are some independent farms that will sell non-factory processed meat, but it's not common anymore.
--
This was a very educational conversation. I'm sure there are categories within IBP, certainly when it comes to grade, and probably for different breeds of pork and cattle, but within those categories, it's all the same. That has me confident that the speciality markets in my area offer a product no better than what a warehouse store offers, but at more than twice the price.
As for stinky meat, it's normal to a certain extent. I have never opened a cryovac of butt and not smelled something bad. To what degree that stink matters remains very subjective.
Just thought I'd share.
Dave
