Puffed up cryovac brisket

minniemoh

I had a 12 lb prime brisket wet aging in the fridge for the past four weeks. I was planning to smoke it today and I went to the fridge and the cryovac was all puffed up. There were no holes in it as I pressed down on the "pillow" and no air leaked out.  I crossed my fingers and slit the packaging. It smell very sour to say the least. There is no discoloration but an hour after opening it, it still smells pretty bad. When I opened the package, there was a cow hair trapped in there - maybe that's the cause. Guess this one's going in the trash. Too bad because it's a beautiful piece of meat.

SGH

Hey look you are going to get all kind of opinions on this but here is mine. Soak it for 5 minutes in cold water then smell it. The meat is good if the smell clears. The hair is odoriferous. Cook it my friend.

SGH

Or send it to me and I will cook it.

SGH

And I will eat it.

SGH

Just saying.

SGH

Do you need my shipping address?

Dillonjm

Someone feed that man!

minniemoh

@SGH - I still have it on a tray in the fridge. I'm just having a hard time tossing a $53 piece of meat. I may give that a try.

SGH

Soaking it for 5 will not hurt anything if you use cold clear water. Be sure to remove any hair and danglers and I bet the smell clears.

Terrebandit

The foul gas inside the cryovac package is the result of the bacterial decomposition of the meat. Enjoy.

Tjcoley

I'd be eating out or picking up a pizza dough from the local pizzeria and making pizza for dinner. The brisket would be in the trash. Same as if I found a can of food that was swollen.

SGH

@minniemoh‌
What's the verdict? Did the smell clear?

Tjcoley

The smell for me is not the issue. I agree if opening a cryovac and it smells bad, rinse it and if the smell goes away, it's going on the Egg. A bad smell and a "puffed" up package - no way. To each his own, but my deductible for an ER visit is more than $53.

Tjcoley

Do a search for 'blown package meat' and 'clostridium'.

minniemoh

No change in the smell after the soak. Just not worth the risk. I'm sure I would buy WAY more than $53 worth of toilet paper after my family ate this one. 

SGH

@minniemoh‌
If the soak didn't remove the smell then trash it. Sorry for the bad luck my friend.

cazzy

Tjcoley said:

Do a search for 'blown package meat' and 'clostridium'.

Yeah...that's pretty great info.  Thanks!

R2Egg2Q

I had a bloated prime grade packer a couple months ago and the stink wouldn't go away even after rinsing.

I even cooked it and could still smell it. It ended up in the trash. You made the right decision in my opinion.

revolver1

That's a heart breaker. Sorry!

Boileregger

Don't trash it...take it back to the store where you bought it. They might give you your money back. And if not I'd just trash it in the can by their front door.