Are these ribs still good?

sstripes96

Guys,
I need the experts help on this one.
Ive got 3 racks of BB ribs. They were vacuum packed by the butcher and then frozen. I thawed them in the fridge (in the vacuum packing) but due to various things going on did not get them on the egg. It has been 2 weeks since I thawed them. They have stayed in the fridge the entire time. Id like to try and get them on the Egg this afternoon. When I took them out of the vacuum pack they smelled fine and were very red, no browning at all. They were a little slimy. The sliminess rinsed right off under cold water. Id obviously prefer to note food poison the family. Will these ribs be okay to eat after I turbo them?

Thanks Guys,

stemc33

I'd eat them. 

Adrock

I wouldn't. I left some I. The fridge for a Week and were smelling like death. Too risky. Always smell first too. 

johnmitchell

If you have any doubt turf them. Personally I am with Steven I would cook them.

Chowman

Since they were vacuum packed and since they smelled ok, I think they are safe.  But after cooking if they taste funny you may reconsider. I would cook a couple of the ribs without sauce or rub, so you can taste test them before serving, maybe one from each rack. Best of luck.

epcotisbest

Seems to me the cost of a few packs of ribs vs. the cost of a trip to the doctor or emergency room makes tossing them out an easy choice. 

pgprescott

Smell test. If you are in doubt after you smell them, pitch them. 

Legume

Even ''good' meat will smell sometimes coming out of cryovac.  Several of the longtimers in this forum have weighed in on this and as a result I throw much less meat away than I used to and pay far less attention to dates on meat as long as it's stored at a proper temp.  I'll add that this obviously goes for whole cuts, not anything ground and for meat - not poultry or fish.

If the smell rinses off, you're ok.  The pork tenderloin I'm marinating for tonight was well past date, embarrassingly past.  It's been in it's original cryo pack in the fridge I use for beer and meat, colder than where the salad is kept.  The water in the cryo was still clear.  I opened it and the stink rinsed off with cold water in 2-3 minutes, so I'm marinating and will cook tonight.

SmokeyPitt

You said they smell fine so I think you are good to go. 

Roadpuke0

Cook them

DoubleEgger

I've been hospitalized for salmonella so you can probably guess what my response is....

Skiddymarker

If the slime (normal on many cuts after the first day or so in cryovac) rinses off and there is no ammonia or rancid odour, you are good to go. From your description of the storage and the opening, you are fine. 

chrisc133

I say go for it if they don't smell bad.

it probably took a few days of that two weeks for the ribs to completely thaw. Pork tends to last a while in the fridge--especially when sealed. 

jtcBoynton

My understanding is that you cannot smell, taste or see the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Do not rely on the smell test.  Remember that food spoilage bacteria and foodborne illness bacteria are not the same.

There is a difference between factory cryovac and vacuum packed by a butcher.  How old were they when the butcher vacuum packed them and then froze them?  Did he actually freeze them, or did he get them already frozen?  Many butchers get their BB ribs factory frozen. I wouldn't worry about ribs that were factory frozen (and remained frozen) that have been in my fridge for only 2 weeks. On the other hand, if your butcher had some ribs that had been sitting in his fridge for a few weeks before he froze them, I would be more concerned. 

Also remember that recommended safe cooking temp for pork is 145º with a hold time of 3 minutes.  BB ribs will cook to somewhere near 200º and be above 145º for hours, not minutes.  The pasteurization levels will be pretty high for ribs. 

Tettletime

I teach food safety classes and have a degree in biology, so the standard answer I would give is to throw them out. A piece of meat passing the smell test is like the five second rule. It's not a fool-proof method for testing if the meat is still good. And just because the meat is in cryovac doesn't mean it's free of bacterial contamination, it could have been contaminated at the processing plant. The reason cook temp for pork is a minimum of 145 is because that is the temp at which most bacteria that infect pork will be completely dead, but as jtcBoynton said above, there is a difference between a piece of meat being contaminated and a piece of meat spoiling. The date is there for a reason: it's a safety measure to prevent people from eating food that has started to spoil. Food that has spoiled is actively being decomposed by bacteria or fungi that were already living in the animal. These bacteria/fungi had a symbiotic relationship with the animal, but since the animal is no longer contributing nutrients to the colony, the bacteria/fungi have to resort to scavenging to get nutrients. Freezing the meat sort of hibernates the bacteria, it doesn't kill them, which is why you can freeze meat and it be safe, but refrigeration isn't cold enough to prevent decomposition. Lastly, cooking spoiled meat to 145 degrees will not prevent one from getting sick! The spores produced by the bacteria that lived in the animal can survive extremely high heat, making it extremely unsafe to consume. While the date given is always a couple days before spoiling typically occurs, the manner in which you explained they were held would definitely have me throwing them out. Better safe than sorry.

nolan8v

In my house, the rule is:
When in doubt, toss it out

Its cheaper than a day off from work and/or an emergency room bill.

sstripes96

Well, I cooked them up. I was actually surprised how well they turned out. 350 for 2 hours, toss on some sauce, foil, and wait for everyone to get home. I guess we will know tomorrow. Thanks for all the input.

Chowman

For my fingers crossed for you!

Chowman

Got

theyolksonyou

 Hope the library is well stocked. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Hope you all make it through!

Next time I would cook them and pick the kid you like the least and feed him first.  If he is good in a few hours I say dig in.

bboulier

I would toss them.  Not worth the risk.

theyolksonyou

bboulier said:

I would toss them.  Not worth the risk.

Uhhh. Too late

Scottborasjr

In my experience you will know way before tomorrow.  Also from my experience unless you have a sensitive stomach I'm thinking you will be just fine.

Skiddymarker

As noted above the best before dates are there for a reason, IMO, that reason has nothing to do with food safety. It has everything to do with liability of the seller/packer and ensuring the food is at its peak. It is a super safe date, in most cases. Many foods have a best before date, not an expiry date - two very different things. I have relied on the feel and smell test for packaged meat for years and have tossed some out as it did not seem right. sstripes96 said:

Well, I cooked them up. I was actually surprised how well they turned out. 350 for 2 hours, toss on some sauce, foil, and wait for everyone to get home. I guess we will know tomorrow. Thanks for all the input.

Let us know! 

SoCalTim

When in doubt, throw it out.

4Runner

Tettletime said:

I teach food safety classes and have a degree in biology, so the standard answer I would give is to throw them out. A piece of meat passing the smell test is like the five second rule. It's not a fool-proof method for testing if the meat is still good. And just because the meat is in cryovac doesn't mean it's free of bacterial contamination, it could have been contaminated at the processing plant. The reason cook temp for pork is a minimum of 145 is because that is the temp at which most bacteria that infect pork will be completely dead, but as jtcBoynton said above, there is a difference between a piece of meat being contaminated and a piece of meat spoiling. The date is there for a reason: it's a safety measure to prevent people from eating food that has started to spoil. Food that has spoiled is actively being decomposed by bacteria or fungi that were already living in the animal. These bacteria/fungi had a symbiotic relationship with the animal, but since the animal is no longer contributing nutrients to the colony, the bacteria/fungi have to resort to scavenging to get nutrients. Freezing the meat sort of hibernates the bacteria, it doesn't kill them, which is why you can freeze meat and it be safe, but refrigeration isn't cold enough to prevent decomposition. Lastly, cooking spoiled meat to 145 degrees will not prevent one from getting sick! The spores produced by the bacteria that lived in the animal can survive extremely high heat, making it extremely unsafe to consume. While the date given is always a couple days before spoiling typically occurs, the manner in which you explained they were held would definitely have me throwing them out. Better safe than sorry.

I always heard let your nose tell you.  Thanks for the detailed information.  I also thought freezing killed stuff and so did cooking to at least 145.  I'm now somewhat depressed now that I'm out of the Matrix as your post was the "blue pill".  I'm going to check the temp on my freezer and fridge right now and then go to bed.  Seriously, thanks for posting.  

Lmidkiff

I would be a little worried about it. 

4Runner

Did they have a sell by date?  If you got them from a local butcher that gets them from the farm, maybe your timeline isn't that long after all?

sstripes96

We're all good. No problems at all. They were even better today at lunch. Thanks for all the concerns.

jonnymack

Awesome!! I would have tossed them so glad you didn't get sick.