Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Pork loin smells like rotten eggs, is it bad?

2

Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    the smell may be common, but if it doesn't go away, then something else could be at issue.

    cryo should be firm and tight.  i had one that felt loose, almost as if it had been punctured.  and that one smelled differently.

    you shouldn;t have to work so hard to get past wretching when prepping meat.  probably good that he took it back.  wonder what temps were?
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • temps where @stike ? in MI yesterday 91. My refrigerator, 36, which is where it was. I don't wretch at any meat except for this, and I'm telling you it was bad.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i'm pretty sure if you read my last comments, you'll see i was supporting you.

    i wasn't there to smell it.  sure, cryo smells.  but it shouldn't smell like you described it, smelling to high heaven even after even after washing and airing. 

    something had to be wrong with it, and so i was wondering how your fridge temps were, is all.  meat doesn't go bad on the sell by date, so i was looking for what the cause may be.  was the package cryo? or was it supermarket wrap on a foam try? if cryo, it should have been stiff as a log.  if it was losse, then it could have been breached.

    i was saying you were right to toss it after all that.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • michigan_jason
    michigan_jason Posts: 1,346
    edited August 2012
    @stike

    I know that, maybe you read me wrong.

    It was cryo, and didn't see, to me breached, but could have been.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • Just wasn't worth the risk, I want to get another one now just to test the theory and open it same day. That will tell for sure.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    sorry. i did read it wrong.
    the cryo smell is unnerving. they are trying to solve that issue actually.  i wish the hell they would.
    hahaha
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • I will resurrect this thread when i get my next one and settle it! Thanks for the help! :)



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • ratcheer
    ratcheer Posts: 189
    I wouldn't eat it.

    Tim
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Smell is such a subjective sense.  I'm banished from the house the moment I open a jar of anchovies.  Smells like pure heaven to me.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • dtun1
    dtun1 Posts: 32

    If there is an odor then the temperture of the meat was allowed to rise about a safe level sometime & bacteria has begun to react. It was likely then rechilled. I personally would be concerned about any unusual odor when it comes to meat.

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    SULFUR SMELL IN CRYOVACED MEATS IS COMMON AND NOT A SIGN OF BACTERIA.

    michiganjason may have had a truly bad hunk of meat, but just because you smell sulfur doesnt mean the meat is bad

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    The human reaction of disgust is fairly effective at keeping us safe. I'd go with that. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I second Stike's assessment, I've noticed the sulfur smell myself but never really thought either way about it.

    It's a recognized problem that the industry is trying to fix.  Supporting documentation following:

    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CG8QFjAF&url=http://www.cryovac.com/na/en/pdf/1101-OdorScavenging.pdf&ei=5PAiUOC_C_P9yAGepYDIDg&usg=AFQjCNGIe1oUOsly6ZwfX8nhAD5PBH9CVQ
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • dtun1
    dtun1 Posts: 32

    I have NEVER had cryovaced meat that had a sulfur smell. If I ever do it's not going on my BGE.

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Thanks nola.
    Maybe people will actually read it. Doubtful though

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Naw.  Sadly.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • dtun1
    dtun1 Posts: 32
    OK, I read it but I believe it's naive to take an article that sights sulfur as possible side effect in the industry as a reason to say it's OK & just wash it, cook it & all will be fine. Someone will take this as fact and end up the hospital. I would rather error on side of caution personally.  
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Point is, a sulfur smell is normal.  Doesn't mean the meat is bad.  Wash off the meat, then throw away the plastic cryovac packaging so you're not influenced by that, wait 10 or 15 minutes.  Come back to the meat - if it still smells bad, don't eat it.  Error on the side of caution.  Almost every time the meat will smell fine.  I worked as a cook and opened thousands of those that's just how they smell.  You can always buy your meat in the Styrofoam trays with the absorbent diapers.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • My smell stayed so the meat went away, IM sure its a rare occurrence. Next time we will see.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    dstun1: i prefer to err on the side of familiarizing myself with the true signs of bacterial contamination, their  causes, and the ways in which they can be controlled or minimized. Hence my question re: his fridge temps and whether the cryo had been breached.  Most bacteria that we care concerned with do NOT produce an odor.

    Like jason said, it did not go away.  the sulfur compounds from cryo are fleeting.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • chuff
    chuff Posts: 255
    OK, I read it but I believe it's naive to take an article that sights sulfur as possible side effect in the industry as a reason to say it's OK & just wash it, cook it & all will be fine. Someone will take this as fact and end up the hospital. I would rather error on side of caution personally.  
    I believe you're naive to believe that nearly 100% of the pork you buy wasn't in a cryo at one point and came out of it with a (in many cases VERY strong) sulfur smell that dissipated. That's the way it comes to the stores and it is then repackaged in smaller pieces for sale in the cases. Many stores including my local whole foods are reluctant to even sell pork to consumers still in the cryo because they have so much of it come back needlessly demanding a refund. They of course have no choice but to issue the refund, and then are forced to throw perfectly good meat wastefully into the garbage. They won't hand it over without a stern lecture about it. Over the weekend I bought a cryo with two pork butts in it. When I opened it up Sunday night the sulfur / rotten egg smell was so strong my daughter had to leave the room. I gave it a quick rinse and by the time I was finished rubbing the butts (HA!) the smell was down to very faint. They went on the egg and came off Monday afternoon as two of the best butts I've ever had. 

    You certainly are under no obligation to believe what the meat industry is saying, but if that's the case then please please just don't buy things in a cryo pack. Some people just can't handle it and can't get past it. My wife is one of those people. If she smells it she can't get it out of her head and she can never bring herself to eat it. I just can't open it when she's around. 

    @michigan_jason this is not directed at you. I wasn't there to smell you're meat (god that sounds awful) so you are in a much better position to judge than I. If the smell hadn't dissipated or at least begun to dissipate within 15 minutes or so then I would have probably been hesitant as well. 
    XL BGE
  • dtun1
    dtun1 Posts: 32
    stike, I'm not going to get in a dissussion with you about this subject. Based the posts I have read in this forum, You are the all knowing of this forum & no one else can be right or know anything. Like so many others in this forum there are so many self appointed experts that can not wait to point out someone is wrong regardless if they know what they are talking about. There was a thread about lurkers well I wonder why?? New people are welcomed into the forum as long as they don't have an option & just ask questions. Once they cross the line with an option then the self appoint experts of the forum do everything to bet them down if they fail to agree with the all knowing of the forum.  You don't know me, my education or background but you assume I do not know anything. Like wise I don't know you but I don't assume everything you post is wrong. I am sure you are a fine person and are honestly trying to assist people in this forum which you do so often. It's all about attitude.  From this point on I too will limit myself to lurking this forum since out side facts and information is not welcomed here.
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    @dtun1 you couldnt be more wrong. I have only been on this forum for about a year and I have very strong opinions sometimes. Lots of folks value my opinion and cooking. Even Stike gives me props every so often. When proven wrong, stike will graciously concede  your rightness. It just so happens that he knows a lot. 

    It's only cooking info off the internet. Take it or leave it. Stike has no more sway over our lives than we let him. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Wow...



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    It's all good.  We get passionate on this  forum about cooking and food.  Way better than being apathetic and serving our friends and family frozen burritos.  Don't take anything personal...we've all been on both sides of a flame.   Take away knowlege.   Big happy virtual family.  yay  Now where's my drink. 


    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Lol...yes we do.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • In my humble opinion, if the smell made you vomit, then it is not appetizing regardless of how safe it is.  Somebody at church tried to tell me how great Limburger Cheese was if you can get past the smell.  To me, they might as well been saying the backside of a skunk is good eating.  I'll never know because there's no way I'm trying it.
    Flint, Michigan
  • Outcast
    Outcast Posts: 112
    I'm a big fan of "trust, but verify".  Everything being said here can be interdependently verified with very little effort online.  "It tastes bad" is an opinion.  Cryo pork having a sulfer smell that is harmless is a fact.  I dont believe stike has ever claimed to be all knowing.  I don't know him personally but I'm very grateful for the information he shares on this forum.  It gives me a place to start for my own research.  Now if he told me dog was ugly and should be kicked, I might get offended.  Otherwise, I just sort out opinion from facts and make my own decision. 
  • inkyon
    inkyon Posts: 88

    In my humble opinion, if the smell made you vomit, then it is not appetizing regardless of how safe it is. 
    Beautifully said with what I would think.
  • Stike is very knowledgeable and is an asset to the forum, I listen to what he says because he speaks fact.



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."