Major disappointment today here in Hicaville.

I went yesterday to the local warehouse store and bought a cryovac package
(last one they had) of butts for a (way more than I needed) pulled pork
dinner, and to stock the freezer with cooked meat. First long cook on my
new(ish) WSM - I've only done ribs before. 2 butts in the pack, 14.5 pounds
total. Since I didn't want to guess about dinner timing, I decided to do an
overnighter. Fired the unit up at 10pm - had the meat on at 11 - checked
until 12:30 and all was well, dome temp a little high at 275, but
acceptable. Checked again at 3, 6, 8, and then kept tabs on it until it
reached about 195 internal at about 10am (earlier than Id hoped, but it was
running a bit hot all night, 275-300 with the lower vents closed - a bit too
much fuel, and more of it started than strictly minion method). They look
beautiful.

So - all that sounds fine - what's the bad part? The meat.

When I'd cut open the package yesterday afternoon to apply the rub - there
was a fairly foul odor - kind of a gamey uriney smell, not like I've smelled
on fresh meat before. Of course I've never cut into one of these big
packages before either, figured perhaps that's all the extra juice and such,
and that the retail butchers normally rinse and clean all this up before
repackaging. So, I rinsed and dried them and the smell seemed to go away,
then I trimmed the fat, and applied the rub and set them in the fridge for
about 6 hours. Then cooked as above. By the time they reached 190 internal
at about 9am - I pulled a piece off the edge of the one on the upper rack -
poof - there's that smell again - nasty and hot. Tried to taste it, but the
smell was just too much. Smells really great on the outside (smoked with
hicory), but when you penetrate the meat - whew it's just nasty.

So, I guess I got a bad package - and spent all night cooking it to find
it's sure enough bad. After they'd cooled a bit, I wrapped them up in foil,
put them in a shopping bag, and toted them back to the club - where they
refunded my $$. Can't blame them - the package comes from the packer, and
they never have the oppty to catch it.

Anyone ever have this? I figure I'll get the pork next time from the local
producers outlet at the farmers market - never had a problem there, and
after that wretching smell I figure I'll be a little bit gunshy for a while.

- Bo

Bo Hica wrote:
> Major disappointment today here in Hicaville.
>
Snip (the good part)
>
> So - all that sounds fine - what's the bad part? The meat.
>
> When I'd cut open the package yesterday afternoon to apply the rub - there
> was a fairly foul odor - kind of a gamey uriney smell, not like I've smelled
> on fresh meat before. Of course I've never cut into one of these big
> packages before either, figured perhaps that's all the extra juice and such,
> and that the retail butchers normally rinse and clean all this up before
> repackaging.

I'd not describe the smell that cryovac-ed meat *can* sometimes have as you did.
It does sometimes have an *off* smell, though, and it's usually OK.

> So, I rinsed and dried them and the smell seemed to go away,
> then I trimmed the fat, and applied the rub and set them in the fridge for
> about 6 hours. Then cooked as above. By the time they reached 190 internal
> at about 9am - I pulled a piece off the edge of the one on the upper rack -
> poof - there's that smell again - nasty and hot.

Uh-Oh! Doesn't sound promising here.

> Tried to taste it, but the
> smell was just too much. Smells really great on the outside (smoked with
> hickory), but when you penetrate the meat - whew it's just nasty.
>
> So, I guess I got a bad package - and spent all night cooking it to find
> it's sure enough bad. After they'd cooled a bit, I wrapped them up in foil,
> put them in a shopping bag, and toted them back to the club - where they
> refunded my $$. Can't blame them - the package comes from the packer, and
> they never have the oppty to catch it.

Somewhere in the shipping chain, it apparently got too warm for too long a time.
That'd be my guess.
At least they came to the plate (pun intended) and gave you a refund for the
meat.

>
> Anyone ever have this? I figure I'll get the pork next time from the local
> producers outlet at the farmers market - never had a problem there, and
> after that wretching smell I figure I'll be a little bit gun-shy for a while.

I can't blame you. I wish I had another option here. Meat from the only
"butcher shops" I can find are about double the price, and come in exactly the
same packages, from the same distributor.

BOB

Bo Hica wrote:

> Anyone ever have this? I figure I'll get the pork next time from the
> local producers outlet at the farmers market - never had a problem
> there, and after that wretching smell I figure I'll be a little bit
> gunshy for a while.

I haven't yet run into a spoiled meat order. I've been warned by both my
butcher and another food distributor for my restaurant, to check all large
orders of meat recieved, for signs -- and smells -- of spoilage. Otherwise
returns become more difficult. There is concern that meat from an order
which is returned five or seven days after receipt, may have been spoiled by
improper storage after delivery. So I guess it happens periodically, and
you just happened to get the bad one. What a pity after all the effort to
'Q it.
Dave

Bo Hica wrote:

Bummer, Bo, but don't give up on butts...and here's a tip; no need to trim
the fat off a butt and in fact, you really don't even want to. Next time
you try, put that nice layer of fat between the heat and the meat - in other
words, fat down on your WSM. Most of it will render off and what's left is
nice bark.

>So, I rinsed and dried them
> and the smell seemed to go away, then I trimmed the fat, and applied
> the rub and set them in the fridge for about 6 hours.

Jack Curry

"Bo Hica" > wrote in message
. com...
> Major disappointment today here in Hicaville.
>
> I went yesterday to the local warehouse store and bought a cryovac package
> (last one they had) of butts for a (way more than I needed) pulled pork
> dinner, and to stock the freezer with cooked meat. First long cook on my
> new(ish) WSM - I've only done ribs before. 2 butts in the pack, 14.5
pounds
> total. Since I didn't want to guess about dinner timing, I decided to do
an
> overnighter. Fired the unit up at 10pm - had the meat on at 11 - checked
> until 12:30 and all was well, dome temp a little high at 275, but
> acceptable. Checked again at 3, 6, 8, and then kept tabs on it until it
> reached about 195 internal at about 10am (earlier than Id hoped, but it
was
> running a bit hot all night, 275-300 with the lower vents closed - a bit
too
> much fuel, and more of it started than strictly minion method). They look
> beautiful.
>
> So - all that sounds fine - what's the bad part? The meat.
>
> When I'd cut open the package yesterday afternoon to apply the rub - there
> was a fairly foul odor - kind of a gamey uriney smell, not like I've
smelled
> on fresh meat before. Of course I've never cut into one of these big
> packages before either, figured perhaps that's all the extra juice and
such,
> and that the retail butchers normally rinse and clean all this up before
> repackaging. So, I rinsed and dried them and the smell seemed to go away,
> then I trimmed the fat, and applied the rub and set them in the fridge for
> about 6 hours. Then cooked as above. By the time they reached 190
internal
> at about 9am - I pulled a piece off the edge of the one on the upper
rack -
> poof - there's that smell again - nasty and hot. Tried to taste it, but
the
> smell was just too much. Smells really great on the outside (smoked with
> hicory), but when you penetrate the meat - whew it's just nasty.
>
> So, I guess I got a bad package - and spent all night cooking it to find
> it's sure enough bad. After they'd cooled a bit, I wrapped them up in
foil,
> put them in a shopping bag, and toted them back to the club - where they
> refunded my $$. Can't blame them - the package comes from the packer, and
> they never have the oppty to catch it.
>
> Anyone ever have this? I figure I'll get the pork next time from the
local
> producers outlet at the farmers market - never had a problem there, and
> after that wretching smell I figure I'll be a little bit gunshy for a
while.
>
> - Bo
>
>

Bo -

Too bad.

Weird, I had the exact same thing happen to me recently when I bought two
boneless Boston Butts from my local "Big Barn" warehouse store in the last
month. When I went to open them up after they defrosted, the smell was
pretty evident. It was a shame having to throw away 16 lbs of pork. I
thought perhaps it was something I did wrong. I did leave them in the fridge
for an extra day past the "sell by date" before I put them in the freezer.

It can definitely could a crimp into your plans when you are expecting to
put some meat on the smoker and then all of a sudden discover you have some
bad meat.

Scott

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 03:30:19 GMT, "Jack Curry" <Jack-Curry deletethis
@cfl.rr.com> wrote:

>Bo Hica wrote:
>
>Bummer, Bo, but don't give up on butts...and here's a tip; no need to trim
>the fat off a butt and in fact, you really don't even want to. Next time
>you try, put that nice layer of fat between the heat and the meat - in other
>words, fat down on your WSM. Most of it will render off and what's left is
>nice bark.
>
>>So, I rinsed and dried them
>> and the smell seemed to go away, then I trimmed the fat, and applied
>> the rub and set them in the fridge for about 6 hours.
>
>Jack Curry
>

Allow the meat to breathe a bit after opening the cryovac package,and
the stink goes away. The smell has something to do with the lack of
oxygen getting to the meat. Just rinse the meat, and give it a couple
of minutes to settle and smell it again.

Don't toss a chunk of your hard earned pay without making damn sure
you have to do it......

Bud,
Niceville, Florida