No More Cryovac Packed Ribs For Me - Updated!

[Tailgating is my game]

Last week I bought a rack of spareribs from Hi-Vee grocery. They looked good, good price too! But when I opened the cryovac pak I was hit with a sulphur-rotten-eggs smell. I called their meat dept. and was told it was safe, just rinse off and procede with my cook!

The first time this happened to me I was concerned too, but your grocer was actually correct in what they told you.  The USDA has a write-up I read about this a few years back, and I am trying to find it.

The sulfur smell from cryovacced meat, especially bone-in pork, is caused from sulfur compounds in the bones and bone dust.  The lack of oxygen and gasses sometimes added when cryovaccing can cause these sulfur compounds to concentrate.  You cut the package open and WHAM, it hits you in the face!

As long as the meat still looks nice and pink and still firm, rinse it off, pat it dry, and let it bloom in the air for a bit and the smell should dissipate.

If you smell a rotten smell other than sulfur, then you need to return the meat.


I've gotten ribs and pork shoulder cryovacced with this smell and they have always been fine after a rinse.


This is where Kevin (stalag) should chime in!  He is an expert on this stuff.

How about nose clips when you eat 

[Big Dawg]

Thanks Bill!
I hope I didn't come across as snooty but my point is that all ribs are not created equal. Fresh IMHO is always best, but then as I have learned there are types of cyropak'ed meats to avoid if possible.  Those with solution to prolong shelf life. And of course always best to buy cyropaks frozen.

No, not in the least ! ! !  Sorry, if I gave that impression.

While I agree that fresh is better, the problem is getting it.  Not sure how well I can trust.  About this time last year one of the few local butcher shops, located in high buck southeast Charlotte, was caught buying and repackaging product from Sam's, selling ground beef as bison and lamb, etc. 

So, unless you really, really, really know the butcher, you know, like he's your brother-in-law or something, . . . .





BD

[hikerman]

Thanks Bill!
I hope I didn't come across as snooty but my point is that all ribs are not created equal. Fresh IMHO is always best, but then as I have learned there are types of cyropak'ed meats to avoid if possible.  Those with solution to prolong shelf life. And of course always best to buy cyropaks frozen.

No, not in the least ! ! !  Sorry, if I gave that impression.

While I agree that fresh is better, the problem is getting it.  Not sure how well I can trust.  About this time last year one of the few local butcher shops, located in high buck southeast Charlotte, was caught buying and repackaging product from Sam's, selling ground beef as bison and lamb, etc. 

So, unless you really, really, really know the butcher, you know, like he's your brother-in-law or something, . . . .





BD

Bill you surely didn't,  but I wanted to make sure my point was taken in the way I meant it. To be informative.
And I agree about the butchers....they all seem to have fat thumbs!

[TentHunteR]

Last week I bought a rack of spareribs from Hi-Vee grocery. They looked good, good price too! But when I opened the cryovac pak I was hit with a sulphur-rotten-eggs smell. I called their meat dept. and was told it was safe, just rinse off and procede with my cook!

The first time this happened to me I was concerned too, but your grocer was actually correct in what they told you.  The USDA has a write-up I read about this a few years back, and I am trying to find it.

The sulfur smell from cryovacced meat, especially bone-in pork, is caused from sulfur compounds in the bones and bone dust.  The lack of oxygen and gasses sometimes added when cryovaccing can cause these sulfur compounds to concentrate.  You cut the package open and WHAM, it hits you in the face!

As long as the meat still looks nice and pink and still firm, rinse it off, pat it dry, and let it bloom in the air for a bit and the smell should dissipate.

If you smell a rotten smell other than sulfur, then you need to return the meat.


I've gotten ribs and pork shoulder cryovacced with this smell and they have always been fine after a rinse.


This is where Kevin (stalag) should chime in!  He is an expert on this stuff.

How about nose clips when you eat 

You wont need nose clips.  There's no sulfur smell left. After you rinse them and let them bloom for a bit, they smell like they should.

Not unless there's something you're doing too your ribs that requires nose clips.   

[stalag]

The first time this happened to me I was concerned too, but your grocer was actually correct in what they told you.  The USDA has a write-up I read about this a few years back, and I am trying to find it.

The sulfur smell from cryovacced meat, especially bone-in pork, is caused from sulfur compounds in the bones and bone dust.  The lack of oxygen and gasses sometimes added when cryovaccing can cause these sulfur compounds to concentrate.  You cut the package open and WHAM, it hits you in the face!

As long as the meat still looks nice and pink and still firm, rinse it off, pat it dry, and let it bloom in the air for a bit and the smell should dissipate.

If you smell a rotten smell other than sulfur, then you need to return the meat.


I've gotten ribs and pork shoulder cryovacced with this smell and they have always been fine after a rinse.


This is where Kevin (stalag) should chime in!  He is an expert on this stuff.

How about nose clips when you eat 

You wont need nose clips.  There's no sulfur smell left. After you rinse them and let them bloom for a bit, they smell like they should.

Not unless there's something you're doing too your ribs that requires nose clips.   

Sulfur in cryovac packaged products can in certain circumstances due to use of carbon dioxide/nitrogen anaerobic atmosphere used during packaging can induce a reduction of sulfur and a corresponding sulfur smell.  Wash the product thoroughly with running water, pat dry, and cover and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours loosely covered.  This will make the sulfur smell go away due to air oxidation of sulfur.

[tlg4942]

 This use to be normal for Smithfield pork. It all smelled "dead" until you washed it. I always figured that if the smell washed off it was not the end of the world. If the smell remains take it back and let them deal with it.
 Thank goodness Piggly Wiggly moved in. I just get their store packaged pork now and it never smells and has a nice fresh look to the meat as well. The pork they use for fresh is from less than a hundred miles away in Mississippi so its not been shipped around the world. .

[Tailgating is my game]

Last week I bought a rack of spareribs from Hi-Vee grocery. They looked good, good price too! But when I opened the cryovac pak I was hit with a sulphur-rotten-eggs smell. I called their meat dept. and was told it was safe, just rinse off and procede with my cook!

The first time this happened to me I was concerned too, but your grocer was actually correct in what they told you.  The USDA has a write-up I read about this a few years back, and I am trying to find it.

The sulfur smell from cryovacced meat, especially bone-in pork, is caused from sulfur compounds in the bones and bone dust.  The lack of oxygen and gasses sometimes added when cryovaccing can cause these sulfur compounds to concentrate.  You cut the package open and WHAM, it hits you in the face!

As long as the meat still looks nice and pink and still firm, rinse it off, pat it dry, and let it bloom in the air for a bit and the smell should dissipate.

If you smell a rotten smell other than sulfur, then you need to return the meat.


I've gotten ribs and pork shoulder cryovacced with this smell and they have always been fine after a rinse.


This is where Kevin (stalag) should chime in!  He is an expert on this stuff.

How about nose clips when you eat 

You wont need nose clips.  There's no sulfur smell left. After you rinse them and let them bloom for a bit, they smell like they should.

Not unless there's something you're doing too your ribs that requires nose clips.   

i see you have had my ribs