If you are getting a funky or sour smell from your ground pork, then ensure that you should not cook that one. It is the fastest way to let you know how to tell if ground pork is bad, and you can look and feel it to identify if it is bad.
The best way to tell if ground pork is bad is to use your senses. Thus, you can quickly realize whether you are fresh or spoiled. Look at the guide to learn how to tell if ground pork is bad.
Ways To Tell If Ground Pork Is Bad
Ensure that you have looked over the ground pork before cooking with it. Meats having undergone the grinding process are susceptible to E.coli and salmonella Bacteria. Here, we have given you a few ways to tell you if ground pork is bad.
If you find them bad, you must not want to cook them. We have given here some helpful ways to tell if it is bad.
1. Color
Ensure that if you buy fresh ground pork, it will be pink and have white flecks mixed throughout its body. Discard your ground pork if it has turned grey or brown. The brown colour indicates that the meat is ruined and has a Bacteria growth for moisture build-up in old meat.
2. Smell
You can realize if the pork is bad by smelling it. Fresh ground pork does not smell at all, and having a foul, sour, or “off” odour means that it gets spoiled.
3. Texture
Sometimes, it becomes dry over time, and as a result, you can not eat even when cooked. If you see that the pork leaves a mark after pressing down on it, you should throw out the pork.
If you find it sticky or slimy to the touch, ensure that it has been ruined. Silmy pork definitely comes with a distinct odour.
4. Moldy
You should know that mould can grow on food. Therefore, it can spread quickly to other foods also. Usually, mould forms around spoiled meat, edges of old, etc.
Whether you can find any green or blue spots on the ground pork, you should throw it out. You can expect that mould is growing inside the meat if it happens.
As soon as you spot it on the meat, throw it away. Ensure that you don’t need to try to remove mould with your hands to cook the non-mouldy meat.
5. Expiration Date
Usually, ground meats don’t come with an expiration date. However, if you see the date, you need to throw it out after that date has passed. The flavour of the meat will change over time, due to which it is better to throw it away after the expiration date.
You must pay attention to the ground meat’s freshness while cooking it daily because most people don’t know whether pork is bad or good.
Therefore, you have to remember the factor in mind when you wonder if pork is bad. It is better to be aware of how quickly it goes bad.
6. Trust Or Gut
It can rot quickly for wrong meat processing or the killing of non-appropriate animals. Although it does not happen in the United States, you can see it in other areas.
If you see anything awkward while packing the meat, you should not take the meat. So, it is better to refuse and leave it instead of taking it. Some shops can use shady tricks to change the sell-by date.
7. Mold
It is a sign that lets you know that the past is prime. As mild grows in wet conditions, it is better to not store your pork for an extended time before cooking it.
A few chefs ask that you should boil or salt the meat to prevent it from happening. As soon as you find it on the meat, you must discard it altogether. Ensure that you don’t use your hands to remove the mould to cook the non-mouldy areas.
In addition, you should remember that you never try to boil or use a knife to remove the damaged area. Otherwise, it can cause you food illness.
8. Signs of Sloppy Storage
The way the pork is stored will let you know many things about it and let you decide if it is good or bad. Therefore, when you go to a grocery store, if you get a foul odour on the pork, ensure that there is something wrong.
You must choose the fresh meat which you have appropriately preserved. However, as per chefs worldwide, you should not keep the meat in the refrigerator for more than four days. The reason for that is the freshness of meat starts deteriorating after those days. As a result, safety can be an issue.
In this case, if the meat has a good taste, you should still reject it. The reason is that it can taste good in some situations. But sometimes, it can contain multiple germs infecting the stomach.
How To Tell If Ground Pork Is Cooked Without Using a Thermometer?
You must want to ensure that you have cooked your minced pork entirely before eating it. Therefore, cooking the pork ensures that all Bacteria in the raw that comes from the grinding process are cooked. You can see it turning into a greyish brown colour.
If the colour is pink, make sure that you have to cook for a long time. However, if you use a thermometer, check if the cooking temperature reaches at least 165°F-170°F, and it can assure you that you have cooked the meat.
How Long Is Ground Pork Good For In The Fridge?
It can last for a few days in the fridge. Besides, you can keep fresh uncooked pork for roughly 3-5 days. However, you should keep them for merely 1-2 days in the refrigerator after being freshly ground.
You can keep pork dishes for 2-3 days after being cooked in the refrigerator before being discarded. But if you are not willing to use it within a few days of buying, you have to freeze it instead.
How Long Can You Keep Ground Pork In The Freezer?
Ground pork enables you to freeze it but for how long? A few people purchase meat in bulk. Then, they keep it in their freezer by wrapping up small portions.
Ensure that you should keep ground pork in the freezer for up to six months by wrapping tightly and storing correctly. If you plan to keep the meat frozen for a long time, you should use freezer bags or storage containers, and it can ensure that no air will seep into your bag and ruin the food.
Pork Spoilage Can Be Prevented If You Follow These Steps
1. Maintain A Cool Temperature
As per the USDA, you should keep the meat in the refrigerator at temperatures below 40°F. When you come home after buying the pork, put it in your fridge or freezer if it is there.
2. Examine The Packaging
Amidor advises that while buying the pork, you should avoid several factors: broken seals & cartons, unclean wrappers, and torn packing.
3. Freeze That You Won’t Use Quickly
Beauchamp says that you should rewrap the pork and freeze it if you are not going to eat it within two or three days. When you freeze the food, it will slow down the growth of microorganisms to increase shelf life. Use pork within three days of defrosting it.
4. Thawing With Caution
You should thaw the meat in the refrigerator, in cold water, or microwave instead of on the counter or in hot water.
In addition, it is possible to cook pork without thawing it on the stove, oven, grill, etc. But if you use a slow cooker, ensure that you have to thaw it first.
Is Pork Edible After Seven Days?
Pork comes with a 1-2 days shelf life after getting passed its “sell by” date. But if you are willing, freeze it to keep it fresh for a long time. You can determine the shelf life with a few factors like the sell-by date, the preparation method, and the way you store.
If the hog meat comes with a sell-by date printed on the package, it can last for 1-2 days extra after the date. But in case no date is on the package, you can estimate that it will last for up to five days. Ground pork can last 1 to 2 days, whereas the cooked item can last 3 to 4 days.
What Happens If You Eat Pork That Has Gone Bad?
Summer Yule, MS, a registered dietitian nutritionist, said that eating an expired and ruined food item can cause food poisoning. For example, you can experience chills, stomach cramps, fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, etc.
Ensure that you have to use beef, veal, hog, and lamb items or freeze them with a “Sell-By” date after 3-5 days of buying. You should cook fresh chicken, turkey, ground meat, and ground poultry or freeze them within 1-2 days of purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long is ground pork good for in the fridge?
You should keep Ground pork in the freezer for 1-2 days. can last for 3-5 days.
2. What does bad pork smell like?
If you buy rotten pork, it will smell sour. As soon as you identify any sour smell, you must discard it.
3. What colour should ground pork be?
Fresh ground pork has a pink colour and some white strands. It will become dull and have a greyish hue as soon as it begins spoiling.
To Summarize
Whether you find the meat brown or greenish, it is not fresh, and you should toss any unfresh meat if it contains smells or stains. Besides, ensure that the odour of the meat is solid and the colour is clean.
If you find an unpleasant odour or a slimy film, ensure that it is not a good pork piece. In this case, it can contain pathogenic bacteria, and you need to smell it first to check if it is rotten.
When you buy good pork, it will have a sweet odour. But having a sour smell indicates that the meat is not fresh, and it is a sign of bad. In addition, it is hard to handle because it can be very wet.
