Processing own meat but burger has a smell
 

We have a cooler and it was set on 40. Friday night we ground about 40 lbs of deer burger in a commercial grinder (these deer had been hanging in the cooler for a week or 2 skinned and gutted) and we put it back in the pan and put it in the freezer. My innital intention was to get it vaccum sealed by Saturday evening but was not able to. My husband went to do it this morning and notice a smell to the ground meat (possibly cause it was sitting in the blood that drained out of it the last few days) and the past couple of days the temps were between 18 to 36 degrees outside and so the compressor did not kick on is what my husband said. He said the steaks that were cut up are still fine but the burger has the smell. There are still 2 deer hanging in the cooler. Theses pans of meat were on a shelf we built. Is it just the blood that is causing the smell and maybe the top part of the ground that is not in the blood or do we need to throw all of it away. :(

No way to tell without being there. However, just because you had the cooler set on 40 degrees does not mean the inside temp was 40 degrees. Do you have a thermometer inside so you can check the temperature? Refrigeration units that are in a place that gets below freezing and are exposed to the cold have a habit of reading the outside temp with the thermostat instead of the inside temp. Our refrigerator at our club is inside an unheated building, the only time it is heated is when someone is there and starts a fire in the wood stove. The insulation in the fridge helps the thermostat to go by outside temp and the fridge doesn't run when it is very cold in the building. One might think it doesn't matter, but it does and sometimes the drinks we have inside are not cold because the fridge didn't run. I can only tell you this, if the meat has a bad smell I wouldn't eat any of it, the choice has to be yours.

There is a thermometer built into the cooler and you can read it on the outside. And it has pretty much stayed at 40 but on Friday it didn't feel that cold inside of it however it was 26 outside so that might be the reason but the 2 hanging deer were still cold to the touch.

From what I gather you're saying that the unit is outside and the temperature according to the actual thermometer that gives an inside reading showed it was okay and never got warm. That should mean the meat is okay over just 2-2 1/2 days since it was ground, but you have to realize that when you break down meat in a grinder and make it into small particles that it spoils much faster than whole pieces of meat even at proper temperatures in the low 40s. MY gut feeling as a retired inspector for the state of MI is that it is probably okay, but it's not my gut that will be ingesting it. Normally the old saying is that if in doubt throw it out, so it's going to be your call since we're on the internet and you're right there with the meat!

Burger that isn't fresh does smell different than fresh ground. I personally would not worry about it.


I would how ever buy a hanging thermometer for the inside of the freezer and go by that on what the temp is inside the freezer.


$10.10 rubber maid brand at Wal Mart.






:D Al

Try cutting about an inch off all the outside edges, esp the bottom and see what it smells like then. The inside will retain a cooler temp and not be exposed to bacteria as is the outside. Worst case scenario, lesson learned and sorry for your loss.

Can't really answer your questions without being there... My guess is you're smelling the blood... As there is an odor in the blood after being ground. Potentially the cooler quit running, and warmed up, and caused the meat to go bad. But I doubt it in the time frame that you are talking about. I would get all that blood drained out. potentially try cooking some of what you have and check the odor/taste. If meat is badly discolored or continues to have odor I would lean towards the side of caution.






-Jake

Yeah, I also agree with bocajnala

I would go or take some to local butcher ask him we got people here that can smell and tell you

I think by now the meat is either eaten or rotten, this post is six months old. For the last two posters, you need to look at the date of the posts.