Hi Ladies!! :)
I bought a half brisket last Friday - and its sell by date is Apr 14th. I did not freeze it but had it in the back, coldest part of my fridge. I am a bit nervous cooking it now - but if its still good hate to waste it too! Its color is still bright red. I was wondering your advice on the safety of the meat at this date - two days past the sell by date. Thanks in advance for your advice! I am about to open to check for smell and texture as well. Thanks again!
The sell by date is for the store to sell the item by that date. I think the rule of thumb for the consumer is to use within 3 days of that date.
I'm certainly not an expert on food safety so please take this for what it's worth, but we cook meat past the sell by date all the time. I always rinse the meat off well and cook it to the proper temperature. If I have any doubt of it's safety (i.e., has a little smell, is more than a few days past the sell by date or color has changed), I don't feed it to my kids. Meat with a strong rancid smell or significant changes in color and/or texture get tossed. So far, no one has EVER gotten sick from eating anything I have cooked (knock on wood). LOL :-)
That being said, briskets are good because they can be cooked to well done in order to make them more tender which kills off more bacteria. With what you've described, I personally would cook it with no problem. We do ours in the oven though. If you're considering using a crock pot or smoker, maybe that would not be as good with "questionable" meat. I don't know about that.
Blessings,
N.
The sell by date is for the store.
I don't use any meats from the grocery store because I buy all of mine fresh from Hirsch's Meat Market in Plano. I wrap steaks, burgers, chicken breasts, etc individually the day get them and then freeze them.
In the past, I have used soemthing after the sell by date. I think it is ok if you use it 3-4 days afterwards IF it has been kept very cold and you cook it well. You can cook a brisket to pieces and get it well done so I would not worry as much about that. As for steaks....we eat them pretty rare so I might question it.
Good luck!
When it comes to food, especially meat, I say, "when in doubt throw it out".
It should be fine. Again, just open and check it. But cook it soon.
If you cook it thoroughly and at a high enough temp, it will cook away anything harmful anyway, and being so close to the sell by date, I'm sure it's fine. The sell by doesn't mean much...if you bought it on the 14th, you'd think you could wait a couple of days to cook it. Enjoy!!!
That brisket will be good if you cook it this weekend. Beef is fine for a week after it's "sell by" date. It's different than an "expiration date". Go ahead - cook and enjoy!
You've already gotten a lot of good advice. The sell by date is for the store and even if not frozen it is good as long as kept cold for the next week. Because it is a brisket, the cut of meat makes it less likely than ground meat or cut steaks to have bacterial contamination. The red color is a good indicator at well, but even beef that turns a little dark in areas is not bad. It just means the nitrogen they are exposed to, to give them the bright red color is wearing off. As many of the other ladies have said, the smell is important. If it smells rancid definitely get rid of it. Otherwise cook it this weekend and enjoy! I am not a health inspector, but had some exposure to the meats lab and microbiology department as an undergrad at A&M. I hope this helps.
D.,
I would smell it, if it smells alright, I'd cook it up TODAY. If it has a bad smell, throw it away.
Hope it still is good!
the sell by date is required in some states but is only a guide line. A lot of stores will take the meat at the sell by date and grind it to extend the life. It is not an expiration date. Open the meat if the color is still good, the smell is not off and the meat is not slimy it is fine. Even if the color has gone to brown it can still be used. I would cook it today or put it in the freezer. If you have a good brisket recipe I would love to have it. Congrats on surviving, and on staying at home with four children. That takes a level of dedication and sacrifice many women are not willing to make these days.
Unless it smells bad go for it. A brisket would have started turning brown if it was bad already. I cook a few days pst the sell by date. Just cook it thoroughly/
We cook briskets on a regular basis and as long as the meat smells fine and it isn't discolored you should be fine. Briskets should be slow cooked for maximum tenderness whether in a crock or over or on the grill so that would take care of anything else.
But if the meat smells sour or off you should throw it out.
