Theres nothing like a long marinated, slow-roasted pork shoulder finally out of the oven with fall-off-the-bone tenderness. One simple pleasure in life is bacon that has been smoked twice and then browned in a hot pan with a little olive oil and the bacon’s own fat. However, theres nothing like food poisoning to ruin a great meal.
Most people agree that eating uncooked pork can make you sick because it contains bacteria like Trichinella spiralis, salmonella, and Listeria. These parasites can cause stomach pain, trouble digesting food, and flu-like symptoms like tiredness, soreness, and general discomfort.
Microscopic tapeworms cause Trichinella spiralis infections that are very bad. These tapeworms can start digging anywhere from one day to a week after a meal. Although treatable, trichinosis could be an eight-week ordeal before you start feeling like yourself. Trichinosis isn’t as big of a problem in the Global North because of modern farming methods, but it still kills about 28,000 people a year. As dangerous as raw pork can be, it’s just as easy for cooked pork to be bad for you.
When people defrost meat, one of the biggest mistakes they make is thinking it’s safe to eat before they know how long the meat really lasts in the fridge. Here is a list of surefire ways to tell if your pork has gone bad before, during, and after cooking it to save you the trouble.
Pork is a versatile meat used in dishes like ribs, roasts, chops, sausage, and ground pork But with a higher fat content than other meats, it spoils more quickly Knowing the distinct scent of rancid pork can help you avoid accidental consumption and possible food poisoning.
Fresh pork should have a mild smell or no odor at all Once spoiled, raw and cooked pork gives off a foul, offensive stench Here’s how to identify bad pork by its sour, putrid scent.
Raw Pork Gone Bad Has a Strong, Unpleasant Smell
Fresh, raw pork should not have much of an aroma. At most, it may have a subtle meaty or iron-like smell from myoglobin in the muscle tissue.
On the other hand, spoiled raw pork has an unmistakable rancid, sour odor. This happens as bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli rapidly multiply, breaking down proteins and fats. Their metabolic processes create smelly compounds that signal spoilage.
Sniff your raw pork before cooking. If you detect a strong unpleasant smell discard it. Don’t risk eating pork that smells “off” raw, since thorough cooking cannot eliminate toxic bacterial byproducts.
Cooked Rotten Pork Retains Its Pungent Smell
Cooking pork kills bacteria on the exterior but cannot penetrate deep enough to eliminate pathogens lurking within. So spoiled pork continues giving off a nasty, “rotten” smell even after cooking thoroughly.
If your raw pork seemed fine but releases an offensive odor or tastes bad while cooking, it’s likely gone off. Don’t eat cooked pork with a persistent foul, sour smell, as bacteria may still be present.
Spoilage Signs Beyond Smell
Along with stench, spoiled pork shows other signs of deterioration:
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Discoloration: Raw pork may appear greyish, instead of pink. Cooking doesn’t turn meat light pink as usual.
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Slimy texture: Rotten raw pork feels sticky, tacky, or mushy. Cooked bad pork looks wet and leaves slimy residues.
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Mold growth: Fuzzy white, green, or blue patches indicate mold. Don’t just cut away moldy areas—discard the entire pork product.
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Expired date: Pork kept past its printed use-by/freeze-by date has likely spoiled, even if it displays no other symptoms yet.
When identifying rancid pork, don’t just rely on your eyes—let your nose guide you! Foul odor serves as the best indicator of spoilage and danger.
Why Does Spoiled Pork Stink?
Two main types of bacteria contribute to the stench of rotten pork:
1. Spoilage Bacteria
Bacteria like Lactobacillus thrive on raw pork left out too long, rapidly multiplying and producing smelly metabolic byproducts. While killed by cooking, these waste compounds remain, causing the persistent foul smell.
2. Pathogenic Bacteria
Dangerous bacteria like Salmonella also give rotten pork its stench. Although destroyed by heat, the toxins secreted by these microbes survive, producing lingering odors.
While the stench itself won’t make you ill, it means potentially lethal pathogens contaminated the pork before spoiling. So rancid smells serve as important warnings not to eat the meat.
How to Safely Handle Raw Pork
To avoid spoiled pork and foodborne illness:
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Refrigerate raw pork below 40°F, or freeze at 0°F or below.
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Cook pork thoroughly to an internal temperature of 145°F.
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Never leave raw pork at room temperature over 2 hours.
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Store raw pork away from other foods to prevent cross-contamination.
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Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw pork.
Following proper storage and preparation guidelines significantly reduces the chances of spoiled, foul-smelling pork. But if you do detect a bad scent, remember—when in doubt, throw it out!
The Takeaway
Use your nose when handling raw pork—foul odors while cooking or from packaging indicate spoilage and potential bacterial contamination. Even thoroughly cooked rotten pork retains its pungent stench and may still harbor dangerous pathogens if the raw meat was rancid. For safety, discard any pork with an unappetizing smell before eating. With sound judgment, you can catch spoiled pork before it makes you ill.
It’s past its expiry date
That notice on your pork that says “expiration date” isn’t just there for looks or as a suggestion. Its your first real clue as to whether your meat is spoiled. The pork’s sell-by or expiration date, which is usually three to five days after you buy it, should be a good sign for your grocery store to take something off the shelves. However, these things do get missed sometimes.
Also, do not mix up the “sell-by” date with the “use-by” date. The “use-by” date tells you when to freeze your pork for later use if you are not going to eat it that day. While you can’t change the sell-by date, you can be more flexible with the use-by date when it comes to when you can eat your pork. You should be able to add one or two days to the use-by date for fresh pork as long as the temperature inside the fridge is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
Freezing your pork is also another way to prolong the shelf life of your pork. Subzero temperatures can keep your meat edible for an indefinite period, but according to the USDA, four to six months is your best window to preserve your porks quality. Remember, its not just about how long you can save your pork chops without them rotting. You should also be mindful of how long they can be kept in the freezer while still retaining their flavor and juiciness.
Puffy packaging can be a bad sign when it comes to pork or, really, any type of meat. When your food packaging is bloated, it can mean that bacteria has entered the chat and your pork. Sometimes, there can be more benign reasons for this bloating, however. Higher elevations can cause packaging to swell because of the difference in air pressure between inside and outside the package. Modified atmosphere packaging, or MAP, uses a mix of gases to make the meat last longer. This can also cause packaging to swell without contaminating it.
Outside of the aforementioned reasons, however, inflated packaging is a sign of bacteria multiplying inside, as it is a release of carbon dioxide created by the microbial contamination. According to Food Safety Magazine, the three main types of bacteria causing puffy packaging are coliforms, lactic acid, and yeast. Coliform bacteria are typically caused by unsanitary abattoirs or meat-packing plants and live in the gastrointestinal tracts of pigs. Heat resistant but highly susceptible to cold, refrigeration usually gets rid of coliforms. On the other hand, lactic acid bacteria can actually multiply in the cold, so refrigeration at the grocery store or at home wont have much of an effect on the contamination level. Also, yeast microbes can form through airborne transmission, survive cold temperatures, and actually create so much gas that they can pop plastic packaging.
How To Tell If Pork Has Gone Bad
FAQ
How can you tell if pork is spoiled?
Does rotten pork smell like eggs?
Does pork go bad in the fridge?
Can I eat pork 7 days after the sell-by date?
Does pork smell bad after cooking?
Fresh pork should not smell like much of anything. If it has an ammonia-like smell or sour odor, don’t use it or buy it. When working out how to tell if pork is bad after cooking, the sour smell will persist and intensify. For example, bad pork chops will smell worse when cooked.
Why is pork not recommended to eat?
This is not true, some cuts like sirloin and pork rump steak, for example, are very healthy, even healthier than beef and chicken. Only the fattest cuts like bacon and crackling should be avoided.
What does pork smell like?
1. **Unpleasant odor**: Spoiled pork will emit a putrid, sour, or ammonia-like smell. Trust your nose; if it smells off, discard it. 2. **Change in color**: Fresh pork is pink or pale pink, but as it spoils, it may turn gray or greenish. Avoid consuming pork with discoloration, as it could indicate bacterial growth. 3.
Why does pork smell odd?
It is worth noting that certain types of packaging may also cause the pork to smell a bit odd, and it is important to know how to distinguish this odor from the one associated with spoiled pork. Vacuum-packed pork typically has an off-putting smell that quickly dissipates after rinsing and drying.