The last thing you want to do when making dinner is serve ribs that look or smell bad. Nor do you want to dish up bad pork chops that could cause people to fall sick. Fortunately, there are some pretty clear tip-offs when your pork is spoiled.
Find out the most common ways to tell if your pork has gone bad and what you need to know to stay safe around food.
When you purchase meat, youll typically see a sell-by date listed on the packaging. MSU says that stores use this date to figure out when to take food off the shelves and throw it away.
If you buy pork, the USDA says you should use or freeze it within 3 to 5 days of the sell-by date.
There may be more than one date on the package. There is a sell-by date and a use-by date. The use-by date tells you when to eat (or freeze) the food, according to Michigan State University. The expiration date is the date after which you should throw it away.
This is why Catie Beauchamp, PhD, vice president of food science, quality, and safety at ButcherBox, always tells people to check the use-by date on ready-to-eat foods like deli ham: “Sometimes you can’t tell when something is going bad with your senses.”
That familiar, mouthwatering aroma of sizzling pork chops or bacon frying in the pan is one of life’s simple culinary pleasures. But on occasion, pork’s typically savory scent is inexplicably replaced by the head-turning stench of rotten fish. This bizarre phenomenon understandably prompts the question why does my pork smell like fish?
In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of this fishy pork predicament and provide practical solutions to restore pork’s rightful aroma.
Common Causes of the Fishy Scent
There are a few common culprits behind pork’s fishy funk:
1. Spoilage Bacteria
Just like fish, pork contains an organic compound called trimethylamine (TMA). When pork is improperly stored at unsafe temperatures for too long, bacteria multiply rapidly, breaking down TMA into smelly byproducts like dimethylamine, causing a fishy stench.
2. Improper Handling
Exposing pork to oxygen, sunlight, or unsanitary environments during storage or preparation accelerates TMA breakdown and bacterial growth. This speeds up spoilage and leads to a fishy smell.
3. Prolonged Storage
Even when properly packaged or frozen, pork slowly loses quality over time Prolonged storage of vacuum-packed or frozen pork may allow “stale” odors like fishiness to develop.
4. Contaminated Packaging
If packaged pork is somehow contaminated or stored near fish, the fish odor can seep into the pork’s packaging and penetrate the meat Reusing containers to store different meats can also cause cross-contamination
Stopping the Fishy Scent in Its Tracks
Luckily, there are easy ways to prevent your pork from smelling fishy:
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Store pork properly – Refrigerate raw pork promptly in airtight packaging at 40°F or below. Do not exceed 3-5 days storage. For ground pork, use within 1-2 days.
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Handle with care – Limit oxygen exposure, contamination risks, and temperature fluctuations when handling raw pork. Wash hands, tools, surfaces thoroughly after contact.
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Cook ASAP – Cook or freeze fresh pork within a few days of purchasing. Freezing can extend shelf life for 4-6 months.
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Know when to toss – If raw pork has a sour or fishy smell, it has likely spoiled and should be discarded. Don’t risk eating it.
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Avoid cross-contamination – Use separate containers and tools for raw pork vs. fish. Never reuse packaging without washing first.
Following safe pork handling practices will help maintain quality and prevent fishy odors.
Remedying Fishy Pork
If it’s too late and your pork already smells fishy, all hope is not lost. Here are some tips to remedy the fishy odor:
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Vinegar – Soaking the pork in vinegar or lemon juice for 30+ minutes can neutralize amines causing fishy smells. Rinse before cooking.
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Baking soda – Rubbing baking soda directly on the pork then rinsing clean after 15-20 minutes absorbs and diminishes fishy odors.
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Blanching – Briefly blanching pork in boiling water for a few minutes then rinsing helps eliminate some surface odor-causing residues.
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Marinating – Marinating fishy pork in bold acidic ingredients like yogurt, wine, citrus, or spice rubs before cooking can help mask unwanted aromas.
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Slow-cooking – Low, slow cooking methods like braising can gently cook out some of the volatile compounds behind fishy smells.
With the right techniques, you can rehabilitate fishy pork into a tasty meal. Just allow extra time for the odor-removal process before cooking.
When to Toss Fishy Pork
While the smell alone may seem off-putting, is fishy pork still safe to eat? Here are a few guidelines:
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Mild odor – If stored properly, pork with a light fishy smell can be safely consumed after remedying the odor.
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Persistent odor – Heavily fishy pork even after attempting to remove the smell may indicate spoilage. Exercise caution and consider discarding.
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Off-color – Grayish, greenish, or slimy pork with a fishy odor has likely spoiled and should be thrown out.
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Rancid odor – A sharp, ammonia-like or putrid fishy smell also signals spoilage. Do not consume pork with this odor.
When in doubt, remember this simple rule: when pork smells fishy, don’t risk it. The odor is a clear indicator something is amiss. Proceed with caution and be prepared to part ways with funky pork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about fishy pork? Here are answers to some common queries:
Q: Why does frozen pork sometimes smell fishy when thawed?
A: Freezing can damage pork’s cell structure. As frozen pork thaws, leaked cellular fluids can combine with spoilage microbes to produce fishy odors.
Q: Can I avoid the fishy smell by cooking pork right away?
A: Cooking cannot destroy the chemical compounds causing fishy odors. Unless the smell is very faint, cook right away is not recommended.
Q: Is it possible to overpower the fishy taste while cooking pork?
A: Yes, marinating then cooking fishy-smelling pork in strongly flavored sauces can help mask offensive odors and flavors.
Q: Should I rinse pork before cooking even if it doesn’t smell?
A: Yes. Rinsing helps eliminate excess blood, fluids or contaminants that could impact pork’s smell and taste when cooked.
Q: Is fishy ground pork safe to eat if thoroughly cooked?
A: No. Ground pork has more surface area exposed to potential contaminants. Cook thoroughly, but discard ground pork with persistent fishy odors.
The Takeaway
While an occasional fishy whiff from your pork is unpleasant, it is not cause for panic. With proper storage, handling, and preparatory measures, fishy pork can be redeemed. Remember to adhere to basic food safety principles, and be ready to part ways with pork that refuses to drop the fishy funk despite your best odor-removal efforts. With sound judgment, you can ensure that the only scent wafting from your pork is absolute mouthwatering perfection.
The Color Is Off
Amidor says, “You should look for fresh pork that is light pink and has firm, white fat.” An excessively dark color with soft or rancid fat is a sign that it might be spoiled. But color isnt always a decisive factor, Beauchamp points.
“While color may be an indicator of spoilage it doesnt always mean a product is spoiled,” she says. When oxygen gets into a package that isn’t tightly sealed, it can cause the color to change.
“Oxidization is a perfectly normal and safe occurrence,” Beauchamp says. Spoilage can occur if theres too much oxygen or too long of an exposure, she says.
Its Packaging Is Puffy
Beauchamp says that if the pork bags are puffy, it means the pork has gone bad and you should throw it away. This occurs when the bacteria in the meat multiply and produce gases, which causes the packaging to bloat.