How do I know if hamburger meat is bad?

Question

I mean spoiled not contaminated. Will it always smell bad? We bought some hamburger meat probably almost 2 months ago (a huge amount and we haven't eaten all of it) and I was planning on using it today. I am not sure how long it has been but think it was somewhere around 2 months. How can I tell if it is okay?

I know most places online I looked say frozen hamburger meat is good for 3-4 months but I just want a way to make sure.

Answer 1

First thing is to look at it for ice crystals. That's freezer burn. Won't hurt you.
Second, defrost it and look at the color, brown to green could be iffy.
Third, do the sniff test. You know what ground burger smells like. If it fails, toss it.

Answer 2

It will smell bad, and turn an off colour.
another test is feed a bit to a cat, if they take it, it's fine, if not.. LOOK OUT. Cats are smarter then Dogs, a Dog will eat it anyways.
Another rule to remember. If it was frozen in a fridge freezer then it will keep about 6 months.
If it was frozen in a deep freezer, then it will keep for a year.

Answer 3

SMELLS bad and will be brown. Normal hamburger meat will have a slight smell but not an odor and is pinkish red. Not worth food posioning.

Answer 4

It turns a deep gray color and will usually smell a bit sour. As long as it was frozen well and doesn't have freezer burn it should be fine. Just make sure you cook it completely and immediately after dethawing it.

Answer 5

It will have a brown color to it.It wont necessarily smell bad but it gets kinda sticky

Answer 6

was it frozen?

It will keep that long if frozen.

If not, it would be very disgusting by now.

I'd go with if in doubt throw it out.

Answer 7

Well you can see the color of it

Answer 8

when in doubt..throw it out..for a buck and a half a pound...your going to risk your life???