Think I ate some slightly spoiled beef.. verify?

Question

I bought some thin sliced eye of round last Sunday at Target. The expiration date wasn't until July 8th so I opened the package today (been in the fridge the entire time) and made stir fry with it.

The beef smelled somewhat sour and tasted sour.. I didn't cut up all of it and the smell got stronger as it warmed to room temperature.

Question is - am I going to get sick? The beef was cooked through & through.

Answer 1

Food becoming foul smelling or tasting and food that will make you sick are quite different. Most food poisoning comes from food that tastes and smells fine, but has been mishandled in some way.
Expiration dates on food are to indicate when the quality of the product will start to decline, and have nothing to do with making anyone sick, other than from a rotten smell.
Food poisoning is caused either by bacteria, or by toxins produced by bacteria. Thorough cooking generally kills the bacteria and sufficienlty denatures the toxins so that they will no longer hurt you.
I would not normally eat meat that is starting to smell bad if I had a choice, but many of the worlds cuisines have dishes designed to cover up the flavor of meat that is starting to take on bad flavors.

Answer 2

Chances are slim of getting sick. Time alone will not cause food to become contaminated-it must be at the correct temperature and exposed to microorganisms. Since your beef was in the fridge and covered the whole time, I suspect you have now experienced what our ancestors with no refrigeration called "aged" beef.

Answer 3

The bacteria that cause the meat to smell should have been killed if the meat was thoroughly cooked, the signs of food poisoning usually show up within a day so if you don't have any signs by then, you should be ok.

Answer 4

If you got it hot enough, which it sounds like you did, you killed all of the bacteria. Bacteria are really your main risk of getting sick with beef, so you should be safe.

I once made spaghetti with what turned out to be spoiled hamburger beef. I cooked it thoroughly, and didn't get sick.

Answer 5

Raw beef should be cooked within 3 days or else frozen. Don't go by the date, your nose is a better judge.......don't eat it.
Call it an expensive lesson learned.

Answer 6

Generally you will see signs of food poisoning within 24 hours of eating the tainted food.
I would suggest next time, if it smells sour before you cook it, toss it!

Answer 7

If the beef was cooked slowly and thoroughly you should be fine. If not, well it's kinda like a High-Colonic (LOL). If you develop nausea and diarrhea just stay well hydrated and you will be fine. I suspect all will be just fine anyway.

Answer 8

yes most likely it was spoiled,never leave meat in the refrigerator that long,freeze it if your going to wait to eat it,your most likely to get nausated and stomach cramps.