As you look in the fridge and weigh up the shelf life of the ingredients inside, you might be wondering how you can tell if pork has gone bad and whether or not this type of meat shows clear signs of spoilage.
How can you tell if pork has gone bad? When it has gone bad, pork will show a variety of signs, including becoming slimy or gray or taking on a rancid, stomach-churning odor. Each of these indicates that the pork is no longer safe to eat whether you cook it or not, and they can apply to both cooked and raw pork.
How can you tell if raw pork has gone bad?
There are three ways to tell if raw pork has gone bad: use your sense of smell, your sight, and your touch. Take the pork out of the fridge and examine it closely. If the meat becomes gray, slimy, or smells bad, it’s no longer safe to eat. If you can see mold stains, throw it away.
Gray meat is a good sign that it has gone bad. This happens because the meat has been exposed to oxygen for an extended period of time. The oxygen reacts with the iron in the meat and oxidizes it. This produces metmyoglobin, which is brown and makes the meat appear gray.
However, not all gray meat will have gone bad; this change can occur before the flesh has had time to spoil. You don’t necessarily have to throw away gray meat, although it does indicate that the meat is past its prime.
Therefore, check the other two characters as well. First, gently touch the meat and see how its texture feels. If it feels firm and moist, it’s probably still safe to consume. However, when it has become mushy and slimy, the cells have started to decompose due to bacteria and you cannot safely eat it.
Likewise, a bad smell is a clear sign that the pork is no longer edible. Like many animals, humans are turned off by the smell of rotting meat because it makes us nauseous—so we evolved to find the smell objectionable.
If any of these signs are present, you should be cautious. Gray meat by itself is safe to eat, but slimy or fetid meat (or meat that is a combination of the above) must be discarded.
How can you tell if boiled pork has gone bad?
You can use the same three indicators to tell if cooked pork has gone bad. Gray patches of meat or mold, a foul odor, or a slimy texture indicate the same thing as raw meat—so you shouldn’t eat pork with these signs.
It’s worth noting that chilled pork can be difficult to smell. So if you’ve saved leftovers, you might need to reheat them on the counter for 10 minutes before doing the smell test. When it’s cold, even rotten pork might not give off much smell.
As with raw pork, sliminess or a bad odor are more obvious signs of rot than gray color, but mold spots are a definite sign that the pork needs to be discarded.
Does cooking bad pork make it edible?
You cannot make moldy pork edible by cooking it. Part of the danger lies in the toxins produced by the bacteria in the meat. Heating the pork kills the bacteria but doesn’t remove the toxins, so bad pork can make you sick no matter how much you cook it.
If you suspect pork has gone bad, you must throw it away instead of consuming it. This is crucial because eating spoiled pork can make you very ill. Severe cases of food poisoning can even be fatal, so don’t take the risk of cooking meat that you know has gone bad.
How long can you store pork?
Raw pork can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If the meat was ground, shorten this to about 2 days. Cooked pork can be stored for about 3 days provided it has been freshly cooked and it is refrigerated immediately.
Remember that pork must always be kept cool during storage, otherwise it runs the risk of developing pathogenic bacteria that are undetectable but can cause extreme illness.
If the pork has been stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it must be discarded, even if it looks, smells and feels good. If the room is above 90 degrees F, you can’t leave pork at room temperature longer than 1 hour before it’s unsafe to eat.
You must follow these guidelines to protect yourself when eating meat.
Can you put pork in the freezer?
If you don’t use pork within the prescribed time, you can freeze it. You can do this, but it’s best to do it a few days before the pork’s expiration date. Do not freeze pork that is turning or showing the signs above.
That’s because freezing and thawing takes time, and the pork can go bad in the meantime. It’s best to freeze pork when it’s fresh if you won’t be using it. If necessary, cut it into portions so you can thaw only what you need, further reducing the risk of spoilage.
Ground beef should keep in the freezer for about 4 months, while pork roasts and chops can last up to a year in an airtight container.
Final Thoughts
When pork has gone bad, it usually loses its color and texture and takes on a rancid odor. Make sure you always inspect pork carefully, especially if it has been stored for a few days, before cooking and eating it. This reduces the risk of food poisoning.
