The Reason Your Vacuum-Packed Meat Smells Funky

If you've ever opened a vacuum-sealed package of raw meat and noticed that funny smell escaping (almost sour and unappealing, maybe a touch like a rotten egg), there's no need to panic just yet. That's because this is a completely natural occurrence when it comes to meat packed this way. The smell is thanks to lactic acid buildup in the packaging; it's an indicator that shows you the sealing has been done properly. 

If you let that meat sit for a while, you should notice the smell fade away after 20 to 30 minutes from my experience. That scent can occur no matter how far along the protein is before its best-by date. So if and when you notice it, just know it's not a sign you need to throw the food away. If you were the one to vacuum pack the meat yourself, you may have also noticed that the meat is darker than when you first put it in the plastic. That, too, is normal, so no need to worry about a visual change in that manner. It might not be as pretty as it was, but it's going to taste just fine.

Things can and do happen, however, so you will want to keep an eye out for some basic things. Usually your instincts will kick in when it comes to food being off, but if you notice that the meat's funky smell is really persistent or if it's slimy to the touch (a bit of excess protein-laden juice is normal), your Spidey-sense should start tingling as those are big red flags when it comes to spoiled vacuum-packed meat. If the packaging was somehow already opened, loosened, or punctured before you got to it, that's not the best sign either.

If you've gone through the cooking process and the meat still smells slightly off, it's best just to toss it and order some pizza just to be safe. It is easy to panic and I know that these considerations really do worry some people more than others (food poisoning can be pretty nasty, after all), but rotten product is pretty distinct, so it's more of a mindfulness thing. 

So don't worry about that initial funny smell that comes off the meat when you get it out of the vacuum-sealed package as that should eventually go away. If the odd smell sticks around for too long or if the meat is extra-gooey to the touch, that might be your cue to change up your dinner plans just a bit.