Sometimes, you just don't finish doing something!
Two weeks ago, I bought a pork Boston Butt, a beef Steamship Round, and a package of 10 chicken thighs. The pork is for smoking and cutting into cubes for pork stew and stir-fries. I pack the cubes into plastic sandwich bags 4oz per bag and I get enough for several months.
The beef is for roasting rare and slicing for sandwiches and a few 1/2" slabs to cube later with noodles and gravy. The chicken was for "anything", so I just boiled it. I normally bread the chicken with Panko bread flakes and bake it or saute it skin side down, and that works well.
What a disaster! The chicken was mushy, but I did freeze them immediately. For some reason, I kept putting off slicing the beef and cubing the pork. Everyday, I saw them in the fridge and said "I've GOT to get at that today". I didn't. For over a week...
When I did, the beef had some discoloration. The pork looked fine and it WAS smoked in 1" thick slabs, so I thought it would be preserved. But last night, I decided I just didn't want to risk any of it. I tossed it all into the trash. $50 worth of meat, wasted.
I hate wasting food, but not at risk to my health. Better safe than sorry.
I redid the chicken a couple days ago and it all turned out perfectly and I froze each thing individually. I'll buy another Boston Butt and Steamship Round next shopping trip (soon, I miss my pork stew and I'm out of fresh fruit too).
This time I'll chill them both and process them the next morning! But I sure hated to waste all that...
3 comments:
You mean it's not just me that does things like that? I typically end up putting the whole big chunks of meat in the freezer before they go off, but of course, that creates some problems when I want to use it later on.
Rats, rats, rats - I feel your pain, but I agree that you made the sensible choice.
Megan
Sydney, Australia
Yeah, we gotta take care of things ASAP. Years ago I had bought some chicken and figured I would take care of it the next day. That evening my mother passed and I was gone for a week. Needless to say that chicken was forgotten, sat in the fridge and then got tossed when I got back home. Oh well. We don't need to make ourselves sick trying to use dodgy meat.
I don't like to waste either, but it is better than getting sick. :)
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