Wasted Food

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...