Discolouration on fresh red meat

[SAV]

Hello people, I've wondered since I was a child why red meat goes off in colour so rapidly - I purchased some organic pasture fed scotch fillet yesterday & it was nice & deep red all over - this morning when I when to take it out of the fridge it had greyish/ brownish patched on the bottom where it had been resting on -

same with some beef mince that I purchased - fresh looking & smelling on the outside but brownish grey on the inside with a tangy smell just like the steak 

I'm wondering if this is normal on red meats as it almost always certainly happens to whatever quality meat I purchase

Are they still O.K to eat? - raw of course

Many thanks for any helpful opinions / advice

Sav

[goodsamaritan]

In my refrigerator experiences, I have to give the beef some air.  Put in a container with lots of air space.  I found that if the meat is taken out of the refrigerator, it should be allowed to "breath".  Seems if I allow the meat to "breath" it stays red longer.

[invisible]

Meat doesn't actually start out red, it's more of a mixture of purple/red/brown depending on the animal and cut. The meat turning red happens when exposed to the air, then after more exposure it begins to turn brown and rot. The darker parts just haven't been exposed to air. I leave my meats out to come to room temperature before eating and they go red. When buying vacuum packed steaks as soon as you open the package the steaks are brownish, but 15 minutes after opened are red. In a few more days will be brown again. Fine to eat either way.

[goodsamaritan]

Huh???? I see freshly killed meat starting out as RED / pink

When I see the slaughter of live goat or live beef, the meat IS red.
When the meat is hung on the meat hook for sale, it IS red.

[William]

In first world countries, store meat is not fresh and would show the normal brownish colour of oxidised blood were it not "processed" by exposure to carbon monoxide and/or some chemical that makes it turn red when exposed to fresh air. Or nuclear radiation.

This is one of the reasons that I buy meat from a farmer; there are no markets in Canada like those where GS can buy truly fresh meat.

[invisible]

Huh? I see freshly killed meat starting out as RED / pink

When I see the slaughter of live goat or live beef, the meat IS red.
When the meat is hung on the meat hook for sale, it IS red.

The meat goes red very quickly, within minutes and that meat is at room temperature. If you cut open a big chunk of meat that is still cold it is inside initially a bit purplish (I believe this is where the term 'blue' steak comes from)

SAV try turning the meat over so that the side that was on the bottom now is getting air and report back.

P.S. damn that meat looks awesome, Juicy, heaps of fat, nice and yellow from grown grass fed cows

[SAV]

Thanks for the helpful replies guys -
the meats were in vacuum sealed bags - I might try hanging them by placing a thread through the bag & leaving it suspended in the fridge, & also cutting a small hole in the bag to let some air in, as it appears that the part which has the pressure placed on it & least air, is the part that changes colour

When I used to have this problem whilst eating meat cooked, it didn't really bother me as the cooking covered it up

So it is still fine to eat if / when this happens again in the future?

Thanking you

[boxcarguy07]

Thanks for the helpful replies guys -
the meats were in vacuum sealed bags - I might try hanging them by placing a thread through the bag & leaving it suspended in the fridge, & also cutting a small hole in the bag to let some air in, as it appears that the part which has the pressure placed on it & least air, is the part that changes colour

When I used to have this problem whilst eating meat cooked, it didn't really bother me as the cooking covered it up

So it is still fine to eat if / when this happens again in the future?

Thanking you

Yeah, it's totally fine if it turns a little brown. It just means it's not at the peak of its freshness.
It's mostly up to personal preference.
I personally don't mind if my meat has turned a little brown. In fact, in the past I have, and I know others on here have/do purposely age their meats.
So yes, it's totally fine.

[Michael]

Good to see you back Boxcar!  I don't spend much time on here myself these days and don't recognise many of the 'new faces'.  I hope all has been good with you and glad to see you're still paleo.

Brown meat?  I much prefer it myself and prior to my internet placed grass-fed orders always used to request the brownest meats from my local butchers.  They often kept it for me for a few extra weeks until it was exceptionally dark brown and crispy!  It was just like roast beef! 

[boxcarguy07]

Hey there Michael!
Yeah I just started coming back here. Glad to see you around here too!