Bag came loose – Mold?

[Alex]

I was aging my first ribeye subprial (half) and it looks like the bag lost its vacuum and part of the bottom of the bag came off of the meat. In some spots where the bag is no longer touching there is a white spots that appear to be mold. Is this piece of meat junk or is it still ok to trim it off and use?

Meat has been aging since 6/8/11 and I wanted to cook it this weekend.

[Ron Pratt]

Let your nose be your guide, but with trimming and no more “white” than you said I believe you are OK. Most likely this is a case where there was some form of bacteria present on the meat when it went in the bag. Good luck and please let us know the outcome!

Ron

[Ron Pratt]

BTW if you ever saw some of the sub-primals aged without the benefit of a Drybag and aged in a less than optimum condition you can’t believe how gross the exterior looks!

[Alex]

Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll post a couple pic tonight to help you better understand what they look like. I’m just starting this so Im not sure what it ok and what isnt.

[Alex]

There is a lot of mold on it. Not sure if thats normal. Im thinking its not because its only where the bag came off. It doesnt have any smell but I havent opened it yet. Here are some pics. Let me know if you think I should toss it.

Heres the top. This side was up and looks pretty good.

Other side

Close up same side

Sides

[Jason]

Bummer….. I’m less than a week into my first ribeye too, so I don’t have much in the way of real-world experience to offer. I’m curious what others think though because I personally would have a hard time if I found myself in that position.

I’m typically the guy that’s dumping the milk down the drain the moment it hits the expiration date, so I’m taking a pretty big leap with this whole aging business. 🙂 On the other hand, it’s an expensive chunk of meat to just throw out. Everything I’ve read says like Ron did above, and that’s to let your nose be the guide. I’ve yet to experience what a “normal” aged loin should smell like, but “earthy” is a pretty common description. I suspect that it is pretty dramatic shift in “fragrance” when things go wrong… (and am pretty sure it will require opening the bag to make that call).

For my own curiosity, did everything go ok with the initial seal? Anything abnormal happen while it was aging? Just wondering if there were warning signs to watch out for on my own project.

Best of luck…. I hope it turns out to be ok!

[Ron Pratt]

You have to make the decision yourself, but what I see in these pictures would not concern me in the least! I’d trim it in thin layers vs. one big whack…reason is I’ll almost bet you dollars to donuts that mold is superficial and has had no impact on the meat itself. Like I was trying to explain if you are to go into a commercial aging unit you might be gagged by what you see. Let’s face it – the unpleasant way of saying what aging is is letting the meat break down and the exterior is going to suffer the most and have the visible signs. Typically using a Drybag you will not see any mold since the bag material works to prevent that from happening. That’s why I raised the issue that bacteria was probably already at work on that meat when you placed it in the bag.

I had food poisoning once and I never want that again nor would I wish it one anyone…on the other hand I do not believe you have a problem that careful trimming won’t solve!

Lastly I repeat let your nose be your guide – aged meat has a nutty, earthy smell, but it is not an offensive rotting smell in the least!

[Alex]

Thanks for the comments. I wasnt sure and wanted to ask. I’ll open it up tomorrow and see how it smells. If it smells good Ill give it a try as long as it looks good after trimming.

The seal seemed good when I did it. It did seem to loosen up a few days later. I’ve read some sealing tips on this site that should help for next time.

Thanks for the help and any comments are welcome.

[Alex]

I opened up the bag today and it smelled good. Nothing rotten or fowl so I thought Id see how they looked after trimming. I probably trimmed more than I should have. Heres a few pics. They tasted good.

Thanks for the help.

[Jason]

Wow, that is quite a feast! Glad it turned out to be ok.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. If I hadn’t seen this thread, I’m not sure I would have gotten as far as the “nose test” if it happened to me.

[Ron Pratt]

Thanks for the follow up Vindii. I was just positive that there was nothing to worry about. BTW superb meal there let alone presentation!

Ron

[Alex]

Thanks for the comments guys.

The smell was the biggest thing for me. If it would have smelled any kind of funky I would have tossed it. It smelled fine.

I also do a little bit of home sausage making and I know that sometimes surface mold is ok and actually preferred. This was all on the surface.

I think I may do the next one a bit shorter. I trimmed this one pretty heavy just to be sure and ended up having to cut almost all of the fat off from the outside. I think that may have affected the flavor a bit. It was still good but there is definitely a different taste from a non-aged ribeye.

[Ron Pratt]

I’m curious why you plan to go for a shorter period instead of longer. Your case of mold inside was the first and only one reported here so there most likely was bacteria on the meat before sealing. I am not a germ freak, but I always handle my raw meat with food safe disposable plastic gloves just as a caution and never let me meat rest on a counter. BTW those gloves are extremely cheap at SAM’S – two boxes of 500 gloves each for under 10 bucks.

[Jason]

Ron, when you have a moment and if wouldn’t mind, could you elaborate a little on what all takes place in your world to get the meat bagged? That transfer process is part of the reason I wound up with too much fluid in mine.

I had stood the loin on end, cut open the cryovac, drained off some fluid (could have/should have done more), stood it back on end, rolled the edges of the cryovac bag down some, then started sliding the drybag (partially rolled up itself) down the exposed part of the loin. Then I rotated 180 degrees so the drybag was on bottom (with lots of fluid making the journey as well, slid the cryovac the rest of the way off and unrolled the drybag the rest of the way up the exposed loin. Didn’t rinse the meat.

I was all “gloved up” and trying to avoid letting the meat come into contact with anything. I was successful in that regard, but moved too much fluid and honestly could have used another set of hands to balance things. Didn’t really want to even touch the meat after touching the outside of the cryovac because there’s no telling what all it has been exposed to in its journey. In that, I was not successful. I was going to make it a two person job next time. Taking it too far?

Thanks!
Jason

[Alex]

RRP wrote:

quote :

I’m curious why you plan to go for a shorter period instead of longer. Your case of mold inside was the first and only one reported here so there most likely was bacteria on the meat before sealing. I am not a germ freak, but I always handle my raw meat with food safe disposable plastic gloves just as a caution and never let me meat rest on a counter. BTW those gloves are extremely cheap at SAM’S – two boxes of 500 gloves each for under 10 bucks.

I did not use gloves when I pout the meat in the bag. I will next time. I think the mold if from the bag not being in contact but thats just a guesse.

Only reason im thinking of a shorter time is to see what the flavor difference is like. Also maybe so I dont have to trim so much off. There was basically no fat left around the outside of the steak which seem to take away from the flavor. Again just my thought, maybe not true?

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