Deer meat smells a bit funky

[Splaker]

Hey folsk,

Opened a pack of venison to stew. It smells. Not sure if I should eat it. We detected this before with this meat. Haven't had any deer meat since the spring. It was vacuumed packed and butcher by a pro.

Should I throw it out?

[rick_iles]

That's a hard question to answer without knowing what it actually smells like, and the history. Wild meat always smells different than beef or pork. If it was handled properly, butchered and frozen properly, it's likely ok....

[trimmer21]

Rule #1 is "If in doubt,throw it out." Don't ever take chance.

[Camp Red Maple]

Rule #1 is "If in doubt,throw it out." Don't ever take chance.

X 2 from here as well

[smitty55]

Only you can answer that question. If it smells "off" then for me it would be dog food. I'd also be tempted to take it back to the butcher and get his opinion. It doesn't take too long if a deer gets bloated before field dressing for that smell to permeate the whole animal.


Cheers

[robster]

Don't take a chance, but even if butchered & vacuum packed depends on the condition of the meat before it was processed. From field dressing to hanging/cooling, skinning etc. Could even only be parts of the meat were bad? I vacuum seal also but tag (type of meat, cut, date) each package. This way I keep track of rotation.

[seabast]

Just add curry! It works in India....

[dutchhunter]

if it is bad you will know it right away no need to ask ,,A little funky smell is not out of the ordinary ,,if slimy green or sour you will know it right away ,you can rinse it in cold fresh water then give it another sniff ,,,if it is just a little funky it should smell better after a rinse ,,if okay after then just cook it well done ,,,,,If it has gone bad then throw it out .but it takes a lot for it to go bad in the freezer vac packed ,,Dutch

[trimmer21]

if it is bad you will know it right away no need to ask ,,A little funky smell is not out of the ordinary ,,if slimy green or sour you will know it right away ,you can rinse it in cold fresh water then give it another sniff ,,,if it is just a little funky it should smell better after a rinse ,,if okay after then just cook it well done ,,,,,If it has gone bad then throw it out .but it takes a lot for it to go bad in the freezer vac packed ,,Dutch

Not if it might have been "close" to funky from the get-go.

[yellow dog]

Just add curry! It works in India....

X2 !!!!