A week after the "sell by" date or the "use or freeze" date?

If the latter, I would definitely pitch it.

Some unhealthy organisms form spores which even usual cooking temps cannot kill.

Additionally, any kind of an "off" smell is a danger signal.

IMO some people marinate meat with things like alcohol to extend the lifespan a bit; maybe someone will speak to that in this thread.

If something smelled "off" enough for me to post that question, I couldn't imagine enjoying it even if everyone came back saying it's fine.

Personally I'd chunk it up, sear it and feed it to my dog, but of course you'd need a dog in order to take that advice.

Happens to the best of us I'm afraid.

/when in doubt, throw it out. You are in doubt. Pitch it and don't look backwards. Done. Gone. Happens to everyone as foas said.

I'd definitely (if it wasn't grey) cut off the outside bits and see if it still smells off. If not, I'd have no worries about cooking it, if it tastes okay, I'd eat it. It's not like ground beef that I WOULD worry about.

I think I had a lapse of good sense when I posted this question. Whenever anyone else posts a question like this, I always think, "how much is it worth to you to risk several days of barfing." My tolerance for food poisoning is zero! It is going in the trash immediately. Thanks for all of the comments bringing me back from the brink.

P.S. I don't have a dog, but DD does. He does not eat people food. He won't even scarf up bits that fall on the floor. He will smell it and look at you like, "Really? You need to get that off my floor."

If you age beef in the refrigerator - which is more or less what you did - it will look and smell a bit off, but will be perfectly fine to eat - better, in fact, than if eaten directly from the supermarket. I would have cooked it, with some method that included searing or roasting the exterior. Cutting off the exterior would have been another, even more cautious, option.

I agree with John.

I do age beef sometimes. They can smell off. There is a difference between smelling off and smelling rotten.

dcarch

Aged beef is pretty specific in curing...cool temps and a very dry environment. (?!). I do fridge and age meats sometimes on a rack for a dry skin with a dry rub....in the fridge to cure.
Or maybe a shrink wrapped,' no air' packaged might be ok.
But a foam tray baby with a thin plastic wrapped topper and an old date...hmmm....i don't want it.
Depends on the source of purchase.

I'd be cautious...I don't like feeling ill, vomiting, and diarrhea, though I also don't like to throw away food.

This wasn't aged beef or dry aged beef, it was just old beef. It is currently in the freezer in a big ziploc labeled TRASH. It will go out Friday when the trash man cometh.

I'd rather throw away $10 than be ill - or worse, make my family ill.

Does anyone else store their food-trash in the freezer until trash day?

I dump my throwaway food in the compost rollaway bin.

Good choice bbstx. If I had seen this earlier, my advice would have been to toss it. If you are aging meat in the fridge, it isn't covered in plastic.

~Ann

Beef sushi time!!!!

Don B.

I probably would have done the same thing (and kicked myself for not catching it in time!). Having food poisoning once makes you err on the side of caution. And I, too, put anything that won't go in the compost in the freezer till trash day (clearly labeled). It doesn't stink and if I forget it one week it'll be fine till the next.

I told a friend once if I died unexpectedly, I wanted her to rush to my house and get the trash out of the freezer. I didn't want anyone to think I was hoarding trash. :-)))

I've frozen meat for trash day.....in my case for the green bin. I don't want to put the meat too early in the bin. Might as well inhibit any smells or raccoon hits as much as possible :)

I also have several small bags of chopped veggies in the freezer destined for my composting worms. They are in clear bags, so easily identified. I also have a larger bag of watermelon rinds as a treat for them. :D