Is the pig still good?

October 22, 2011 3:52 PM

Is it safe to eat question #18734. Vacuum packed pork spare ribs, six days in the fridge. Still good?

I took ribs that were in the freezer out last Sunday and moved them to the fridge. They are vacuum packed and haven't been opened. I'd like to rub them today and bake them tomorrow.

My question is... Are they still good? Six, nearly seven days seems long, but they are vacuum sealed. Thoughts on my $20 worth of pig?

Also: uncooked, not pre-cooked ribs.

posted by Mister Fabulous to food & drink (17 answers total)

yes eat it as long as it doesn't smell off. cryovaced meat will last for a few weeks.
posted by JPD at 4:04 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I would eat that pig so hard. Obviously, give it a good sniff when you open them, just to make sure, but those suckers should be fine. Enjoy!
posted by phunniemee at 4:04 PM on October 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

Pork generally changes color quite noticeably when its goes, and the smell is obvious. Your eyes and nose should always be your first line of judgment for meats like this. However, vacuum packed meat can last for several weeks in your fridge if unopened, so don't worry about six days.
posted by Jehan at 4:12 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, if the smell isn't stomach-turning when you open the pack, eat the heck out of it.
posted by pemberkins at 4:32 PM on October 22, 2011

Vacuum sealed AND in the fridge the entire time? You're just fine.

Remember that bacteria are arrested by heat and a lack of air. If you don't give them either of those things, they don't expand. Thus, the pork probably has nearly identical counts to what it had when you pulled it out of the freezer, since the lack of air would keep anything new from being introduced, and the cold would keep whatever was still around from being able to multiply.

Totally fine, in my opinion.
posted by disillusioned at 5:14 PM on October 22, 2011

Typical fridge temp hovers around a few degrees above freezing, and gets even colder the more full it is. Unless you have a really terrible fridge, you are totally fine.
posted by Gilbert at 5:17 PM on October 22, 2011

Hell, yes.
Good to eat.
posted by SLC Mom at 5:26 PM on October 22, 2011

Remember that bacteria are arrested by heat and a lack of air. If you don't give them either of those things, they don't expand.

Anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum can still grow in a vacuum. But if you keep it cold enough, it shouldn't be a problem.
posted by grouse at 5:26 PM on October 22, 2011

I would eat it without worrying, as long as it's been in the fridge the whole time.
posted by leahwrenn at 5:44 PM on October 22, 2011

Yes. Cook thoroughly.
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:52 PM on October 22, 2011

Perhaps the first is-it-safe-to-eat question where the answer is unequivocally yes?
posted by genug at 8:28 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't call it unequivocal. "Can I eat this" questions are always a bit at your own risk. The USDA suggests that refrigerated uncooked pork should be good for 3 to 5 days.
posted by grouse at 8:39 PM on October 22, 2011

I'd eat them.
posted by rtha at 9:29 PM on October 22, 2011

Be careful with this one. The vacuum sealed Costco ribs I purchased a while ago went off after sitting 4 days in the fridge (post-freezing).

The vacuum seal wasn't really vacuum sealed.

Trust your nose on this one.
posted by just.good.enough at 2:00 AM on October 23, 2011

And any hint of stickiness.
posted by h00py at 2:54 AM on October 23, 2011

Were these bought in Frozen form ? or did you buy them sit them in the fridge for a while then freeze them?

I think they would probably be Ok if you bought them frozen, as frozen items in the fridge actually take a day or so to defrost anyway.
posted by mary8nne at 4:19 AM on October 23, 2011

I opened them and they smelled perfectly fine. I'm gonna so eat that pig.

Thanks all!
posted by Mister Fabulous at 12:32 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]