Can I eat this? Old ham bone edition

April 11, 2024 12:10 PM

We baked a bone-in half ham on Saturday, March 30, so it's been twelve days. Kept well refrigerated. Original expiration date far in the future. It was a "Smithfield" city ham, not a country ham, "water added". We ate most of the meat within a week. Can I use the remaining ham bone to make stock for cooking beans, or should I throw it out because it's way too old for that now? Smells okay. It's been simmering for about half an hour now.
posted by metonym to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

I would eat those beans and stock just to prove the point, and I'm vegetarian now.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:38 PM on April 11 [3 favorites]

At any point was the bone left out of the fridge long enough for it to reach room temperature? That’s the only scenario that would give me pause. If you just took the leftovers out to carve up a bit of ham and stuck it right back in the fridge, go for it.
posted by Mizu at 12:53 PM on April 11

If it smells okay, it's okay. You're not going to get poisoned by something that has simmered for hours.
posted by slkinsey at 1:46 PM on April 11 [3 favorites]

The safety experts would say Toss it. I say, unless someone is frail, very old, an infant, or has a compromised immune system, it's okay. The ham was cured, which makes quite a difference. A ham bone makes tons of broth, add lots of water, you should have plenty for several recipes.
posted by theora55 at 2:15 PM on April 11 [3 favorites]

Technically, this would probably be a "no," but I'd cook and eat this without any concerns.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:21 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]

I have never gotten ill from eating something on the near side of two weeks old, from a refrigerator. I wonder how the guidelines account for "failing refrigerator compressors" and "old appliances" since none of us keep a reliable third-party thermometer in the fridge to monitor temperature.

I've noted modern appliances, in households where people don't leave the fridge/freezer doors open all the time, are much more reliable at holding cold temperatures than they were in the past. A solid example of this is that dairy products seem to retain quality much longer on-average than 35 years ago. Even during blackouts, items have stayed near powered-on temperature for a very long time because the insulating/seal materials are better. (Those you definitely do not want to eat 12 days later)
posted by brianvan at 3:05 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]

You're not going to get poisoned by something that has simmered for hours.

This is patently not true.

But the ham bone has been in the fridge this whole time so that's one plus. Also, "bad" ham smells absolutely terrible so if it was me I would eat whatever it is you're making without hesitation.
posted by cooker girl at 6:44 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]

I may chance it if it didn't smell bad or have other obvious issues (gray meat, mold, slimy spots, etc.). I probably would have tried doing this will a pressure cooker.

That said, in cases like this you're not just worried about the biological stuff (bacteria, mold, fungus). You should be worried about any toxins produced by the biologicals. The long time simmering will take care of most of the bacteria/microbiological stuff and may even even neutralize some toxins, but there are still some toxins resistant to heat.

BTW, I'm a microbiologist and I'm pretty conservative when it comes to this kind of stuff. It's just not worth it.
posted by jraz at 5:10 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]