I Opened a Pack of Ground Beef and Found It Grey Inside
Finding ground beef that’s gray or brown on the inside can be alarming, but it doesn’t automatically mean the meat has spoiled.
Fresh beef gets its bright red color from oxygen exposure. When ground beef is tightly packed, the center may receive very little oxygen and can naturally appear grayish or brown, while the outer surface remains red. Once exposed to air, the interior can become red again.
When should you be concerned?
Color alone isn’t a reliable way to determine whether ground beef is safe. Pay attention to:
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Strong, unpleasant or sour odor
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Sticky, slimy, or unusually tacky texture
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Gray/brown discoloration throughout the meat combined with other signs of spoilage
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Meat that has been stored improperly or kept refrigerated for too long
If the beef smells normal, has a normal texture, and has been properly refrigerated, grayness in the center can simply be a result of limited oxygen exposure.
When in doubt, don’t taste the meat to test it. And remember that properly cooking ground beef is important because bacteria can be distributed throughout the meat during grinding.
