Most Disgusting Meat Ever!!

[DTAggie]

I apologize in advance to anyone I may offend by mentioning this supermarket chain.

A couple of weeks Kroger in north Texas was running TV ads about a huge meat sale.  My son said I should go see what they have.  Surprised me since he just had 4 wisdom teeth pulled and could not eat a thing.  Guess he was seeting me up to smoke a lot of meat for when he could eat.  I have posted pics on here of the brisket and spare ribs that he was eating.  I bought a brisket, spare ribs, beef ribs, two chickens and a boston butt.  About a $100 for about $60.

Smoked the chickens and they were not bad.  First I have done a whole chicken in my OBS so I was happy how they came out.  Did the spare ribs and the flavor was good but meat quality was terrible.  Son devoured them, but it was the first time he could eat anything of substance in 5 days.  Brisket looked great, but texture and overall quality was subpar. Based on my continual success with brisket I have, this was very disappointing.  Did the beef ribs with SouthernSmoked recipe with the whiskey marinade.  Let me just say, when I cut open the vacpak, I knew it would be a bad smoke.  I did not even post pics because they were so bad.  Had nothing to do with the marinade.

Now tonight.  I am getting ready for the end of summer/back to school block party this weekend.  I mix up my Renowned Mr. Brown for the butt rub.  Pull out an 8.5# butt.  Sticker says use or sell by 8/24/10.  Tonight is 8/18/10 - 6 days before use/sell by date.  I cut open the package and I am immediately over taken by the most foul smell I have ever smelled.  It took about 10 seconds for Hank, my golden retriever to come see what the heck just took over the kitchen.  He immediately went and hid in a corner.

I double checked the sticker.  Then took a close smell of the butt.  Damn it smelled like a nasty butt that had never been kept cold.  I immediately freaked as it was in a fridge along with a case of Blue Moon.  Checked the Blue Moon and at least it is safe.

I sprayed Febrrize throughout the kitchen and it still smells like week old butt cheese from a pro football center.  I hope I can recover by the morning to go buy a good butt and get it rubbed and cooking.  Oh yeah., I have been selected by the neighborhood to cook two of the briskets for the party.  Word is getting around.

I will NEVER buy meat from KROGER again.

[classicrockgriller]

After a ROTFLMAO, I have to say I hate when that happens!

I had a butt smell after 1 or 2 days in the fridge and a expire date of over a week away.

And you are right. It smelled like what I would think ..... "week old butt cheese from a pro football center" would smell like.

I called them and They said "bring it back" and we'll give you your money back. I ask them what the Hell

I was suppose to do with it till I came back. The agreement we came to was save the label and she doc the time

I called and brought along my register receipt to show the day I bought it and they were very apologetic.

"week old butt cheese from a pro football center" ROTFLMAO ;D

I ask her to smell the label and she would't do it. It stunk too.

[ArnieM]

Sorry to hear it Aggie.  I hope Hank is recovering.  :D

It happens to all of us.  I've heard (rumors only) some stores will re-wrap the meat with a new date on it.  Who knows? 

I've gotten fish three times from a local Stop&Shop and taken it back.  Smelled like ammonia. 

Then there's the salad with caterpillars in it.  Protein.

These kind of things can turn ya off for a while.

[SouthernSmoked]

Man I hate to hear that - Kroger should replace the meat for free if you still have your receipt. I would just talk to the manager, been there and done that...

I try not to buy red meat at Kroger's even fish is fishy but I have.

Chicken I've never had a bad experience but I also never buy food as they are marking them down. "Manager Specials" scare me even when it's a salad mix.

I normally will purchase my meat at Sam's but there have been times that my wife was out at Meijer's and purchased something for me to smoke. Can you say Scary!!

Were the beef ribs the same way, smelling before you marinated them???

[Uncle Pigfat]

I live right next to a Kroger, so I usually walk there in lieu of driving somewhere.  Needless to say, most of my meat comes from there and I'm not terribly satisfied with the selection.  I haven't had a horror show experience like this one, but the last butt I bought definitely had a little more funk (not powerful or even foul, but enough to make me wonder why it smelled a little stronger than most butts that have graced my kitchen) to it than I would have liked (I still cooked it and it was still good - no one got sick).  Regardless, I'm not impressed with the meat selection there and will be getting my Sam's Club membership tomorrow.  The thing that really chaps my @ss about Kroger is how expensive their meat is and how rarely it goes on sale when the quality and selection is more or less piss poor.  Sorry to take pleasure from your pain but it's comforting to know that this experience isn't limited to the store next to me.

[DTAggie]

This reiked so bad it was all I could do to get it out of the house.  I am afraid to even open the trash bin tomorrow to put regular trash in it.  I have no intention of taking the sticker off and going back and asking for a refund.  I guess I could take the sticker and then put my fingers in their nose to let them smell what an NFL center's ass smells like.  Uncle Pigfat, the Sam's membership is well worth it.

[GusRobin]

The Kroger in my area used to have decent meat until a year or so when they no longer cut and packaged locally (or it appears they don't.) The last straw for me is when I went there because they had bone-in rib eyes on sale. They were the sorriest excuse for a steak I had seen in a long time. Lately the only meat I will buy at Kroger are their flat-iron steaks when they are on sale. Other than that I get my meat at Southern Markets or Publix in that order. The guy at the local Publix is pretty good to me. They cut and package on site. So if I ask for a fresh cut, he does well by me. I don't get deals on price but he'll cut me a good fresh piece of meat with the appropriate amount of fat for the cut.

[FLBentRider]

I think over the years I've had bad meat from just about everywhere I shop.

It happens.

Publix, Sams, Winn Dixie, etc..

I've had more bad loins than butts, more bad pork than beef.

I take it back...

[beefmann]

that sucks. i would never shop there again, 1 piece of  meat is bad  enough,  everyone  bad?..  sounds like they have  pour meat handling procedures to say the  least. 

[Ka Honu]

Checked the Blue Moon and at least it is safe.

Thank God! Otherwise this could have been a real disaster story!

[Buck36]

DT - We buy most of our meat from Costco because we have been happy with their choice and quality. I did get a pork butt from there that stunk when we opened it. We took the cut back and they refunded our money. Their only request was if it happened again to throw the meat and just bring in the receipt. You may want to contact Kroger and see if they will make it right.

[DTAggie]

Nope.  Went and threw the bia**h in a dumpster tonight.  I never shop at Kroger for anything, and now I know I why.  I went to Sam's this afternoon and bought a double pack of butts.  Was tough because I could not get that stench out of my nose.  Kind of like tequila.  When you puke on it you can never smell it again.

[classicrockgriller]

Try Bleach! It will kill H1N1! ;D

Actually I think your can scrub you hands with course salt.

[DTAggie]

Why would I do that?  The stinch kept the wife away  ;D

[Caneyscud]

"week old butt cheese from a pro football center"

Even though I have never personally smelled that from a "pro", I have smelled it from high school and college.  And as a former Nose Guard I must say I do not like that smell.  I always enjoyed being 50 pounds heavier than the centers I was across from. 

Funny, in all my years of buying, I've never bought a "bad" piece of meat - even the "Used" meat that my wife likes to call it.  (the just about out of date marked down stuff)  I did buy some funky smelling shrimp one time though - and that was at a fresh seafood shop on the coast.  Ya never know.  When I first moved to Nashville and first shopped at a Krogers I was somewhat impressed - some even had goat.  Not as good as an HEB, but not bad.  But now the bean-counters have taken over the world, and Kroger's selection sucks, but I have to drive past 2 Krogers to get to another store but a Whole Foods so Kroger gets most of my business.  And I ain't paying those prices for that highly trimmed stuff at Whole Foods.  - well except for the dry aged Delmonicos!  Have a Fresh Market near where I work, that is somewhat pricey, but some pretty good meat.  Not a fan of wallyworld meats, especially because of the packaging.  Often much bigger than it needs to be and very wasteful of my freezer space.  One of our wallyworlds caters to the immigrant population and has a better selection of stuff not normally seen at groceries including shoulders and briskets.  However, the BIG stuff I get at Sam's.  I find their meats to be very limited in selection, but at a good quality and at a generally good price.  As opposed to their terrible fruit and vegetable - I've bought many fruits and veggies that were very questionable in quality.  Sam's seem to understand the need of smokers better than most places.  I really mourn the loss of all our butchers around here.  Lost them all 15 years ago or more. 

What irks me more than anything now is that you have to check the origin.  I """AIN"T""""  gonna buy any catfish farmed in China or any other food that originates from there.  That ought to be a strict law - enforced by the death penalty!!!