Identifying good quality meat from poor quality one can be a task. But knowing the characteristics of bad beef can save you big time. Good meat’s color shouldn’t lean toward a deep purple undertone or a mild pink hue. If it is pale pink, the animal had a wasting condition. On the other hand, a deep purple tint would indicate that the animal had died with blood inside of it and had a severe fever, which caused the flesh to turn febrile.

Additionally, the meat should not smell bad. Rotten meat has a cadaverous (corpse-like) scent and is soggy, wet, and flabby (soaked in fluids or moisture). Good quality meat should moisten the fingertips and feel elastic and firm to the touch.

The bone marrow should be substantial, firm, and light reddish in color. If the marrow is soft, brownish, or has black patches, it means that the animal was ill or putrefaction had already begun before it died. Meat that has already started to rot becomes pale, moist, and squishy and releases a foul odor. The result of all of these signs is that the meat gradually becomes green.

The following are the properties of meat from many species, including pigs, goats, sheep, chicken, and cows, to help you identify good quality meat packs.

Beef

When cut, beef meat has a shiny look and a firm texture. There is a distinctive smell about it. It typically has a little brownish tinge and is a saturated red color. The muscles have a mixture of white fat with a slight yellow tint after freezing and an unyielding firmness. The bone marrow has a somewhat hard consistency and ranges in color from bright white to reddish yellow.

Goat meat and mutton

Firm, dense, and fine fibers characterize sheep meat (mutton). Unlike goat flesh, which is often pale, it is a dark red color. Similar to a living goat’s fat, this fat is thick. In mutton, the fat is not combined with the muscle fibers. Large fat deposits are found in the subcutaneous layer and between muscle groups in sheep that have gained weight. The fat is white, pure, and odorless with a firm firmness. The bone marrow feels solid and has a faint red tint.

Pork

Pigs’ age, nutritional status, and other factors significantly impact the meat’s color. Generally, it ranges from light grey to dark red or pale to grey red. Fine meat fibers have a soft to a slightly firm consistency. Finely granular and silky, the fat ranges in color from grey-white to pure white. It surrounds the main muscle groups and is heavily entangled with the fiber. The bone marrow is tender and pink-red.

Poultry

There is little fat and fiber intermixing in poultry flesh, which is solid and finely fibrous. Most poultry flesh is pale in color, although some are red. Although the fat’s texture, color, and odor vary, it is often soft and oily.

The takeaway

Besides knowing the characteristics of good quality meat, buying your meat packs from a reputable butcher is advisable.