How to Tell if Lamb has Gone Bad

How to tell if lamb has gone bad? Lamb meat is easy to store but similarly easy to mishandle as well. If kept properly, lamb meat can remain edible for several months in the freezer and can also survive a few days in the fridge too.

How to Tell if Lamb has Gone Bad

But how do you tell if lamb has gone bad? Spoiled lamb meat will have a distinct grey color with a foul odor. Some other visual indications include a sticky or slimy film on the surface of the meat along with molding and mushy spots.

Lamb meat is known to give off a foul odor when it goes bad. Always remember, the best way to detect spoilage is to use your eyes, nose, and hands!

Slime Or Sticky Film

Properly handled and stored lamb meat is going to be completely dry and firm. The best way to check for if the lamb has gone bad is to first assess the meat using your fingers.

Lightly scrape the surface of the meat from top to bottom and see if you collect any slime or sticky film on your fingers.

If you do notice these changes then this would indicate that the meat has gone bad—and no, you can’t just wash off the slime!

The slime and sticky film are a result of bacterial growth and the meat will likely cause a lot of discomfort if consumed in this state.

Foul Odor

Lamb meat has a balanced meaty smell and will never have a very strong or even gamey scent. This method is best for detecting spoilage in thawed meat.

Once the meat is thawed, open the sealed pack and take a whiff. If you smell acidic notes or any foul odor, then you should just throw away the entire pack, even if the meat “looks” fine.

The smell test can be a bit difficult, especially if you have added seasonings to the meat, but if you smell closely, you should be able to pick up on the off-putting notes easily.

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Discoloration

As mentioned, lamb meat contains muscle, fat, and some amount of blood – which means that you need to check all three for the sign of your lamb going bad.

When lamb meat goes bad, it is quick to change color. If the meat has a dark grey color along with other shades of white, yellow, or green, then you should immediately discard the entire batch.

Fresh meat is pink or light red with dark red blood while spoiled meat will be dull, grey, and, will also have brown or black blood. The same changes can be detected on the marbling or fat on the surface too!

Foaming

This is the last step and the final line of defense when detecting spoilage in lamb meat. Sometimes lamb meat can go bad and not show all of the above symptoms, or you might not be able to detect the changes to any noticeable degree.

However, with this final test, you can definitively tell if the meat has gone bad. When cooking lamb meat, check the pot for any foaming. This is especially apparent when frying lamb meat.

If there is a thick foam that collects at the corner of the pot, then this would also indicate spoilage.

Please note that some foaming (called scum) is common but this mostly occurs when boiling meat.

The scum in this case is just animal fat! However, when the meat goes bad, it will create a large amount of froth that will be very hard to miss.

This foam will accumulate even when you deep fry the meat. This would indicate that the meat has gone bad and that you should avoid consuming it!

What Happens When You Eat Bad Lamb?

Eating bad lamb can result in a lot of discomfort. For starters, it can cause abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Some people may also experience nausea a few hours after eating bad lamb meat.

In severe cases, bad meat may also lead to acute food poisoning that may warrant immediate medical attention. This can include a high fever, sweating, vomiting, loose bowel movements, and more.

If you believe that you have consumed bad lamb then please stay calm and visit your healthcare provider for more information. In most cases, it might turn out to be nothing but it’s better to be safe than sorry.