Can the Meat Be Cured?

Chewie from Kashyyyk writes:

Hey Shad, have you ever noticed that refrigerated meat can sometimes get an iridescent or rainbow color effect on it? I usually notice this on roast beef but have also seen it on turkey and brisket. What causes it? Is it harmful to consume? I have an irrational fear that it is insectoid or alien.

Hi Chewie, love your work, thanks for writing.

It's funny you should ask this, because just this weekend I was working in a BBQ stand and this question came up frequently.

Well, there is an explanation for this effect. It's definitely not insectoid, but I can't promise, in your case, that it isn't alien.

First off, the rainbowy colors you see on the meat are an optical effect. The light is being refracted through fat and muscle fiber as though through a prism.

I think we get uncomfortable with the effect because it usually has a greenish hue, and we have a negative association with greenish hues on our food. It actually isn't more green than the other colors, that tint is just dominant because our eyes are more sensitive to it.

So why is it usually just in patches, and not all over the meat?

Well, two things need to take place for the effect to occur.

First, you need a very sharp knife or slicer (or perhaps in your case, a thermal blade or plasma beam). And second, the blade has to cut the fat and muscle fibers at just the right angle. So, you can see how, though the effect isn't rare, it isn't going to be absolute.

The harmless colorization can effect cured (corned beef and ham) and uncured (brisket and pork) meats.

So, discolorization isn't necessarily a good way to tell if your meat is spoiled. How do you tell?

Spoiled meet is usually sticky-ish to the touch and it smells... a bit off. You mentioned finding the colorization on turkey... hmmm... might want to check on that. I haven't heard about it affecting fowl... but I haven't heard a lot of things.

Hope this helps,
shad