It expired today and I know browning can be normal. It smells a little bit funny (but I can’t really tell because the smell of raw meat makes me nauseated anyways). I just added salt and pepper and cooking it now. I paid $27 for it so I’m gonna eat it…

 

Expiration date + browning alone doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad.
Many meats turn brown because of oxygen exposure (oxidation). That part can be normal.

The smell is the big warning sign.
If meat smells:

• sour

• sulfur-y (eggs)

• ammonia-like

• “rotten” or sharply unpleasant

that’s not normal, even if it’s only a little off. Salt and pepper don’t fix spoiled meat, and cooking doesn’t reliably make spoiled meat safe—heat can kill bacteria, but toxins some bacteria leave behind can still make you sick.

Since you said:

• it expired today

• it smells “a little bit funny”

• raw meat already makes you nauseous (so it’s harder to trust your nose)

that puts this in a yellow-to-red flag zone, not a safe one.

Important safety check right now

While it’s cooking:

• If the smell gets worse, sharp, sour, or very unpleasant → don’t eat it

• If there’s excessive gray/green color, slime, or bubbling liquid → don’t eat it

• If it smells neutral/meaty once cooked and looks normal → risk is lower, but still not zero

I know you mentioned the $27

That part is totally understandable. Food is expensive, and wasting it feels awful. But getting food poisoning can mean:

• hours or days of vomiting/diarrhea

• dehydration

• missing school/work

• possibly needing medical help

That costs way more than $27, even if it doesn’t feel that way in the moment.

If you decide to eat it anyway (harm-reduction, not encouragement)

I can’t tell you it’s safe if it smelled off—but if you’re going to eat it regardless:

• Make sure it’s fully cooked to the correct internal temperature (no pink where it shouldn’t be)

• Eat a small amount first, not a full portion

• If you feel nausea, cramps, dizziness, or stomach pain afterward → stop eating and tell a trusted adult

The safest choice

If you’re genuinely unsure about the smell, throwing it out is the safest call, even though it hurts. Your body > sunk cost.