Poultry is the name given to all domestic birds suitable for food, such as chicken, duck, goose, guinea fowl, and turkey. Why should people be so interested in poultry, and turkeys more specifically? It’s because beef has become so expensive.
Turkey is a great alternative because it’s a rich source of protein, it has important vitamins and minerals, and it’s low-fat meat. Turkey meat can be fried, grilled, or baked in a lot of different dishes. For those trying to stretch their grocery budget more, they look at this worthwhile alternative to beef.
Ground Turkey Smells Like Sulfur
- Why the sulfur smell with ground turkey?
There’s a negative side to buying ground turkey instead of beef. When you buy ground turkey, it tends to smell like sulfur. Of course, this is off-putting. Who wants to eat turkey when it’s got such a nasty smell? Could it be bad?
All raw meat has some kind of smell. An obvious reason why ground turkey would smell could be due to the meat being off. A bad piece of turkey is going to give off a horrible smell. If the meat isn’t off, there could be another reason.
- What is sulfur?
Sulfur is obtained as a byproduct after the production of natural gas. It has the most unpleasant smell, like rotten eggs, so you don’t want your ground turkey smelling like that. It’s not as though sulfur is toxic to eat. Sulfur has an important role to play in the body.
Many people, young and old, suffer from osteoarthritis, and this debilitating ailment is often treated with sulfur supplements. Sulfur may be a nasty-smelling gas that smells like rotten eggs, but the body needs sulfur to protect cells from damage that could lead to disease.
- Vacuum-sealed turkey can smell of sulfur
Turkey meat does have a smell when it’s been vacuum-sealed. Meat that is deprived of oxygen sweats in the packaging. When you open the packaging, the first thing you get is a whiff of something bad. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it is.
You’ll also notice that a turkey that has been vacuum-sealed will turn a darker color. If your turkey has turned a much darker color and the smell doesn’t go away with the opening of the packaging, exercise some caution.
When you buy vacuum-packed meat, learn to recognize the signs of problems. Certainly, with vacuum-packed ground meat, you always need to take a look at the packaging. If the packaging is swollen as though it has air inside, don’t even think of buying it. It means that the meat will be spoiled.
Quality ground turkey has many uses
Turkey is sold sliced, whole, or ground. A lot of turkey meat is processed—smoked and sold as bacon or turkey ham. Ground turkey is often marketed as a cheaper, healthier alternative to ground beef.
Ground or minced turkey is made up of both dark and light meat, which is processed into grounded form. Meat, skin, and fat are all removed from the bone and then ground with additives. This ground turkey appeals to customers with its crumbly texture.
Let’s take a look at some ways ground turkey can be used –
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
The ground turkey together with veggies like corn and diced sweet potatoes make a great snack or part of a quick lunch. Sprinkle cheese over the stuffed peppers.
- Turkey Meatballs
Who can deny the versatility of meatballs served hot or cold? You can keep the ground turkey in the freezer and use it instantly for so many meals. Serve your turkey meatballs on spaghetti, over mashed potatoes, or brown rice. A nice savory gravy will add a subtle touch to your meatballs.
- Pasta with Ground Turkey and Broccoli
So many people love pasta. Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? But what about adding ground turkey and broccoli to your pasta? Sautéing ground turkey in some olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes gives you a simple but delicious pasta sauce. You can even prepare the broccoli in the same pot as your pasta.
Is your ground turkey coming from a reliable source?
Take a look at the texture of the turkey meat. If it’s slimy, it could be indicative of harmful bacteria. If you don’t like that the ground turkey you are buying smells of sulfur, you need to investigate the reputability of the place you are buying your turkey from.
How are they slaughtering and cleaning the turkeys? Is it a breeding place for bacteria? The turkey meat needs to be cleaned thoroughly and refrigerated.
Ground turkey can go off and smell like sulfur when it hasn’t been stored at the right temperature. It can also get that smell if it has been exposed to a lot of air. You have to be careful with ground turkey as it can go off quickly. Ground turkey needs to be stored at 40°F or below for safe storage.
Higher than this, bacteria grow very quickly. So, it could be that ground turkey with a sulfur smell hasn’t been refrigerated properly. It could also be that the ground turkey is coming from facilities that don’t adhere to federal food safety rules.
Sulfur-smelling by-products into your ground turkey?
Ensure that you’re buying your ground turkey from a reliable source. By-products are a big part of the poultry industry, and a lot of bird parts are used for fertilizer. Some offal goes into pet food and this also goes into poultry feed.
Any feathers left in the turkey that is to be ground will give off a sulfur smell. A reputable processing unit won’t carelessly include feathers in its ground meat.
If you’re getting your ground turkey from an unreliable source, who knows, these by-products could be going into your ground turkey and that’s where the sulfur smell is coming from. By-products do have uses in the food industry.
However, the use of animal by-products always comes under criticism. Usually, this criticism comes from members of consumer and animal welfare groups.
Those who work with these by-products reckon that consumers would be surprised and possibly alarmed to discover just how many of the goods they buy are made from animal by-products.
Sometimes sulfur smelling meat is still good
The composition of ground turkey is driven by availability, market demand, and meat prices. Ground turkey is essentially made from excess drumsticks and thighs.
Those consumers who are concerned about their health will appreciate that ground turkey is a low-fat alternative to ground beef. The National Turkey Federation tells us that anything that falls under the label “ground turkey” is made from whole muscle parts of the turkey.
These parts are the thighs, drumsticks, and neck. If people are concerned about ground turkey smelling like sulfur, their fears of unwholesome meat can be put aside.
Some inspectors work for the American Meat Institute, and they oversee turkey plant operations. They make sure that all federal food safety rules are complied with.
They check that there are no incidences of harmful bacteria in turkey products. That means you can trust your regular store where you buy your ground turkey. You can always check online too, to find valuable information on the safe handling of turkeys.
Strains of salmonella have indeed been found in ground turkey products. Samples of ground turkey as well as other meats were collected from several retail markets in the Washington, DC area and processed and packaged at one of five plants.
They did find salmonella strains, and one salmonella isolate was found more frequently in ground turkey than in other ground meats.
Turkey meat has sulfur-containing amino acids
You need to understand those wild and domesticated turkeys are the same species but that wild turkeys have a different taste from those domesticated turkeys raised on farms. The meat of wild turkeys is inclined to be dark, including the breast.
The flavor of the turkey is also more intense. Whether the turkey is wild or domesticated, turkey meat generally has methionine and cysteine. These are primary sulfur-containing amino acids.
Conclusion:
As already suggested, buy your ground turkey from a reliable source. Typically, the ground turkey you buy at your trusted local store has a mix of breast meat, leg meat, and a smaller proportion of skin and fat.
These are all ground up. You need to use this ground turkey quickly as it can go bad quickly. Fresh ground turkey is a light pink color, and anything gray-brown may have gone off. The look of it will put anyone off, but the sulfuric smell will have you throwing it out.
Poultry that has gone off always has a sulfuric smell. Consuming turkey like this can leave you with food poisoning. A major concern is spoilage, which can cause odors and also be a health hazard. Do the research and follow the tips to safely store, and cook your ground turkey.
For anyone who aspires to cook with ground turkey, there are a few golden rules that you can’t ignore.