When does ham become lethal?

[Mr Badger]

I found half a packet of ham hiding in the back of my fridge. I had opened it about a month earlier and it was weeks past the use by date so I threw it out. However it looked and smelled absolutely fine, which got me thinking about whether cooked/cured meat products really need to be used within a few days or is the guidance perhaps a tad too cautious?

Old school aged hams used to hang around for years!

 

[Rroff]

Personally I just don't risk it with meat if it is more than slightly outside of date even if it seems fine.

Some pathogenic bacteria, etc. won't necessarily make the surface of the meat smell or look bad for some time but still make you very very ill.

 

[aVdub]

If supermarket packaged ham it will probably be ok for the next 8 years

 

[Hotwired]

Your ham has been sampling the bacteria in the air every time you open the door. Did it pick up a stray listeria and has it had time to develop a thriving colony.

There's a star prize of shotblasting your toilet for a week if your risk assessment fails.

 

[Thekwango]

If it was weeks past its use by date I seriously doubt it smelled or looked fine.

 

[drakulton]

If it's still part of a pig and and falls on you from a great height.

 

[SpellowHouse]

I found half a packet of ham hiding in the back of my fridge. I had opened it about a month earlier and it was weeks past the use by date so I threw it out. However it looked and smelled absolutely fine, which got me thinking about whether cooked/cured meat products really need to be used within a few days or is the guidance perhaps a tad too cautious?

Old school aged hams used to hang around for years!

Dunno. I have eaten bacon that is months out of date. Some seems to last, some doesn't.

 

[tom_nieto]

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/300544940

 

[Sinbad2000]

If it's still part of a pig and and falls on you from a great height.

Or when it's part of a hambush?

 

[Mr Badger]

If it was weeks past its use by date I seriously doubt it smelled or looked fine.

That is pretty much the whole point of this thread. If I didn't know how old it was I wouldn't have thought twice about eating it.

 

[ristac]

I grew up on a council estate in the 70s. The two rules as a kid then was the sniff test, it smells okay, so it must be alright to eat and the two second rule if you dropped it on the floor

 

[Voltar]

Unless you are starving and in poverty just don’t risk it.

 

[godinman]

My brother in law ate some with little red spots on it once, he was ill for about a week the muppet!

 

[Stu999]

OP hasn’t posted since 20:25 last night. RIP.

 

[Raymond Lin]

With things like these I just ask myself...."is this £1.99 product worth getting sick (or dying) for?"

The answer hasn't been yes so far.

 

[~>Dg<~]

proper cured ham can hang for ages supermarket in a plastic container few days after opening . its cheap so just bung it.

 

[SPG]

Throw away the top slice, and crack on. If it smells ok and not covered in spots/mould it ill be rate.

 

[cheesefest]

proper cured ham can hang for ages supermarket in a plastic container few days after opening . its cheap so just bung it.

If you buy Serrano ham on the bone - it’s not refrigerated. Been to various markets in Spain and the hams are hanging above with a drip cup at the bottom.

 

[~>Dg<~]

If you buy Serrano ham on the bone - it’s not refrigerated. Been to various markets in Spain and the hams are hanging above with a drip cup at the bottom.

we used to breed pigs for slaughter and hang ham. you can hang it right for years.

 

[arknor]

I grew up on a council estate in the 70s. The two rules as a kid then was the sniff test, it smells okay, so it must be alright to eat and the two second rule if you dropped it on the floor

do you scoop the mould out of jars too?

If I drop a chocolate or fruit gum on my 10 year old, not been washed for 5 years carpet I'll pick it up though