Have the pork chops or sausages in your fridge started smelling like vinegar? Nine times out of ten, that sour smell is nothing but bad news: it’s telling you that the meat is no longer safe to eat and that instead of cooking it, you should throw it away.

Fresh, raw meat should have little-to-no smell at all. Yes, high-quality beef smells “beefy” and good pork smells “porky,” but that smell comes from the tallow and lard, respectively — which carry aroma compounds from the food the animal ate — and should never have a vinegary undertone.

When meat does start to smell like vinegar, that odor is Mother Nature’s way of warning you that it’s too late. Unless falling ill with food poisoning sounds like a fun way to spend your week (as the folks at the CDC will gladly tell you, it never is), that warning should be heeded.

The Reason Behind That Smell

When meat spoils, bacteria break down protein and fat molecules, producing compounds that give off a sour smell. This process happens the fastest at room temperature, more slowly in the fridge, and gets biologically paused in the freezer.

Think of it this way: Those bacteria are microscopic decomposers, turning what was once fresh meat into something that’s rotten. The vinegar smell is just one sign of their presence — and their handiwork.

Although the bacteria that spoil the meat are generally harmless, the other, stealth bacteria that live, feed, and multiply alongside them, called “pathogens,” are not. These pathogens and the toxins that they produce can cause food poisoning, especially when ingested in sufficient quantities by those most at risk.

Cooking Won’t Help You Save Spoiled Meat

You might wonder if thorough cooking could make spoiled meat safe to eat. After all, heat kills bacteria, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

While cooking does kill bacteria, it doesn’t eliminate the toxins that some bacteria leave behind. These toxins can survive even the highest cooking temperatures and still make you sick. 

Some bacteria are also prone to forming heat-resistant spores that can survive the cooking process. One example is Bacillus cereus in rice, and it’s why eating rice at shady buffets and leaving rice out on the kitchen countertop are never a good idea.

The Stakes for Your Health Are High

According to the CDC, foodborne illnesses affect 48 million Americans annually. 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. While not all of these cases stem from spoiled meat, the numbers underscore how serious food safety should be taken in the home kitchen.

Some people face higher risks from foodborne illness, including adults over 65 years of age, children under 5, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. For these groups, eating spoiled meat could lead to severe complications.

And so, remember rule number one of food safety: If in doubt, throw it out.

Keeping Meat Fresh and Safe

To keep meat fresh and safe to eat, add it to your shopping cart toward the end of your trip and bring it home immediately after your purchase. This is especially important during the summer, when it can get really hot even in your car’s trunk.

Refrigerate the meat immediately on one of the lower shelves of your fridge. Cold air tends to sink to the bottom and warm air rises to the top, so the bottom shelf is also the coldest. Use ground meat within 1-2 days of purchase and whole cuts within 3-5 days; the sooner, the better for both quality and safety.

Freeze what you won’t use right away and learn how to thaw meat safely. Contrary to what many home cooks think, countertop or warm-water thawing are not safe methods.

When in doubt about meat’s freshness, throw it out. A few dollars saved isn’t worth the risk of foodborne illness. If your meat smells like vinegar, the safest choice is to discard it — and next time, plan to use it sooner.