I was wondering if anyone here knows what causes “sour bone”. I have only seen/smelled it in beef and maybe veal, but I heard it happens in other animals too.
I noticed it Monday in a knuckle (sirloin tip). That’s where it almost always seems to originate. This was boxed beef and it’s the first time I’ve seen/smelled it since 1981 when I used to see/smell it about twice per year in carcass beef. Whatever it is, seems to originate in the hind quarter right at the joint where the femur bone attaches to the aitch (pelvic) bone. It spreads deep into the head loin and knuckle and sometimes further. It’s an extremely unpleasant odor and I think it makes the entire carcass or hind quarter useless. I know we always sent them back for credit. I think it’s not often found in boxed beefbecause it’s hard to miss when you break it, so the wholesalers probably weed them all out as they find them.
So anyway, I cut open a bag containing a knuckle Monday and immediately I recognized that old smell. I told my coworkers that I found a sour bone. One guy had heard of it and the others had not. I wanted approval to throw it away. One guy said “cut around it”. I told him that it’s all throughout it. He decided to cut into it anyway. By cutting into it, he released more bad odor, a huge amount of gas or something. Stunk up the store for a while. I had to empty a ½ full bone barrel on top of it to cover the smell.
So what the heck is that? What causes it? Is it something that occurs in live animals, or something done after slaughter? Why is it almost always in that one area? I think I may have seen it in a forequarter once, but I’m not positive.
OMG, could this be true? In a Google search for an explanation for sour bone, I came across this in a deer hunting site. Someone there says this
"Like everyone else has already said, if it smells bad then it is. Especially if it has a green tinge to it or the bones have a green tinge to it. This is known as bone sour and is caused by the animal not being gutted or skinned. This keeps the body heat in and the meat spoils from the inside. "
That sounds very possible, but surprising* that it actually might happen in the U.S. wholesale beef industry in 2009. I mean surprising that a beef would remain un gutted long enough for this to happen. I do remember seeing, and meant to mention, but forgot to do so, that the carcass beef I saw with sour bone in addition to stinking, also had a green coloring in some areas. For this to happen as the deer guy says, an animal would have to die unnoticed somewhere and remain undiscovered for several hours, right?
*I shouldn't be surprised with all the bad stuff I've seen. We even had a thread in the old group "what's the worst thing you've done or seen.." Can anyone provide a better explanation for how sour bone occurs?
-- Edited by CarniceroLarry on Saturday 21st of March 2009 04:58:04 AM
I did hear one explanation back in the late 1970's. Someone said that a gas* is injected into the carcass sometimes. In that area where the femur bone and aitch bone meet. It breaks open that joint so it's easier to break. Sometimes, somehow, this is the cause of sour bone. Supposedly.
*I saw them injecting nitrogen gas into a forequarter last night on TV. It was History Channels show "The Butcher"
dont know how it originates but, peeled knockle seem to be the most affected. once i find one though the whole box goes into the fat barrel and i push for credit. i had one meat merchandiser tell me to grind it and out 99 cents and sell it. i smiled and dumped the whole box. he was going to write me. the store manager convinced him otherwise. i have also seen it course and fine ground 10 lb tubes. that also hits the waste barrel.
