I am always trying to find new ways to add new foods to our diet. I recently bought tripe and as I did not want to cook it that day I froze it. I got it out to cook and let it thaw out. I was cutting it up to cook and thought that I detected a familiar aroma. Any way I continued on and then put it into a pot. I then leaned in to smell it to see if it was any better. Wow, it smell like feces. Yuk. Has anyone else had this experience. It was disgusting.
W.,
I have never cooked tripe, but I think that is how it is supposed to smell. Tripe is the part of the cow that once carried feces. I wish you the best.
Danabeth
I've been getting quite a bit of bad meat lately....Kroger and Walmart both. I always bring it back. If I can't get to the store that day, I re-freeze it. Ask for the Store Manager AND the Meat Manager both. They will usually take care of it, replace it AND give you a gift certificate. Tripe shouldn't smell that way! If consumers just throw it out, the stores will never know and can't do anything about it. They are supposed to date-check their stock, keep cold items cold, even as they are unloading/storing them in the back, etc. Lots of stores are slack in this area though, so the more people who complain, the better. Besides why throw away good money? If for some reason the store doesn't do enough/anything to satisfy you, you can call/email Corporate Offices (google them) and post on www.planetfeedback.com. They will send a letter FOR you, post it for everyone to see (negative publicity!) and I ALWAYS get a callback from upper management after posting there. Don't ever take a chance on making your family sick by serving bad meat...if it smells bad, take it back!
W., I would bet that the meat wasn't bad. Tripe really stinks. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley where many families cooked Menudo. I remember every time our neighbor would make it, I couldn't even go into their house. I was only a kid but it smelled something awful. It shocks me that people can stomach it but they swear by it! Some love it. ...it stinks!
Tripe is the stomach of a cow and those things tend to stink. My Grandmother ( I never ate it) used to soak it in salty water for a good thirty minutes to an hour in the fridge and then rinsed real well. You would have to do the same type of treatment for any stomach part (chittlins, etc.) I am sorry for the grossness, I am unfortunately really Southern and know of these things. I have a great recipe for fried chicken gizzards. THose are my favorites. Good luck with your food adventures!
Hi W.... Yum! Were you making Menudo?! Perhaps the tripe wasn't fresh when you bought it? I've never had a bad experience cooking tripe at home as I cooked mine the same day I bought it and washed it really well. I have bought Menudo however from restaurants where you could smell the odor once you took the lid off the cup. I'd have probably tried washing it really well and if it still smelled, would have thrown it out and started with a fresh batch.
I hope you don't thaw your meat on the counter. Bacteria starts to grow once any part of it hits a certain temperature. Always defrost in the fridge or microwave.
I am not a fan of tripe at all, and yeah it really stinks. What I have heard from people who love it is that you have to really clean it a lot before cooking to get that smell out of it and make sure there aren't any "leftovers" clinging to it. I agree with Laurie, don't push is with the kiddos. I got it some tacos by accident once and was almost gagging even though I wasn't sure what I was eating, so I think it is one of those things that you like or you don't. Good luck!
Isn't tripe intestines or something like that?
Tripe is stinky when you cook it because it is the cow intestines where feces happens. I love to cook menudo and have to do it when my family will be gone all day to make sure the smell is gone when they get home. I love menudo and am the only one that will eat it here. However, my young nieces love it too so your kids may really like it.
Organ meat can have a very basic odor, even while cooking. Tripe is best when very fresh and it must be cleaned very well. Make sure to cut as much of the fat off of it also.
How were you planning on cooking it? In a soup? The texture can be very strange to children, so be sure to not make a big deal out of it.
