I got a kg of ground beef and put two tablespoons of salt with it. I also put a lot of spices, stuff like paprika, black pepper, allspice, tumeric, lots of garlic, and two tbsp vinegar. This is basically an Armenian sausage.
I mixed this all up well, stuff it into a clean stocking tied at both ends (I flatten it out for maximum air exposure) then store it in the fridge for approximately 4-5 days before freezing it. I keep it in the fridge to give it a chance to sort of dry out, after that it's ready to eat. There is definitely a great improvement doing this rather than using it on the spot the first day.
My question is, given the decent salt content and it being really heavy on the spices, that would prevent it from going bad right? When I cook it, I make sure it's very well cooked just in case so anything bad in it would die out.
Just want to know if this is a terrible idea in general. I've done it before with great success, but from what I read, I don't know if it's technically safe.
Best Answer
Yes, from a food safety perspective, this is a terrible idea and not safe.
Typical recommendations for ground meat is 1, max. 2 days in the refrigerator. Ground meat has a very large surface area and the grinding step can mix bacteria that previously were only on the surface of a whole piece (and unable to penetrate) throughout the meat.
Salt (NaCl) is a preservative, but you need up to 20% of the meat weight, which is far more than your two tablespoons. The preserving effect is acchieved by osmosis, drawing the liquid out of the meat cells. As that amount mixed in would make the food unpalatable, it is used on the surface of of large pieces - think ham. Curing salts work differently, they contain sodium nitrite and similar salts.
Spices do have some effect, but not to a degree to make ground meat stable. Note that excessive use of spices may aid in digestion, but even more was traditionally used to mask "off" (read: slightly spoiled) tastes and smells.
A very dangerous bacterium is Clostridium botulinum, causing botulism. It can be inhibited in low-ph environements. Yet two tablespoons of vinegar won't get you in a safe ph range.
While heat will kill most bacteria and molds, it will not necessarily kill the toxins produced by them before. (It does work for botulinum toxin, though.)
Our posts on food safety and shelf life:
How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
Why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out and then cooked?
On traditional recipes:
"Not safe" does not automatically mean "will make you sick". Those recommendations are based on statistics and include a safety margin. But if you or someone with a possibly weaker immune system does get sick, the consequences can be lethal.