I purchased a venison steak, which was frozen at the time. I brought it home and set it out for a few hours and then put it in the fridge a couple days ago. It’s been sitting in its packaging, which is in a plastic bag. I got it out to take a look and prepare it for this evening and noticed there are several small holes in the bag with a bit of blood oozing out… thoughts on whether this is still good to eat? It’s been cold, but not frozen, the whole time. I’m not sure when the plastic bag was torn.
I’d give it a whiff and if it past the smell and “not slimy” touch test, I’d make sure I have a good, sterilizing sear on it when cooked and go for it.
Also, when taking it out of the bag, see if there is any corresponding puncturing of the meat that matches the holes in the bag.
I am very careful when I package stuff, but still get mystery holes, so I apologize if I seem cavalier - I vote on the cowboy side of giving the meat a go!
Slightly pedantic, but it’s not blood oozing out. It’s mostly water with myoglobin for color. Particularly if the venison was frozen in your freezer (versus flash frozen) there will be more of this as you de-thaw as the slower freezing process creates bigger ice crystals which damage more cells and release more water.
That said, I wouldn’t worry about holes in the packaging. Freezing sometimes creates sharp corners or other hazards that can poke a hole in the plastic.