About "sell by" date on meat

[Maxine in WA]

According to the chart on this web site, beef is good for 3 to 5 days after the sell by date. Does anyone know when you should use it by 3 days versus when it's still safe by the 5th day? I have some ground beef that has a sell by date of Jan 18. Today makes the fifth day. Would you still cook it? What if the family has been ill (cold, flu, stomach ailment) would you still serve it to those who can eat?
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp

[DKinTX]

I'd smell it. If it smells fresh, I'd use it, but cook it very thoroughly. If it smells the least bit funky, toss it.

[melissel]

According to the chart on this web site, beef is good for 3 to 5 days after the sell by date. Does anyone know when you should use it by 3 days versus when it's still safe by the 5th day? I have some ground beef that has a sell by date of Jan 18. Today makes the fifth day. Would you still cook it? What if the family has been ill (cold, flu, stomach ailment) would you still serve it to those who can eat?
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp

Has it been frozen, or is it still frozen? If so, you should still be fine. If it's been at fridge temperature all this time, I agree with DKinTX. I've always found that ground beef goes bad much more quickly than full cuts do--often even before the sell-by date, depending on how it was handled!

[Maxine in WA]

I smelled it. It didn't smell like freshly cut meat, but smelled okay. I went ahead and cooked it. Hopefully, I didn't just make my family sick. I did cook it very well. In fact, it almost burned in places...not quite, but a little crunchy. It gave it a nice smoky flavor.

[Cadam]

If it smells fine, eat it.