Fresh Meat or Frozen....which is better?

[Rummm]

Like I've been saying for years, freeze it quick and thaw it slow.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/24/3957887/which-is-better-fresh-meat-or.html

[sliding_billy]

Thanks for posting this Rummm.  I am way guilty of not thawing properly.  I tend to make last minute decisions to cook and will even start a cook with frozen meat (have done it with large butts and even packers).  The results aren't ideal, but it beats not eating Q when you are surprised by the weather or find yourself with some time to cook.

[HighOnSmoke]

Thanks for posting this Rummm!

[africanmeat]

The article is accurate if
1 you froze the meat .
2 you controlled the freezing
3 you thawing properly
if it is a shop frozen meat you don't know how many times it was Thawed .

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Good article, I will have to share this with someone I know that insists on thawing meat by setting it outside in direct sunlight.  Needless to say I avoid eating anything they cook. 

[TentHunteR]

Good Article.  Short, plain and easy to understand.

if it is a shop frozen meat you don't know how many times it was Thawed.

Good point Ahron, and chicken is a prime example.  In the U.S. chicken can be taken down to 26° F (-3° C) and still be legally labeled as "fresh." 

USDA Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms

[muebe]

Obviously there are very few people out there that have a blast freezer in their home. And using liquid nitrogen to freeze you meats is less than ideal.

But if you let you meat sit in a bath of ice water vac sealed before freezing can help reduce the damage the ice crystals cause to the meat. Putting the meat in the freezer when it is near freezing temp should help.

And I always try and let the meat thaw in the fridge but sometimes that is not always practical. A ice chest filled with ice water can allow you to slowly thaw large meats while leaving valuable space in your fridge.

I have been known to start my pellet smoker with a completely frozen butt at 180F then when it is thawed bump up the temp. They still come out good.

[teesquare]

Obviously there are very few people out there that have a blast freezer in their home. And using liquid nitrogen to freeze you meats is less than ideal.

But if you let you meat sit in a bath of ice water vac sealed before freezing can help reduce the damage the ice crystals cause to the meat. Putting the meat in the freezer when it is near freezing temp should help.

And I always try and let the meat thaw in the fridge but sometimes that is not always practical. A ice chest filled with ice water can allow you to slowly thaw large meats while leaving valuable space in your fridge.

I have been known to start my pellet smoker with a completely frozen butt at 180F then when it is thawed bump up the temp. They still come out good.

One of the common reasons for freezer burn is the "auto defrosting" freezer. If you can acquire a commercial type of freezer - you will find that vacuum bagged meats will not get freezer burn like meats stored in a auto defrosting freezer. In order to auto defrost, a timer tells the freezer to come up to 40-42F for a period of time, in order for any accumulated frost/ice int he freezer to melt and run out of the drain to a pan below the freezer. (It evaporates from there.) But, in so doing, the the temperature being above freezing for typically an hour or more  - allows the meat to begin thawing at the edges. Then it re-freezes. Because this cycle can occur 2 or more times in a 24 hour period ( the exact length of the auto-defrost cycle and frequency varies among manufacturers)- you can see why you have a limited amount of time for meat in the freezer - before it begins to degrade from freezer burn, or frosting/ice crystal formation, mores on the edges than the middle or thicker parts of the meat.
Some freezers have a switch that allows you to turn off the auto defrost. I recommend this wholeheartedly. You will have to manually defrost your freezer, but if you are careful, you can go a year - maybe more - between defrosting.
Bottom line: all vacuum packed frozen goods will last longer this way.

[CDN Smoker]

Good reading and advice

I usually empty my freezer about every 3 years and give it a good cleaning.

[Saber 4]

Good read, thanks for posting. How does this apply to meat that was packaged and frozen at the packer and then thawed to sell at the grocery store? I usually break the packages down and vacuum seal in 2 serving portions and into the deep freeze.

[Rummm]

Good read, thanks for posting. How does this apply to meat that was packaged and frozen at the packer and then thawed to sell at the grocery store? I usually break the packages down and vacuum seal in 2 serving portions and into the deep freeze.

I have no problem with freezing meat twice, as long as the thawing process never got above 40°. But, how do we know that?? Unless you do it yourself, it's a 50/50 guess. If there is too much liquid in the package at the store, I don't buy it. It also helps to get to know some of the store personnel, as you can ask if they have some of the product that is still frozen. 

[Saber 4]

Good read, thanks for posting. How does this apply to meat that was packaged and frozen at the packer and then thawed to sell at the grocery store? I usually break the packages down and vacuum seal in 2 serving portions and into the deep freeze.

I have no problem with freezing meat twice, as long as the thawing process never got above 40°. But, how do we know that?? Unless you do it yourself, it's a 50/50 guess. If there is too much liquid in the package at the store, I don't buy it. It also helps to get to know some of the store personnel, as you can ask if they have some of the product that is still frozen.

Thanks, that's a good idea to ask for frozen product.

[deestafford]

It's my understanding that with seafood it is best to buy frozen unless you can get it right off the boat or catch it yourself.  The reason being that most of the bigger boats have freezer onboard and quickly freeze the catch as soon as they can; whereas, otherwise it's hauled around and delivered.  Dee

[Rummm]

It's my understanding that with seafood it is best to buy frozen unless you can get it right off the boat or catch it yourself.  The reason being that most of the bigger boats have freezer onboard and quickly freeze the catch as soon as they can; whereas, otherwise it's hauled around and delivered.  Dee

Yuppers!