refreeze meat??

Okeejohn

After meat is thawed out, can I refreeze the unused portion? If not, why?


Okeejohn

Grillmama

We've done it and never had a problem as long as the meat is still cool and hasn't gotten hot. What kind? We've done it with hamburger, pork chops, ribs, steaks. Just make sure the meat did not get warm or hot. As long as it stayed cool you should be fine.

Car Wash Mike

You would be surprised how many times poultry has been refroze before you cook it. Make sure you have a good vac seal.

Rivermute

If it still has ice crystals in it you should be fine.. I refreeze meat when making sausages all the time.. that being said I keep everything as cold as possible during the process. The theory is that you are promoting the growth of bad bacteria by allowing meat to thaw refreeze then thaw again, increasing the risk of food poisoning. Keep your work area clean and keep the meat cool and I don't see a huge issue unless you are selling the end product. Cross contamination is a bigger issue imho.

BoneDaddy's

I looked ot up once on the USDA website..

Is it safe to refreeze food that has thawed completely?
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. And if previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.
(Source: Freezing and Food Safety)

Chef in the Making

Cook's country magazine was asked a similar question regarding ground beef. They said according to the Dept of Ariculture as long as the meat was thawed out properly in the refrigerator and not at room temperature it is safe to refreeze it. The danger of thawing frozen meet at room temp is that it may sit in the danger zoneof 40 to 140 degrees Farnenheit which is the optimum environment for bacteria growth. They also went on to say the quality of refrozen ground beef was not as good.