Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Freezing Meat

2»

Comments

  • SwampBadger
    SwampBadger Posts: 38
    edited March 2015

    +1 on freezing meat, butter, soups, etc. as stated above.  But I'm NOT a fan of meat that gets ground first, then frozen.  It's different. It loses more moisture, and everything is drier or more crumbly.  Some other things, for example, if I'm grinding some sausage, freezing and thawing a whole butt has no discernible impact on the final product.  If I have extra butt cubed but not ground, and freeze it (even from fresh), it's just not the same when I grind, and the finished product is not as juicy.   I pulled out some cubed butt a couple days ago, thawed in the fridge.  Turned it into Italian sausage last night for the rigatoni, and it was just so much more crumbly than if I had done a larger piece or fresh.  So I don't freeze ground meat if I can help it, or use it for things that don't matter as much.   

    On soups, we portion into glass storage dishes and freeze, then run hot water over the bottom, pop the frozen soup out, and run through FoodSaver.  Works beautifully.

    In dog beers, I've only had one.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    Smokinpig said:
    Do you guys flash freeze any of your meat before vac sealing for the longer freeze? I had read that recently and never tried it. I appreciate all the tips I can pick up.
    No - I assume you must mean flash freeze using dry ice? Sounds like an expensive PITA!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    SwampBadger said:


    On soups, we portion into glass storage dishes and freeze, then run hot water over the bottom, pop the frozen soup out, and run through FoodSaver.  Works beautifully.

    We do this with enchiladas, we'll make 6-8 pans at a time, freeze, then pop out and vac-seal.  Also do this with meatloaves, we've made them in small loaf pans, freeze, pop out and then vac-seal.
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Smokinpig
    Smokinpig Posts: 739
    RRP said:
    Smokinpig said:
    Do you guys flash freeze any of your meat before vac sealing for the longer freeze? I had read that recently and never tried it. I appreciate all the tips I can pick up.
    No - I assume you must mean flash freeze using dry ice? Sounds like an expensive PITA!

    No, more of a poor mans flash freeze. Freeze them out in the open on a baking sheet first then vac seal them up for the long freeze.

    LBGE Atlanta, GA


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,435
    FREEZER TIP:  keep a notecard in your house listing all items in your deep freeze.  Write in pencil, erase when item used.  

    My mom passed this tip down to me . . . so clutch.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fergi
    fergi Posts: 138
    For those that don't have a vacuum sealer, if you will wrap the items tightly with plastic wrap before putting them in a freezer bag it will greatly reduce the freezer burn. This works especially well with meat.

    Fort Worth Texas

    Large & XL Green Egg

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • logchief
    logchief Posts: 1,431
    leo123 said:
    what model of food saver would you suggest to purchase.
    I have the 3860 and have had great success with it.  I love the pull out vac hose to use on their reusable zip lock bags.
    LBGE - I like the hot stuff.  The big dry San Joaquin Valley, Clovis, CA 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ryantt
    ryantt Posts: 2,558
    When you get your freezer do yourself a favor and get an upright.  We replaced are chest freezer a  few years back and love the upright.  Much much easier to find what you need.  I do not have a food savor, our local butcher will do it free of charge when you buy in bulk.  
    XL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,710
    edited March 2015
    +1 on upright.  Our 25+ year full size upright probably paid for itself many times over in meat savings. Even with upright, we often have trouble finding stuff in the easy-to-reach shelves  :)  Can't imagine what it would be like with chest.

    Question: do they still make manual defrost upright?  Some years ago a friend was freezer shopping and I recall she mentioned a salesman told her to stay away from self-defrost freezer.
    canuckland
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    I hate you all. I wish I could convince my wife to get a deep freezer. I suppose I should just go for and beg forgiveness.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    Canugghead said:
    ...  Some years ago a friend was freezer shopping and I recall she mentioned a salesman told her to stay away from self-defrost freezer.
    That is good/great advise.  Anything that is going to stay frozen for awhile gets moved to our manual-defrost upright freezer.  The self-defrost cycle in our kitchen freezer is hell on frozen goods.

    And yes, they still make manual-defrost upright freezers.  The dead of winter for northern folks is a great time to defrost them.  Food goes out in the freezing cold while the freezer sheds its accumulated ice.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,710
    Speaking of defrosting, way back when we didn't know better and used hairdryer, duh!
    Later I figured out it's a lot faster and safer to keep sponging hot water over each frosted shelf, top to bottom. Just make sure you have trays and towels below to catch the water.
    canuckland
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    @Canugghead ... trays and towels in abundance.  I use a large fan to blow warm air into the opened freezer ... works rather quickly ... plus I'm lazy and the fan is an easy method.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    That's one reason I've settled down in the South.  Freezing meat.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    When I bought my Egg almost a year ago from a small family owned business it came with a certificate for a brisket or pork butt from a local butcher shop. I expected a flat at best and was given a 18lb choice brisket. Leaving for vacation I tossed it in my freezer in the Cryo and forgot about it until a few weeks ago. Took over three days to thaw in the fridge but the final product showed no signs of trouble being frozen for almost a year. Took the flat to a pot luck and kept the burnt ends for myself of course. lol
    Dearborn MI
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dredger
    Dredger Posts: 1,468
    @Smokinpig, I will wrap individual items, or a serving portion, in plastic wrap and put in a ziploc bag and freeze, then vacuum seal them in a larger bag and leave a few inches on the bag to spare. That way, you take out only what you need and then reseal the bag several times when you remove individual portions. Since the item was pre-frozen, you can reuse the bag multiple times. We buy the vacuum bag rolls and can cut them in any length we need. We try to always defrost in the refrigerator. Regarding flavor or texture compromise, we buy all of our beef from a rancher that does grass-fed, free range beef and it comes to us frozen and vacuum packed. The best beef we have ever had.
    Large BGE
    Greenville, SC
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    Smokinpig said:
    Do you guys flash freeze any of your meat before vac sealing for the longer freeze? I had read that recently and never tried it. I appreciate all the tips I can pick up.
    Freeze first then vac seal. Keeps from squeezing out liquid. Works well for fruits and other soft items as well.  Freezer burn takes at least 24 hours before it gets started.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Smokinpig
    Smokinpig Posts: 739
    Thanks for all the tips guys. I have been experimenting with cheaper cuts. I did a pork loin a few weeks ago, it was 8 pounds, cut a bunch of chops and vac sealed them in single serving sizes and cut a small roast.  I want to improve my skills before I try the same with a boneless ribeye roast. Even at restaurant depot those are are not cheap.

    LBGE Atlanta, GA


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories