Smoke it, grind it, or pitch it?

bover · Aug 17, 2011

So I was going through the freezer in the garage yesterday and way in the back I found an unidentified white lump. I pulled it out, turned it over, and see a label that said "Butt 6/12/10". Apparently I picked up an extra butt, most likely on sale, wrapped it in freezer paper, labeled it and stuck it in the freezer last June and then completely forgot about it.

It's been frozen the whole time and should be fine, but this is a frost-free unit so my confidence in its quality isn't all that high. Given that it's well over a year old, what would you do with it? Smoke it, grind it up, or pitch it?

Matt_A · Aug 17, 2011

WAIT, WHAT??? You actually LABEL stuff you stick in the freezer??? :laugh: Defrost it and see how it looks and feels. Then Smoke It!

deguerre · Aug 17, 2011

You don't have any safety issues, just taste issues. I'd go ahead and smoke it then use in recipes like beans and others if you don't think it's serve alone or sandwich quality.

El Lobo · Aug 17, 2011

Got a dog?

Al Czervik · Aug 17, 2011

I'll be curious to see how this all works out for you. I have a rib roast in my freezer from Christmas that needs to be thawed and consumed that fits the same bill...

colonel00 · Aug 17, 2011

I will stop by and take it from you for proper disposal :thumb:

luke duke · Aug 17, 2011

smoke it

Kenny Rogers · Aug 17, 2011

I vote: Smoke it! If you don't like it when it's done, give it to the dogs!

bigdaddydanbbq · Aug 17, 2011

Everything can be cured with smoke. It arta be fine.:nod:

bbq.tom · Aug 17, 2011

Smoke it and then see how good it is. If not good enough for sandwiches etc., then chop it up and use it to help flavor beans or greens or other stuff.

Ryan Chester · Aug 17, 2011

Hmm unidentified white lump in the freezer. Snort it!

Theboz1419 · Aug 17, 2011

Ryan Chester said:
Hmm unidentified white lump in the freezer. Snort it!

Being in the freezer, that could give you Brain freeze. :heh:

Asoli · Aug 17, 2011

Personally, I'd pitch it. Not worth the safety risk to me and the taste might be ruined from sitting in the freezer for so long.

bover · Aug 17, 2011

Thanks all. I think I will smoke it up. I've got no concerns about it being safe, it's just the texture/quality of the final product that I don't know about. I have been meaning to give Keri's Hog Apple Bean recipe a try, so if it ain't sandwich worthy I'll go that route.

Groundhog66 · Aug 17, 2011

Asoli said:
Personally, I'd pitch it. Not worth the safety risk to me and the taste might be ruined from sitting in the freezer for so long.

Educate me, why would there be a safety risk if it's been frozen the whole time?

Asoli · Aug 17, 2011

Groundhog66 said:
Educate me, why would there be a safety risk if it's been frozen the whole time?

From the restaurant I worked in, we wouldn't use anything that had been frozen that long wrapped only in freezer paper. The boss said something about the health board and the final product turning out poorly. He said vacuum sealed was fine but just in paper would allow the the opportunity to be contaminated over time from everything else in the freezer.

For normal folks, it's probably fine.

deguerre · Aug 17, 2011

Groundhog66 said:
Educate me, why would there be a safety risk if it's been frozen the whole time?

I hear 10 thousand year old wooly mammoth is pretty good...

Groundhog66 · Aug 17, 2011

Asoli said:
From the restaurant I worked in, we wouldn't use anything that had been frozen that long wrapped only in freezer paper. The boss said something about the health board and the final product turning out poorly. He said vacuum sealed was fine but just in paper would allow the the opportunity to be contaminated over time from everything else in the freezer.

For normal folks, it's probably fine.

If you worked in a restaurant that had anything in the freezer for even close to that amount of time, I think there were much worse things to worry about :heh:

deguerre said:
I hear 10 thousand year old wooly mammoth is pretty good...

Ya think :crazy:

:wink:

Asoli · Aug 17, 2011

Not even close to a month and it would be gone. I was just extrapolating.

MG_NorCal · Aug 17, 2011

No food safety issue, just rancidity/freshness issue depending on how well it was wrapped and what temp the freezer is at (and whether it stayed at that temp the whole time).

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_freezing/index.asp

Is Frozen Food Safe?
Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. Freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.

Click to expand...

Smoke it, grind it, or pitch it?

is one Smokin' Farker

Matt_A

Guest

somebody shut me the fark up.

El Lobo

Guest

somebody shut me the fark up.

Quintessential Chatty Farker

is Blowin Smoke!

Full Fledged Farker

Knows what a fatty is.

is Blowin Smoke!

is Blowin Smoke!

is one Smokin' Farker

Asoli

Guest

is one Smokin' Farker

Babbling Farker

Asoli

Guest

somebody shut me the fark up.

Babbling Farker

Asoli

Guest

Knows what a fatty is.

Similar threads