NazBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
My butcher periodically has great deals on pork shoulders, etc. I was just curious if throwing it in the deep freezer (and smoking it months later) has any negative effect on the quality of the meat?
Like any meat that is frozen there will be some compromise of meat texture between fresh and frozen. This happens because the ice crystals will damage the meat fibers and if you thaw and freeze meat over and over, it will eventually turn to mush. Now if you buy a piece of meat and freeze it and leave it, it will be fine to cook several months later provided you dont get freezer burn. I have stocked up on ribs and pork butts and cooked them 2-3 months later with no damaging effect on the end quality of product.
Like any meat that is frozen there will be some compromise of meat texture between fresh and frozen. This happens because the ice crystals will damage the meat fibers and if you thaw and freeze meat over and over, it will eventually turn to mush. Now if you buy a piece of meat and freeze it and leave it, it will be fine to cook several months later provided you dont get freezer burn. I have stocked up on ribs and pork butts and cooked them 2-3 months later with no damaging effect on the end quality of product.
I’m happy to hear these answers, given the fact I've already loaded up on some butts.
I saw nothing that would hint that processed pork is routinely frozen - only that freezing can reduce the risk of trichinosis.I could be wrong, but I believe that virtually all pork sold in the USA is deep frozen in order to kill trichinosis
Reading at the CDC leaves me still unsure
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/gen_info/faqs.html