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-   -   How long will meat keep in the freezer (https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67637)

FatDaddy 08-26-2009 07:52 AM

How long will meat keep in the freezer
 
Ok after reading N8man's thread about his 3 year old chicken in the woodpile it got me thinking about all the deer meat and bbq in my deep freezer. It is all wrapped in butcher paper and some of it is a few years old by now.. When should I look at cleaning it out and getting rid of it?

Bill-Chicago 08-26-2009 08:07 AM

I just came across this thought myself.

Found 2 freezer vacu packs (with a good seal still) of cooked and pulled beer can chicken meat, both labelled 10-7-2007!!

Is this still good?


But a question for FDaddy:

You mention butcher paper, but is it cryo-sucked or air removed at all?

I had a 30# box of bacon broken down into 2-3# packs that I had in only butcher paper. Found a few of them couple years later that got lost (full stand up freezer in garage) and they were trashed.

Even cooked, tasted like bad ice. Freezer burned to the max.

timzcardz 08-26-2009 08:19 AM

Well here is what the USDA says about freezing:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...zing/index.asp

Quote:

Foods in the freezer -- are they safe? Every year, thousands of callers to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline aren't sure about the safety of items stored in their own home freezers. The confusion seems to be based on the fact that few people understand how freezing protects food. Here is some information on how to freeze food safely and how long to keep it.

What Can You Freeze?
You can freeze almost any food. Some exceptions are canned food or eggs in shells. However, once the food (such as a ham) is out of the can, you may freeze it.

Being able to freeze food and being pleased with the quality after defrosting are two different things. Some foods simply don't freeze well. Examples are mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce. Raw meat and poultry maintain their quality longer than their cooked counterparts because moisture is lost during cooking.


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.

The_Kapn 08-26-2009 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timzcardz (Post 1007899)
Well here is what the USDA says about freezing:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...zing/index.asp


Let's see....(short form)

"May taste like Chit, but safe to eat". :lol:

That has always been my experience with vacu-sucked meats.
Even the flavor hold up well.

TIM

maxwell7 08-26-2009 08:52 AM

Freezing
 
My late wife NEVER thawed her Thksgvng turkey. Been trying to convince my current wife to try it! She finally did thanks to the American Turkey council web-site that gave a full explanation on how to do it , as well as saying it's best and safest that way. They also said that while quality could not be assured , a frozen turkey will keep in the frozen state indefinitely!!Why not other foods? If you look at FDA guidelines , they don't agree with the Turkey council. Sooo, whom do you believe-- beats me--ours was over a year old and tasty and juicy!:eusa_clap:razz:

Lake Dogs 08-26-2009 09:49 AM

Having had a bad case of salmonella in the past (is there such a thing as a good case?),
I suggest that if you think it's getting old, it probably is, and I'd throw it OUT.

FatDaddy 08-26-2009 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willkat98 (Post 1007889)


But a question for FDaddy:

You mention butcher paper, but is it cryo-sucked or air removed at all?



Even cooked, tasted like bad ice. Freezer burned to the max.

No. It is tightly wrapped in waxed butcher paper. It is primarily venison. most of it in cutlets or ground sausage. I wanna say some of it is at least 3-4 years old now that I think to when I got my deep freeze.

Bigdog 08-26-2009 02:21 PM

We cooked a 4 year old cryo brisket. It was safe to eat, but it tasted like $hit. :icon_sick

Jacked UP BBQ 08-26-2009 03:20 PM

I am a firm believer in 6 months toss is out. That is if there is no freezer burnt pieces. Get freezer burnt out whenever it happens. We all cook well and deserve better than chit.

Grillman 08-26-2009 06:35 PM

Foods that have been frozen are safe to eat...even if having been
frozen for years.
You can't get food poisoning from eating it.
It can loose some flavor if it has been frozen for years...but; is safe
to eat.
Since flavor is what we all like...you might wait and use those old
cuts of meat this winter in a stew...in the crock pot.
You can smoke it first for maximum flavor if you want.
The parts that show "freezer burn" can be cut off if you want; but,
they are perfectly safe to eat.

To help protect the flavor of foods when you freeze them....vacuum
pack them first...that way if it gets lost in your freezer for several
years...it will still have decent flavor.

blues_n_cues 08-27-2009 07:13 AM

here's my rule:

store bought-no more than 6 months(like it lasts that long around here anyway)

wild game- no less than 6 months
http://home.att.net/~sajackson/wildgame.html

blues_n_cues 08-27-2009 07:19 AM

here's a better link
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/...zing/index.asp

Smokin Turkey 08-27-2009 08:27 AM

The food saver vac advertises as long as 5 years when properly packaged in the freezer which I can only attest to 4 years since that is as old as my machine and I just pulled out some zucchini and fried it. It was a little soft after the thaw but came out as good tasting as it went in.

I used to wrap my meat in butcher paper in deer season and our rule was if next deer season it wasnt gone, it was time to trash or cook it up with rice for the dogs. I do know air easily permeates the butcher wrap and quickly burns meats.

smoke it if ya got it 08-27-2009 01:59 PM

I'll have to try to make these so called piggles.

big brother smoke 08-31-2009 09:55 AM

For quality assurance, 6 months cryo-sucked is my limit!


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