Refreeze question

[LanceM88]

I recently had a breaker go bad and lost power to my freezer. I have 20 pounds of freshly bought cryovac ground meat. Bought it from a local farm. When I noticed the power loss, the meat was thawed. It was still cold, but not frozen. I REALLY hate to throw this out!! Would you refreeze it? I have heard of people doing this if it is cryovac. I don't particularly care to get sick eating it but I hate to throw out $120 worth of beef also.

 

[cueball21]

In most cases with food the old rule "If in doubt, throw it out!" should be followed, IMO.

Having said that, with ground beef (you didn't say it was beef, but that is the most commonly found ground meat product IME) you can usually tell by color and smell if it is still viable. If you think it is, you might consider incorporating it into cooked foods such as sauces, burgers, etc. The cooking should provide enough heat to kill bacteria. After cooking, you can vacuum seal it for freezing.

UNDERSTAND, PLEASE . . . that this is your own decision and not my recommendation. Five years ago, I experienced a massive infection of streptococcus millerii at the site of an artificial knee joint. It did not happen in relation to the implant surgery but occurred 4 years later. It almost killed me. I was in the hospital with a Pick line dumping meds directly into the blood vessel leading into the heart for 33 days. They tell me that I now have a compromised immune system causing me to take antibiotics twice a day, every day, for the rest of my life. I would take the loss on the meat because of that.

 

[IamMadMan]

An actual temperature reading on the meat itself would be your guide. If it were 38 or below you are in the safe zone, but like "cueball21" said, it's your decision.

 

[studduck420]

It is definitely your choice, but take a temp reading. I myself would still use it ( but i can be frugal sometimes) but I dont think I would serve it to anyone else until I tried it myself

 

[code3rrt]

You say it was still cold...........as long as the temp didn't get into the danger zone, you are totally safe refreezing this. If you are not sure of the temp, that is a bit different.

KC

 

[Big George's BBQ]

My butcher said that if cry ax and thawed in fridge it is ok to refreeze. You should qualify for that as the freezer warmed slowly if door was not open