FREEZER BURN! THE MEAT IS RUINED....OR IS IT?

[kappydell]

Nowdays with the price of meat going through the roof, more and more folks are not only buying freezers, but a lot of us are using up and rotating what they already have on hand to make room for new stuff.  But once in a while, you run across some freezer burned meat, and you ask yourself   "Hmmm, I paid a lot for this....can I salvage it?"  

 

The answer is yes, there is a good chance you can.  First of all, freezer burn won;t hurt you or make you sick.  It does however, make the meat tough, dry, and sometimes odd tasting.  But it won't kill you, if you have to eat it.  I just recently salvaged some steaks that spent a little too much time in the freezer by doing a little homework and trying one of the things other people recommended.  

Although I do not expect you to go out and deliberately leave things in the freezer that long, it sure is nice to know that all is not lost!  Here is what I found out.

 

SIX WAYS TO SALVAGE FREEZER BURNED MEAT

1.  Slow cook with BBQ sauce.  This counteracts the toughness, dryness and the odd flavor, which are the three main traits of freezer burned meats.

2.  Grind or cut into chili dice pieces, then precook, drain & rinse well, and finish by making it into chili.

3.  Soak in white vinegar which tenderizes & removed odd flavors.  This is what I used except I sprayed the meat (I keep white vinegar in a spritzer to clean grease off my stove).  I sprayed it around 30 minutes before dinner.  The smell & flavor of vinegar disappeared with cooking and the meat was delicious simply grilled.

4.  Pressure cook and make stew or curry.  The tomato in the preparation  be it juice or puree, works same as the vinegar, deodorizing and tenderizing.  The pressure cooker speeds things up.  

5.  Marinate in any commercial marinade, then cook as usual.  One of my favorite cheaper ones is plain old house brand Italian Dressing.  Garlicky, so if you object to garlic, use vinaigrette without garlic instead.  Or you can purchase an 'official' (but more expensive) marinade.  if you have a good one, heck, make your own!

6.  Cut it up, partially cook as for hot pack canning, then drain & rinse.  Can it in a broth (I use bouillon cubes).

 

As I clean out freezer to make room for new meats (just in case we get another covid bump in the autumn) I am finding some items that are older than I would like, but that I am using anyway, since meat prices are about 3 to 5 times higher than when I bought them less than a year ago.  But I fear no freezer burn, for I have successfully counteracted it, and it worked, by gum!  

  

 

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by kappydell

[Jeepers]

Ugh, freezer burned meat is horrible. The smell, the taste and the color...shudder. It definitely won't kill you. You just wish you were dead trying to eat it.  I could see me using some Sweet Baby Rays to try to salvage it though. Pulled pork/beef slow cooker or sloppy joes. I think I'd still notice it in chili even though I use chili powder and katsup. Maybe if I wasn't the one cooking it I wouldn't notice. Meatloaf, perhaps.

[kappydell]

Sometimes you want to try to salvage it - especially when the budget is tight and the alternative is no meat.  I, for one, am taking steps to watch my rotation of foods more closely so I do not have to utilize these tactics...hopefully....but I acknowledge that it is nice to know there are options "just in case".

Sweet Baby Rays rocks!  I especially like my sauces sweet!  The last time i made BBQ to use up some "old" hamburger, CM said the sweet sour was a little sharp....but her taste runs to even sweeter than I am used to, so I have to remember to keep it more to her taste than mine (I am more flexible).

[Ambergris]

Sometimes you find a year's worth of provisions in freezer-burned meat.  Been there.  Ate it.

[Dee]

I have been amazed at how good "older meat" is when putting it in the crockpot with a can of some kind of creamed soup over it.   It's sure worth the price of a can of soup to try it at least once.  Don't tell the family and see if they notice.  If they do ok, but if they don't, think how much it can save you.

Edited July 18, 2020 by Dee