How to Prepare Meats for Freezer Storage

Carefully package fresh meat before freezing to prevent freezer burn and wasted money.

Properly packaging meat before freezing it prevents freezer burn from invading the food. Freezer burn occurs when air contacts the surface of the meat and dries it out. Though freezer burn does not make the meat unhealthy, it will become unpalatable. Throwing out freezer-burned meat is a waste of money since the scenario can easily be prevented by keeping air away from the meat.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• Freezer bags
• Permanent marker

Instructions

1. Trim off excess fat from the surface of the meat to prevent rancidity, which negatively alters the flavor.

2. Divide the meat into individual or meal-sized portions.

3. Wrap each portion tightly in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil.

4. Place each wrapped portion of meat into a freezer bag.

5. Push out the excess air from the bag and seal it to create a three-layer barrier between the meat and the air in the freezer.

6. Write the current date, contents and the use-by date on the front of the freezer bag.

7. Consult a meat freezer chart for the exact number of months your type and cut of meat will maintain its quality in the freezer (see Resources).

8. Arrange freshly wrapped meats in a single layer in the coldest portion of the freezer overnight to ensure the fastest freezing of the meat.

9. Stack the bags containing the meat portions on top of each other only after the meat has frozen solid.

Tips & Warnings

• Thaw frozen meats overnight in the refrigerator. Do not thaw on the counter or outdoors.

• Cook foods defrosted in the microwave immediately.

References

• Help With Cooking: Freezing Meat
• FSIS USDA: Freezing and Food Safety
• Clemson University Extension: Freezing Meat

Resources

• Ohio Line Ohio State University: Freezer Storage Chart