How well does fresh brisket freeze?

brownstone · Oct 15, 2014

Hi all, I've been lurking for awhile, this is my very first post.

While shopping this morning I noticed a local store has whole USDA Choice packer briskets for the best price I've seen in a long time - $2.79/lb. I'm tempted to pick up a whole bunch of them but this is more than my family could go through in a month.

My question is how well do whole uncooked briskets freeze? I've found lots of discussion of freezing them after they are smoked, but very little about freezing them "fresh".

Thanks in advance to anybody who knows. I probably need to decide in the next few hours if I'm going back to clean them out.

Edit: They are all in cryovac packs.

mdboatbum · Oct 15, 2014

They'll freeze fine and keep that way for quite a while. I'm assuming they're not cured or otherwise enhanced, but I don't think that would make a difference.
I think the rule of thumb is that meats stored in a home freezer are fine for a year.
I'd leave them in the cryovac for best results.

donr · Oct 15, 2014

I have begun to season/rub the hunks o' meat I freeze if I know what I am going to do with them. But I rub, Vacuum pack then freeze right away.

Freezing stops the reactions that take place when adding salt/sugar rubs. This way the moiusture that comes out of the meat during thawing is used in the flavor transfer. I will have very little moisture in the bags when I open them to cook.

I don't think I can vac a whole packer either.

brownstone · Oct 15, 2014

That price was too good for me to pass up. Whole packers are hard enough for me to find, let alone that cheap. I went back and bought them all

- guess we'll be eating beef all winter.

reinhard · Oct 16, 2014

Dont worry about them in the freezer as long as you keep them in the original vac pack package they came in. Make sure they have a good seal on them. The only way you will have a problem would be if the cryovac pack gets a hole in there somewhere or if you put heavy items on top of the briskets in the freezer resulting in a opening of the seal. Mdboatbum was right for they will last a year if not longer in the freezer. Looks like you will have some great meals ahead and you got one heck of a price!!! Reinhard

fa1321tx · Feb 28, 2015

I just picked up a 10.5 lb Prime packer for around $4 a pound at my HEB and cannot cook it this weekend. If I freeze it how long does it take to thaw it out and whats the best method?

demosthenes9 · Feb 28, 2015

Mdboatbum said:
They'll freeze fine and keep that way for quite a while. I'm assuming they're not cured or otherwise enhanced, but I don't think that would make a difference.
I think the rule of thumb is that meats stored in a home freezer are fine for a year.
I'd leave them in the cryovac for best results.

Presuming nothing goes wrong with the freezer, you can store cryo'ed meat for much longer than that. I had some butts that kind of got over looked during my normal stock rotation. When I finally took them out to smoke, I saw that they had been in the freezer for over three years.

fa1321tx · Mar 6, 2015

fa1321tx said:
I just picked up a 10.5 lb Prime packer for around $4 a pound at my HEB and cannot cook it this weekend. If I freeze it how long does it take to thaw it out and whats the best method?

Anyone?

b-one · Mar 6, 2015

fa1321tx said:
Anyone?

Just thaw it out in the fridge two days should be fine. If needed you can put it in the sink with running water to speed up defrosting just don't let it overflow.

medic92 · Mar 11, 2015

A couple of days in the refrigerator should be ok. If you need it sooner, there's nothing like the irritated yell of the wife when she finds a brisket thawing in cold water in the bathtub.

gary s · Mar 11, 2015

I would allow a little longer

Food safety . gov

After purchase, fresh brisket can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days before cooking.
Fresh brisket can be frozen for up to 12 months at best quality.
Be sure to allow plenty of time to thaw a frozen brisket. Thawing in the refrigerator can take about 24 hours for a trimmed, first-cut brisket. A whole brisket weighing about 10 pounds can take several days.

fa1321tx · Mar 12, 2015

So if I was planning to cook it Friday night and would like to trim & add dry rub then let sit overnight Tuesday morning at the latest?

demosthenes9 · Mar 14, 2015

fa1321tx said:
So if I was planning to cook it Friday night and would like to trim & add dry rub then let sit overnight Tuesday morning at the latest?

Yes.

alelover · Mar 14, 2015

Brownstone. Where is this local store? Don't see a location for you.

stokinsmokebbq · Mar 27, 2015

Just picked up this brisket in sams i asked for a whole packer..butcher handed me this ..is this a flat or packer so i know how to treat it..it says flat but im not sure i havent done one yet

20150327_125238.jpg

stokinsmokebbq
Mar 27, 2015

stokinsmokebbq · Mar 27, 2015

20150327_125222.jpg

stokinsmokebbq
Mar 27, 2015

fa1321tx · Mar 27, 2015

StokinSmokeBBQ said:
Just picked up this brisket in sams i asked for a whole packer..butcher handed me this ..is this a flat or packer so i know how to treat it..it says flat but im not sure i havent done one yet

20150327_125238.jpg

stokinsmokebbq

Mar 27, 2015

Looks like a packer but I cannot read the tag. What does the tag say?

bruno994 · Mar 27, 2015

I age mine for 28 days in the fridge, either from the kill date if I can find that out or from date or purchase. I then either cook them that following weekend or freeze them for later use. I have yet to have one go bad on me....I'm sure I will one day. Beef likes to be aged, both wet and / or dry.

fa1321tx · Mar 31, 2015

I took mine out of the Fridge Sunday night and as of this morning it is still pretty frozen hope its ready by Friday to season.

fa1321tx · Apr 1, 2015

gary s said:
I would allow a little longer

Food safety . gov

After purchase, fresh brisket can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days before cooking.

Fresh brisket can be frozen for up to 12 months at best quality.

Be sure to allow plenty of time to thaw a frozen brisket. Thawing in the refrigerator can take about 24 hours for a trimmed, first-cut brisket. A whole brisket weighing about 10 pounds can take several days.

Gary I took my brisket out of the freezer and put it in my fridge Sunday and today its still pretty frozen. I wanted to season it on Friday for Saturdays cook should I keep waiting or take it out for a couple hours to speed it up?

How well does fresh brisket freeze?

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