how long will smoked meat last

hotrod270 · Dec 12, 2009

How long will smoked meat last in the frig? having a car club party next friday night and smoking a brisket and pork shoulder this sunday. should i freeze the meat after cooking or will it be good in the frig till then?

chefrob · Dec 12, 2009

i would treat it just like anything else that is cooked. usually 5-7 days is the max but some keep a super cold frig.

fire it up · Dec 12, 2009

That far ahead i would freeze them but that's just me.
I don't like to let my meat sit over 3 maybe 4 days in the fridge before freezing it.

Not sure how well brisket holds up to freezing and reheating but if your fridge does run cold it should be ok, many people will argue that freezing and thawing to reheat pulled pork actually improves the flavor.

mballi3011 · Dec 12, 2009

I would freeze it and if you have a food saver I would use those bags to freeze it in. If you don't have one, go get one if you can if not wrap it up in saran wrap with some spitz liquid in with it. Then wrap really good a couple of layers and then put it into a ziplock baggie then freeze it. Then you can re-heat it in boiling water or you can heat it up in a pasta pot in the strainer part of the pot and re-heat it that way I do alot and it will help the meat from dring out too.

flatbroke · Dec 12, 2009

Whats the chances of smoking the meat until its about 80-90 percent done in the smoker then freeze it. On the night of the party stick it in the oven and finish it the rest of the way?

chefrob · Dec 12, 2009

for safetey, i would never partially cook meat then cook/freeze then thaw and finish cooking unless you were in a commercial setting and KNEW what you were doing.

flatbroke · Dec 12, 2009

what harm would be done if the meat were taken off at lets say 160 to 170 degrees. and reheating it to 200 later?

fire it up · Dec 12, 2009

Since the inside would be undercooked and more in the danger zone the meat on the inside could run the risk of extreme bacterial growth and spoilage, it would take a long time to cool and even though you would kill off bacteria that grew the meat itself could be in jeopardy.

chefrob · Dec 12, 2009

with those temps........nothing if you got them through the danger zones in time. as far as quality....not sure. you will lose moisture while cooling down and while you can try to put it back in the reheat, you can't put back "natural" juices which always taste better and penetrate the proteins better while mixing with the fats that give flavor. will it be bad? i doubt it, but i won't be like when it was cooked fresh. also if the pork is going to be pulled i would just finish it and freeze it after you pull it.

chefrob · Dec 12, 2009

this is why i said in a commercial setting........our freezers run around 20 below and have lots of air movement so as not to effect the ambient temp.

flatbroke · Dec 12, 2009

Help me understand, If you are probing the center of the meat, wouldnt that be your temp you are working with?

fire it up · Dec 12, 2009

Yes but if you are pulling at that temp and not eating then the amount of time it would take to cool down would be hours and hours for the center of the meat to come down under 40 to get out of the danger zone, unless you can do like chefrob said and drop that temp in a relatively quick amount of time with proper cool airflow then I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons.

flatbroke · Dec 12, 2009

I get it now, thanks. OP dont cook part way and freeze.

miamirick · Dec 12, 2009

hey hot rod, i dont know about your house but around here smoked meat never lasts more than two days in the fridge!!!!!!!!!!!!

fire it up · Dec 12, 2009

Be sure to stop over in Roll Call when you get a change and introduce yourself to everyone.
We love to get to know new members and would love to hear about your experiences and equipment.

linescum · Dec 13, 2009

about 20-25 minutes around here

hotrod270 · Dec 13, 2009

Hey guys, thanks for all the input. The pork shoulder is on the smoker and i will put the brisket on in a couple of hours . I will freeze then both, i am going to pull the pork and then freeze in vacuum bags. The brisket i will put in a extra large ziplock bag and not slice it. Next friday i will put in oven and reheat for the party. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ronp · Dec 13, 2009

Works for me.

Good luck!

rapidredneck · May 21, 2012

you people crack me up!! i was raised in the south south Alabama to b exact! raised on a peanut field way back in the woods and we were realy poor when it came to food believe me we knew to keep it as long as possible and have alot of trial and error doing it!

when it comes to can goods that so called expire date on the can is soly for the stores and goverment!! i have personaly keep canned goods, beans, corn, mixed vegatbles ect. for as long as 10-12 years in the cabinet and opened them and eat theme and they were just fine!! the rule of thumb with canned goods is when you opn them when you first crack the can with a opener if you here any air or whissh!! sound come frome them as if they were under pressure then toss them imidiatly its no good! but if no air or sound they are just fine to eat!! hinse the preservative additive used in canning!!

Which brings me to smoked meet!! back in say 1806! they didnt have refridgerators or ice freezers!! they did how ever smoke meat!! ever heard of a smoke house!!??

Well in a smoke house meat left hanging lasted for months!

Im not suggesting you keep your smoked meet for months unless of course you have a smoke house!.

But smoked meat fully cooked should b ok in your fridge in a sealed container atleast 7-14 days maybe longer depending on the type meat and your fridge performence itself!!

i mean think about it the old guys back in the day had to keep food as long as they could! if you watch westerns on tv why do you think you allways see the cowboys with jerky and beans and such on the trail?? because they last!! the best way for the old guys back in the 1800's to keep meat eatable was to smoke it!! and with pork brineing it and smokeing it adds a realy long shelf life to it!

Just the thoughts of an old Redneck Country Boy take it for what its worth!

bswim · May 25, 2012

RapidRedneck said:
you people crack me up!! i was raised in the south south Alabama to b exact! raised on a peanut field way back in the woods and we were realy poor when it came to food believe me we knew to keep it as long as possible and have alot of trial and error doing it!

when it comes to can goods that so called expire date on the can is soly for the stores and goverment!! i have personaly keep canned goods, beans, corn, mixed vegatbles ect. for as long as 10-12 years in the cabinet and opened them and eat theme and they were just fine!! the rule of thumb with canned goods is when you opn them when you first crack the can with a opener if you here any air or whissh!! sound come frome them as if they were under pressure then toss them imidiatly its no good! but if no air or sound they are just fine to eat!! hinse the preservative additive used in canning!!

Which brings me to smoked meet!! back in say 1806! they didnt have refridgerators or ice freezers!! they did how ever smoke meat!! ever heard of a smoke house!!??

Well in a smoke house meat left hanging lasted for months!

Im not suggesting you keep your smoked meet for months unless of course you have a smoke house!.

But smoked meat fully cooked should b ok in your fridge in a sealed container atleast 7-14 days maybe longer depending on the type meat and your fridge performence itself!!

i mean think about it the old guys back in the day had to keep food as long as they could! if you watch westerns on tv why do you think you allways see the cowboys with jerky and beans and such on the trail?? because they last!! the best way for the old guys back in the 1800's to keep meat eatable was to smoke it!! and with pork brineing it and smokeing it adds a realy long shelf life to it!

Just the thoughts of an old Redneck Country Boy take it for what its worth!

This all depends on your system and what you're used to. I had an uncle that lived most of his life in fishing villages in Alaska. He could eat things that would kill most people, but he'd been doing it for 50 of his 80 years. His stomach had the enzymes built up that it wouldn't phase him.

To assume anyone can eat like this is very irresponsible.

As far as your reference to jerky on the trails, no one makes jerky like that anymore. TONS of salt and had no moisture content at all. People also didn't live nearly that long back then for some reason.........................

how long will smoked meat last

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