Question on freezing meat

[da pigman]

How does meat smoke after it has been frozen?????? I still plan on getting whole hogs but cut up and not ussing all at same time.

 

[tonto1117]

Iv'e frozen pulled pork and brisket in a vacum seal bags and they taste great when reheated.

Edit missed the word smoke. so I should say, Ive had butts that I bought on sale and froze to smoke later and they were just as good as fresh....I couln't tell the difference.

 

[bigal]

If you can get fresh, it's the best, obviously. But after it has been frozen doesn't make much of a difference. I think I can tell on brisket, but I also think cheap beer tastes just as good as the high dollar stuff. My taste buds might be "off" a bit.

Can't beat fresh, but you can't beat stocking up on a big sale either.

Do it and I think you'll be just fine.

my $.02, keep the change

 

[crewdawg52]

Smoked many a yardbird, butt, and ribs that had been in the freezer for sometime. No difference to me or anyone who partook in the consumption of said meats.

 

[tonto1117]

Yepper, the only thing I would add is to be sure said meats(feel like I'm writing a legal brief) have not been previously frozen.

 

[cajunsmoker]

Most all meats have been frozen somewhere along the line before they hit the grocer shelf unless you go out to the back 40 and butcher it yourself

.

If I find stuff on sale I buy all I can afford and freeze it for later.

 

[tonto1117]

Is that why they say if you bring a piece of meat home from the grocery store and freeze it, then thaw it out, and decide your not going to cook it, don't rfreeze it?? Have I had it wrong ????

 

[Dutch]

Theresa, each time a piece of meat is frozen, thawed and refrozen, ice crystals develop. These ice crystals act like mini knives and cut the meat tissue. With each re-freezing, the ice crystals grow larger and when the meat is finally prepared, the resulting product ends up mushy.

Food that is frozen, thawed and then cooked or food that starts out fresh then cooked can be frozen for later use.

 

[tonto1117]

Ok, now Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m totally confused, let me try to explain myself better and then please tell me:

When I go to the grocery store and letâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s say find a sale on pork butts, I buy a few and bring them home and put them in my freezer. I decide I am going to smoke one of them the following week and take it out of the freezer and let it completely thaw out in the refrigerator, only to discover I will not be able to smoke it as planned. I would never put it back in the freezer, I thought you had to cook it somehow as soon as possible, and it should not be refrozen. Have I been wrong???

 

[cajunsmoker]

If I buy something and freeze it, when I thaw it I cook it. I never thaw then refreeze. I didn't know exactly why (thanks Dutch

) just something I've always been told.

 

[t-bone tim]

Theresa,any meat can be thawed and then re-frozen .....keep in mind ? each time this takes place ,you loose flavor and moisture.....so you should never refreeze poultry .....everytime you refreeze and re-thaw meat ,it looses moisture and taste and poultry it increases in bacteria,wanting to make you sick !!hope this helps .Tim.

 

[da pigman]

Thank you for the answer.....The reason I asked was that I understand that when you are injecting marinade into the meat you want fresh because the frozen ones when thawed the "lines" the marinades run thru the meat close up from the freezing.

BTW I buy my pigs from a friend at a very friendly price whole and have slaughtered the way I wish. This way I can do different cuts of whole pig at different times.