Year old frozen ribs and hot links

[smoke_chef]

Well... a new baby may be one the few excuses acceptable. Congrats on the addition to your family. Now, throw out the old meat. Run to the store and get some new ribs. Every one year old should have a BBQ bash for it's birthday party.

Don't forget the q-view.

 

[Bearcarver]

Well... a new baby may be one the few excuses acceptable. Congrats on the addition to your family. Now, throw out the old meat. Run to the store and get some new ribs. Every one year old should have a BBQ bash for it's birthday party.

Don't forget the q-view.

And maybe you should make them "Baby" Backs in honor of the new Baby??

 

[jacobss914]

Here is a good way to know if your freezer ever went above 32 degrees.  Put a small container in there of water.  Let it freeze solid, and then place a penny on top of the ice, and put it back in there.  In times like these get the penny out and check if it is somewhere below the surface plane on which you set said penny.  If it is your freezer has gone above temp for a period of time and then refroze.  Simple, efficient, and effect, tattle-tail alarm for your freezer.

I myself would thaw them, smell them, and see, if it passes my sniffer, I would then run it under the wife's nose, women have a heightened sense of smell.  Last I would run it under my Beagles nose, and if he stats to growl and tries to snatch it, I know it's good.  After that I would cut off a section cook it up, and try a piece of it just meat no flavor or smoke, a small piece on your tongue should tell you what you got, if its funky spit it out, and pitch the ribs.  If not, start the process and have fun.  Lastly if the rack of ribs are bad, well the Beagle got his way, and will have a feast, and then have to stay out in the garage for the night, don't want to have to clean up his mess.

BTW, Walmart had full slabs for $7.99, so it might not be worth the risk, that's a cheap price compared to a night of pain and anguish, with the potential of never eating another rib in your life!!!!!  I won't eat scallops any more for just such a reason.

 

[ak1]

Here is a good way to know if your freezer ever went above 32 degrees.  Put a small container in there of water.  Let it freeze solid, and then place a penny on top of the ice, and put it back in there.  In times like these get the penny out and check if it is somewhere below the surface plane on which you set said penny.  If it is your freezer has gone above temp for a period of time and then refroze.  Simple, efficient, and effect, tattle-tail alarm for your freezer.

 

[smoke_chef]

I'll do the penny thing too... good idea.

 

[Bearcarver]

Never thought about the penny idea---Great idea!

I like the Beagle test too----Would that work with my son's Newfi?

Might lose my hand!

Bear

 

[castiron]

What is unsafe about meat that has been frozen for more than a year.  Assuming the meat never unthawed.

I've had meat vacuum packed that didn't freezer burn and tasted fine after being frozen a cpl years.

 

[daddyzaring]

Couldn't you let it thaw out and pan fry a sample test piece, and decide from there?

 

[princess]

Great question!!  (puts on SuperGeek hat)

In a fridge/freezer combo, there is a massive amount of temperature FLUCTUATION. You open the fridge/freezer door more frequently than you would the door of a deep freezer.These fluctuations can cause the products inside to rise above ZERO degrees all the way up to 31 degrees. Even though the meat has never "thawed" it may get above the zero mark. Harmful bacteria are actually active in these temperature ranges, though the multiplication rate is remarkably low, which is why six months or less is safe. After six months, the bacteria can reach levels where danger can be found.

Things grow slowly at 31 degrees, but they do not stop growing. This is why the Food Guide (see my link above) is fine with deep freezers, but issues warnings for fridge/freezer combos. Bacterial activity wise, a day at 31 degrees is about as bacterially active as a minute on the countertop at 70 degrees.

Cheers!

-Princess

What is unsafe about meat that has been frozen for more than a year.  Assuming the meat never unthawed.

I've had meat vacuum packed that didn't freezer burn and tasted fine after being frozen a cpl years.

 

[arnie]

Thanks, Princess. I can't seem to convince my wife not to use the fridge/freezer as a deep freezer. this gives me more ammo.

 

Great question!!  (puts on SuperGeek hat)

In a fridge/freezer combo, there is a massive amount of temperature FLUCTUATION. You open the fridge/freezer door more frequently than you would the door of a deep freezer.These fluctuations can cause the products inside to rise above ZERO degrees all the way up to 31 degrees. Even though the meat has never "thawed" it may get above the zero mark. Harmful bacteria are actually active in these temperature ranges, though the multiplication rate is remarkably low, which is why six months or less is safe. After six months, the bacteria can reach levels where danger can be found.

Things grow slowly at 31 degrees, but they do not stop growing. This is why the Food Guide (see my link above) is fine with deep freezers, but issues warnings for fridge/freezer combos. Bacterial activity wise, a day at 31 degrees is about as bacterially active as a minute on the countertop at 70 degrees.

Cheers!

-Princess

 

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks, Princess. I can't seem to convince my wife not to use the fridge/freezer as a deep freezer. this gives me more ammo.

 

 

Arnie,

I'm sure your wife is an intelligent woman, like mine was last year, when I used that same "ammo", and bought a Chest Freezer for important items like meat. Mine holds a perfect "0˚" all of the time. I might have to defrost it every year or two, but NO TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS!

Bear

 

[castiron]

Not to start any arguments but we've been freez'n food like that for over 20 yrs with no problems.  We also have a couple standup freezers and started getting small totes and labled them and now its easy to find what you want and keep it rotated.  vs finding some mystery package in the bottom of a chest freezer.  Most of the time though long term frozen meat is in the freezers.

I've gotten sick a couple times from meat at Walmart, we no longer buy meat there.

 

[chainsaw]

I've gotten sick a couple times from meat at Walmart, we no longer buy meat there.

Amen I have chipped teeth on various meats there. Pre-formed hamburger patties and some chicken thigh bone fragments I didn't see 
 

 

[castiron]

The meat I'm reffering to was steaks, which is typically all we buy from the store other than occasionally chicken.  I have my venison cubed and whats not cubable I have ground for burger by the processor.  I shoot my pork and catch/shoot our fish.

 

[stircrazy]

 

Here is a good way to know if your freezer ever went above 32 degrees.  Put a small container in there of water.  Let it freeze solid, and then place a penny on top of the ice, and put it back in there.  In times like these get the penny out and check if it is somewhere below the surface plane on which you set said penny.  If it is your freezer has gone above temp for a period of time and then refroze.  Simple, efficient, and effect, tattle-tail alarm for your freezer.

you do know that the penny will sink in the ice even if the freezer never warms up.  the weight of the penny will creat a melt below it and eventualy it will sink and the water will refreeze above it.  this is a good way for people to throw out perfectly good meat. 

Steve
 

 

[Bearcarver]

That's interesting Steve,

I gotta try that.

How long does it take for the penny to complete this migration.

I have a freezer that never rocks off 0˚ more than 2 or 3 degrees.

Thanks,

Bear
 

you do know that the penny will sink in the ice even if the freezer never warms up.  the weight of the penny will creat a melt below it and eventualy it will sink and the water will refreeze above it.  this is a good way for people to throw out perfectly good meat. 

Steve
 

 

[stircrazy]

its not a fast process.  it is the same way the glaciers carried and deposited huge boulders during the iceage.  Ice melts under pressure so anything that has a bit of weight will slowly sink into the ice.   We did it as an exparament when I was a kid in school but I can't remember if it was a month or 4 months.. that was many many moons ago.

Steve
 

That's interesting Steve,

I gotta try that.

How long does it take for the penny to complete this migration.

I have a freezer that never rocks off 0˚ more than 2 or 3 degrees.

Thanks,

Bear
 

 

[dalton]

wow!!!

I guess I am suposed to be dead now!!   I eat stuff from my freezer all the time that has been in there longer than a year.  mostly fish that I vacuum packed and lost in the disorginized mess!  just a few months ago i cleaned out my freezer and pulled out fish that had been in the freezer for as long a 3 years and smoked it.  Was it as wonderfull and tasty as the fresh stuff I smoked this summer... no...  but no one got sick eating it, and its all gone now!  just last night we had burgers and the meat had been in the freezer almost 2 years.  so I guess i am lucky to be alive!!

just my experience...   not saying I recomend it!

 

[SmokinAl]

I think they are probably safe to eat, however with the ice crystals there might be some degradation of flavor. I say thaw them out & see what they look & smell like. If ANYTHING doesn't seem right, PITCH THEM. I found a ribeye in the bottom of my freezer that I had forgotten about & had ice crystals in the vacuum bag, but thawed it & it was just fine.

 

[bbqfarmer]

If they were vacuum packed and did not get freeze dried they should be fine as long as they stayed frozen the whole time/