In freezer over 1 year - Is this meat still good?

[J Max]

I have an uncooked six pound brisket flat that is cryovacked and been in my freezer since June 2009. Is it still good? How can I tell once I defrost it.

 

[Shawn W]

First if the packaging is snug to the meat (no air in the bag) you might not even notice it's been frozen.

Second the type of freezer. If it's been in a regular freezer you might not get any freezer taste at all. If it's been in a frost free freezer for that long even if the cryo has no air you will likely still taste freezer. If the cryo has lots of air in it the meat will likely be freezer burned badly.

Freezer burned flesh is off white, dry and smells nasty. You could try generously cutting off the freezer burned areas, the rest of the might still have that off flavor though.

 

[Tom O]

We just did a good cleanup of our freezer and found a tritip that was vacuum packed in June
2006. Good vacuum and it was great....tom

 

[Paul H]

J, did one that was in the freezer over a year and turned out fine

 

[Stewart M.]

I thawed a cryovac flat marked September 2008 a couple months back and it looked and tasted so identical to the fresh one I cooked at the same time that I lost track of which was which.

 

[Doug Wade]

Agreed that cryovacs are very impressive, and that you'll be able to identify freezer burning by eye (once any surface ice melts) and rot by smell (once you open the package). If it's a professional packaging job from the source there really shouldn't be any air in there.

The other thing I'll note is that if it's been in the back of the freezer it's a lot better than if it's exposed to warm air every time you open the door.