Midnight Snack


 
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Todd R.

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I was supposed to smoke some Spare Ribs yesterday when I had the day off, but one chore led to another, and here I am home from work and just got my ribs on at 7:00.
What my question is, I had thawed the previously frozen ribs and then could not cook them as planned. Is it true I should not re-freeze them for a more convenient time? Or is that just an old wives tale? I work the rest of the week, with over time each night, so it just was not going to work out until Saturday, and I was worried about them sitting in the fridge. At least I get a good bedtime snack, and some good lunch tomorrow /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
If you have a vacuum sealer, seal them after cooking and freeze. I've done this with acceptable results. I would'nt refreeze uncooked meat of any kind.

It may just be a "wives tale" but I have never tried it myself! Never felt it was worth the risk!

Jim
 
Notice how Jim cleverly converted "old wives tale" to "wives tale" in his reply. Don't ever say them North Alabama boys ain't swuft. I can say that because I'm from S.Al/N.Fl and we ain't that swuft.

I have some cooked spares vacuum sealed and frozen in my freezer now. Don't know how they'll turn out but I'm thinking pretty good. If not, I'll know better next time.

I agree it would be safer to cook and then freeze. WD has the same kind of sale, from time to time, and it's obvious they are not refreezing.

Paul
 
According to the USDA, it is safe to refreeze, if the meat has been thawed in the refrigerator.

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

"2. Is it safe to refreeze food that has thawed completely?

Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. And if previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly."
 
John

That is a very interesting link. Thanks for including it. Yet another wonderful benefit from this forum.

I'll probably still follow the process of not refreezing based on the likely loss of flavor because of the loss of moisture when the meat thaws.

Paul
 
I've both refrozen thawed pork shoulders, and have frozen ribs that have been cooked but that were frozen before cooking. All turned out OK. I almost always freeze my pulled pork for later use.

Granted, nothing is better than Q right off the smoker, but many times that's just not practical. Reheating thawed pulled pork in a crockpot or reheating thawed ribs in the oven on a cookie sheet (250 degrees or so) works very nicely.
 
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