oldest meat?

[Mike Shook]

No this ain't a thread about your rapidly fading prowess.

I have three places to keep frozen food: the little freezer attached to the house fridge, a chest freezer that we bought 20 years ago, and a stand up freezer my grandma left to me that she bought in (gasp) 1967 that still works like a champ. We have to keep a list of what is where -- thank goodness for spreadsheets! Anyway, we were cleaning out and updating lists on what is still edible and what had to go. And I have a pork butt that is a year or so old that somehow didn't get picked up in any of the more recent cooks, and a whole turkey bird that is about 8 months frozen. I am keeping them both and will cook them within the month. But that had me wondering..... regardless of what the internet tells you is the max holding time in a freezer for ribs, butts, briskets, chickies, whatever, how old for each do you actually feel comfortable cooking and eating?

I know in the past I have cooked 8 - 12 month chicken boobs and thighs, and a pork belly was about 15 months frozen. No one died, no one complained. But how long do you really feel comfortable with meat that came straight from the grocer to the freezer?

 

[DanHoo]

I've cooked 2 or 3 year old cryovac pork shoulder, pork loin and sausage that's been in the chest freezer. It's manual defrost and is -7F +/- a degree.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Depends on the freezer and packaging. If the meat is freezer burned, I’d toss it. If not, then cook it. I try to keep less than 6 mos meats in the freezer. It’s just easier to buy less and more fresh than to run a cold storage facility at my home. But that’s what works for me. Your situation might be different and with different needs.

 

[Tony Coloma]

manual defrost and is -7F
Key.
Manual defrost.
I am still a bit uncomfortable after a certain amount of time.
Maybe if I knew it stayed cold and was sealed?

 

[Bob Bailey]

Cryovac and other vacuum sealed meats are supposed to last about 5 times as long in the freezer than butcher wrapped, which should be good for 3 to 6 months. I figure 2 years for vacuum sealed. If it's freezer burnt I toss it. We've got a side-by-side with a big freezer and a chest freezer. We move older packages to the side-by-side every 2 or 3 months and use mostly out of it. Have thought about keeping an inventory but I'd just forget to add or subtract from it.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Barb keeps an inventory of the three freezers and updates any time we take anything out or put anything in. We have a garage fridge/freezer and a 23CF upright self-defrost freezer. Plus the house fridge.
The upright freezer is a little over two years old and we noticed that there was a two bone rib roast that was put in there 26 months ago, so I pulled it and grilled it up and it was great.
I monitor the two garage freezers with a remote thermometer in the kitchen I see the fridge/ freezer go through its defrost cycle but have never seen the upright frost-free freezer go thru a defrost cycle and there is absolutely no freezer burn or ice buildup on anything unless the vacuum seal didn't hold. Don't know how it does it just glad it does.

 

[Bill D-NC]

I agree that the heavy plastic cryovaced stuff can last a long time in a freezer. Also agree that anything that looks freezer burned should just be tossed.





BD