Pre-frozen ribs? Does it matter?


 
G

Grant Narita

TVWBB Fan
When I go to my local supermarket, it seems their best deals are always on the pre-frozen ribs.. So my questions are..

1. Can you tell a difference in using pre-frozen ribs?

2. This may be a dumb question, but Even when I buy them not pre-frozen, I will buy them before I am ready to bbq so I put them in the freezer for a few days and then defrost them the day before I am ready to cook.....but in doing this, is this the same as buying pre-frozen ribs? Do all of you buy your ribs the same day or day before you plan to cook so it never sees the freezer?

Thanks for your help from this newbie..
 
Yes, you can tell fresh ribs from frozen ribs, but as Jason says; it's pretty hard to get ribs that were never frozen. As long as I plan to cook prior to the expiration date, I don't put any meats in the freezer, and I will put off buying meat to avoid having to put it in the freezer
 
ChuckO said:
.... As long as I plan to cook prior to the expiration date, I don't put any meats in the freezer, and I will put off buying meat to avoid having to put it in the freezer
Click to expand...

A quick word about expiration dates on meats and other perishables.... there are no laws on the books in any state that govern the "expiration dates" on food products. The only legally mandated expiration dates are on OTC and Rx medications. So..... that expiration or "best by" date on that package of meat is selected by the store or the manufacturer and is basically meaningless. I buy about 75% of my meats from the "Manager Specials" bin that discounts meats that are at near the "best by" date. The discounts are anywhere from 25% to 75% off the original price. These meats are perfectly safe and will be for at least another couple weeks or more. If frozen and vacuum-sealed, they will be good for many more months. For example, last January, I bought a 3-pack of thick-cut prime rib steaks at the local Krogers that had been marked down to $5.99/lb (regularly $18.99/lb or more) because they were one day from the expiration date and had a little browning around the edges. I snapped these up, froze them and vacuum-sealed them. A couple weeks ago, I pulled these from the freezer, slow-thawed them in the fridge and grilled them for a Sunday dinner on the patio. A few bleu cheese crumbles and just a touch of Sweet Baby Rays made for an amazing steak dinner.
 
Okay, thanks guys... I will most likely continue to look for the deals and put them in the freezer if I need to.. The ribs I buy are vacuum sealed, so it sounds like they should be okay.
 
I don't recall having any problems with any cryo-packed ribs, or pork tenderloin, for that matter, ESPECIALLY when they are on sale for 2.88 a lb or less.
and unless you frequent a specialty butcher shop or grocery store, more and more of ribs, etc. will all be cryo-packed anyway.
 
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