Question about Freezing and Thawing.


 
JeffB

JeffB

TVWBB Pro
I just picked up 4 racks of baby backs at the local Amish market for $5.79 per lb. Is that a good deal or about the "going rate" around the country? I'm in Montgomery County, MD.

I'm going to cook 2 racks tomorrow and the other 2 racks I want to freeze. The question came to me "how do I freeze these" and "how do I thaw them out" when they are ready to be cooked?

The market put each rack in what they tell me is a freezer safe bag and they assure me I can freeze them directly in the plastic bag. Is this true? Has anybody had experience with freezing and thawing ribs? What is the best approach and how can I avoid ruining some amazing looking baby backs?

Thanks and smoke on!!
 
Standard supermarket wrapping I'll keep in the freezer 1-2 weeks. If I want to keep it longer I'll vac seal. Did the market remove most of the air out of the bag?
Defrosting in the fridge for a coupla days is probably your best bet.

Tim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
I just picked up 4 racks of baby backs at the local Amish market for $5.79 per lb. Is that a good deal or about the "going rate" around the country? I'm in Montgomery County, MD. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's actually quite high for garden-variety loin backs. I usually get 3-packs in cryo from Costco that are $3.99 a pound (occasionally $3.49/lb, usually around summer holiday weekends). I wouldn't pay that much for ribs, personally. Were they Berkshire or non-factory raised?

For me, just Costco loin backs with a good rub and a bit of sauce (KC Masterpiece with a bit of dark amber maple syrup) glazed and set before serving does the trick. Just so long as it's not "enhanced pork."
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PeterD:
That's actually quite high for garden-variety loin backs. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Very true and I will often pick up some from Costco, BUT notice the first line...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
I just picked up 4 racks of baby backs at the local Amish market for $5.79 per lb. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Probably not the mass-produced & processed meat we get at Costco or Safeway or Kroger.

Jeff, if these are from herds the Amish raised & slaughtered, that is a very good price. I recently bought some at a local butcher for a buck per pound more, when the grocers were doing their July 4th specials of $1.99/lb - and I didn't feel the slightest buyer's remorse.

Good meat is worth more & you will not find good meat at your local chain grocer or warehouse club.

Locally, I like Midwestern Meats, Von Hanson's Meats (also in MN), and AJ's Fine Foods.

Organic is a good label, but expect to pay more. Grass-fed & range-fed are far healthier than grain fed or corn-fed. Again, grass/range will cost more.

As for storing, wrap well without vacuum, as vacuum packing meat will suck the juices out. If you must freeze, freeze well, making sure your freezer is zero or below. When thawing, always thaw as slowly as possible. The faster you thaw meat, the tougher it will be. Say no to throwing frozen directly on the grill & never nuke it. However, no matter how you freeze it, it will never be quite as good as fresh.

For some extra tips (and recipes), you might find some value in Beef. It's What's For Dinner.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">as vacuum packing meat will suck the juices out. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
? Ah, no it won't.
 
Thanks for the information. You are correct--these are not mass produced ribs--these ribs are raised and slaughtered by the Amish in Lancaster County, PA, and they are some of the biggest, freshest ribs I have ever seen. More meat on them than your ordinary ribs--I'd suggest some of the best ribs you can find.

I don't have a vacuum sealer. I may freeze them for 2 weeks and then thaw in the fridge and smoke them in 2 weeks. Let's hope they come out well. Looking at this amazing market, it's hard pass them up--this place is amazing.
 
You're making me hungry, Jeff - I've had meat from Amish ranches & shops... makes most other sources look bad.

Marc, vacuum-packing preserves by removing oxygen, but it does apply negative pressure to everything within. In meat & vegetables, damage to the cellular structure is observed. No good steak house, chain or otherwise, would ever serve a vacuum-packed cut of beef. If it is vacuum-packed, I won't even look at it.

In the past several years, I've listened to a long line of establishments crow that their quality is higher because they use fresh meat that is never frozen or vacuum packed - from Quiznos & Cousins Subs (everything except the bread is vacuum-packed at Subway) to the burger joints Wendy's/Fuddruckers/In-n-Out (McDonald's meat is frozen & vacuum-packed) to the local premium steakhouses like Anderson's/Ruth's Chris/Morton's/Harrison's/J&G/Christopher's (you don't expect Denny's vacuum-packed steaks to be premium, do you?).
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Fresh is best, but spoils quickly.<LI>Frozen but well-wrapped works, but freezer burns easily & cell-structure is weakened. Quick thawing further weakens cell-structure.<LI>Frozen vacuum-packed is worst, as the meat cell-structure is now weakened by two methods, possibly three. Its only advantage is that it provides the longest shelf-life.[/list]

You spend a fortune on the equipment & the lump. You spend a lot of time preparing. Don't take a short-cut in storage. With meat, if possible, don't store at all. For the best Q, get it fresh.
 
Thanks Ralph. I could not help myself. They had 4 racks left. I wanted 2 but the thought of not cleaning them out and having something at my immediate disposal got the best of me.

Live and learn...

Smoke on!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Marc:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">as vacuum packing meat will suck the juices out. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
? Ah, no it won't. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Correct. No it won't.

As for 'a long line of establishments crow[ing]' about their meat never being frozen, well, consider the sources. These places are precisely the types whose customers are largely made up of people who would believe that sort of hype has merit.

You do not hear this sort of thing from fine dining chefs, owners, managers because the notion that freezing is de facto a bad thing simply isn't true. (Many employ blast chillers, blast freezers and vac sealers in the course of food prep of numerous items.)

Vacuum packing meats at the packing houses has been standard for quite long time. Extremely little swing beef is produced anymore. Vacuum packing sub-primals for shipment is the norm - and the vast majority of supermarkets, meat shops, butchers, etc., receive precisely this, shipped at 26-28?, the standard shipping temp for meats. Retailers don't display it this way, preferring to repackage in retail packaging, or lay it out in trays. Most of it, though, was vac-sealed at the packers.

Freezing can be deleterious but this isn't always so. Commercial freezing, especially IQF and other types of fast freezing, works very well. Without it, much of the seafood we consume would not be available. Slow freezing is what the problem is (slow thawing or fast thawing doesn't matter). Most home freezers freeze slowly - that can be a problem, depending on the item - and most are 'frost free', which is more of a problem as it causes many items in the freezer, depending on placement to thaw a little then re-freeze during the defrost cycle. If the choice is to cook something you'd rather not eat at the moment so you don't have to freeze it go ahead and freeze it, either well-wrapped or vac'd. If the markets you frequent always have whatever you might want on hand, then, sure, just buy what you need when you need it.

For dense meats, most people cannot tell if the meat was frozen or not. For ground meat, yes. Because it is not dense - it's ground, usually over-ground - more water is lost during thawing than were the meat not frozen. (How this matters at fast food places I have no idea, as all of them overcook burgers anyway.)
 
Kevin,

This is exactly what I was thinking as I read this post (just didn't have the background to justify saying it). Sometimes (a lot of times) you have to freeze. I prefer trying to have as little air exposure as possble (thus my obsession with vacumme packaging). But, you have to do what you have to do to keep the end product as fresh (and tasty) as possible. Probably why I like my chest freezer.
 
Agreed. Home vac sealers don't have the force necessary to ruin the product. Commercial ones can (I have seen many powerful models in high-end places on the Strip here, but one can moderate the force of these.)
 
$5.79 is not a bad price. At the butcher/processor I used when I lived in Kansas, swing ribs would run me in the $6 range 4 years ago. Of course when I had my own pigs butchered it would be around $1.10/lb but I only butchered pork 2-3 times a year.
 
I stand by what I said, even while some people choose to mix what is really vacuum cryovac packaging (or vacuum sealing) into the mix. Vacuum cryovac packaging removes excess atmosphere from the package to eliminate the growth of aerobic bacteria. It is not done under pressure.

Then again, maybe I misunderstood when vacuum packaging was brought up.

And, too - some folks think I might not remember hanging meat... anyone else here remember the occasional heater? That would clear a room of even the most grizzled butcher.

Been there, done that. But that's okay. The new guy is apparently the idiot here.
 
I generally get BB's at $3.00lb CDN at a local meat packer that has a small retail outlet in back (one guy with a sharp knife, cash only, rounded to the nearest dollar).
As for freezing, I asked the same question a few months back and didn't get clear direction as happens often here due to personal preferences. That said, I haven't noticed a difference from fresh to frozen once smoked. I have no issues freezing meat if I'm not cooking it right away.
 
I froze 2 racks today and the other 2 have been on my WSM since 11:15am this morning. It's now almost 4:15 so they've been on for 5 hours. All vents closed except the lid and the temp is holding steady at 270'ish.

Fingers crossed.
 
Originally posted by Ralph S:

Then again, maybe I misunderstood when vacuum packaging was brought up.

I'm the one that mentioned "vac seal" I was referring to a Food-saver, which is one of the more popular vac sealers on the market for home use.
Sorry for any confusion.
Tim
Click to expand...
 
This was my second BB smoke on my 22.5 and I must admit, the second time around was better than the first, in most respects, but not in every respect.

They cooked longer (a total of 6 hours) and the temp was higher (registered 270 on the lid which I know is probably low_) than the first time when I had trouble getting over 200. They were more tender this time, but also maybe a bit over done. Parts were a bit dry.

I also used less rub and next time, I think I'm going to kick up the rub again. You could really taste the meat this time, but I would have liked a bit more flavor from the rub. Homemade BBQ sauce was really good.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">They cooked longer (a total of 6 hours) and the temp was higher (registered 270 on the lid which I know is probably low_) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Doesn't seem likely to me. At 6 hours cook time, I think the cooker was running below 270.
 
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