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Dip
the steaks into any oil,
wrap and freeze quickly in a single
layer. When frozen (24 hours) they should
be stuck into zipper bags for additional
protection. If you use a flavor-infused
oil, so much the better.
Brine
the meat in 1 qt water, 1/4 cup
salt and 1/4 cup sugar overnight. Pat
dry, wrap in cling wrap, lay out to
freeze, and put into zipper bag.
Dry
rub the meat, let it sit in the
fridge for a day or so, wrap, freeze,
put into zip bag.
Single
layers of wrap won't protect the meats,
especially in a frost-free freezer.
I use at least three layers; cling wrap,
a zip bag and a zip bag. If you oil
the meats and package them this way,
they'll last a year with no noticeable
quality loss. The frozen oil minimizes
moisture migration in the meats. They
will ultimately become rancid, but that's
year off.
The
meats need to be frozen quickly
or they'll lose a lot of juice when
thawed. Slow-freezing lets long spiky
ice crystals form in the meats. They
puncture cell walls and the juices leak
out. Your freezer should be set below
0 degreesF. Even better if you can get
it down to maybe -20F.
When
thawing meats, do it in the fridge.
Foods thawed under refrigeration will
lose less moisture and retain a better
flavor profile. It will usually take
2 or more days to thaw a chicken. maybe
12 hours to thaw a steak. Don't thaw
meats or fish in warm water. Makes the
meat dry and tough. Same for the mike.
Frost-free
freezers alternately warm and
cool the freezer compartment to keep
the frost down. That accelerates freezer
burn. That's why I have a big, upright
freezer that isn't frost free. With
oiling and wrapping carefully, I can
keep foods in the upright for a much
longer time than in the frost-free freezer
that's part of my fridge.
Take
meats to freeze out of the store packaging.
That film is intended to let oxygen
in. You want impermeable wrapping for
your meats in the freezer. The only
exception is when you buy big cuts like
sirloin tips or whole rounds that are
packed in cryopack bags. Then you can
stick the whole thing in the freezer
as is. The plastic wrap they use for
that is airtight.
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