The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: SallyintNorth on September 29, 2017, 03:25:09 pm
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Does anyone know how quickly butchered meat must be frozen? I would think many of us often put tens of kilos of meat in our freezers, and most freezers quote freeze rates of 10-20kgs per 24 hours.
We'll be sending Katy off soon, could be 100kgs of meat coming back... We've got several freezers, so we could spread the fresh meat around - but it's a palaver, and inevitably would mean we get in a bit of a muddle. (One freezer is predominantly pork and ham, one lamb/hogget, one sausages, one fruit and veg, etc.)
I just wondered whether it is really necessary to ensure that all the meat gets frozen within 24-30 hours?
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I just wondered whether it is really necessary to ensure that all the meat gets frozen within 24-30 hours?
no of course not, as long as it's in date and you're well aware you've used some of the shelf life in doing so
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I saw a really useful video recently on freezing meat and was surprised how important for eating quality (but not safety) fast freezing with no air around the meat was
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24 hrs from when though? When it comes out of fridge at butchers? When it's temperature get up to a certain level? :-\
I collect our beef in our truck and it goes into a fridge trailer when home, where it's sold from that day and the next. Some is frozen straight away and what's not sold is frozen sometimes after two days from collecting.
Ido try to pack it so it's frozen between food that's already in freezer. Otherwise it can take ages for it to freeze through which possibly affects quality.
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I saw a really useful video recently on freezing meat and was surprised how important for eating quality (but not safety) fast freezing with no air around the meat was
Oh. I don't suppose you can find a link to that video?
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24 hrs from when though? When it comes out of fridge at butchers? When it's temperature get up to a certain level? :-\
I was meaning from when it's first put in the freezer at (well) subzero temperatures
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I saw a really useful video recently on freezing meat and was surprised how important for eating quality (but not safety) fast freezing with no air around the meat was
Oh. I don't suppose you can find a link to that video?
I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it, some very dodgy late night telly maybe! If I remember I certainly will
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If it's freezing the meat quickly that is your concern ask at your cutting plant about blast freezing. A local place to here as part of the service will blast freeze your produce - you're then collecting frozen and overcomes concerns of freezing down large quantities in one go.
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If it's freezing the meat quickly that is your concern ask at your cutting plant about blast freezing. A local place to here as part of the service will blast freeze your produce - you're then collecting frozen and overcomes concerns of freezing down large quantities in one go.
I will certainly ask, thanks for the tip. I just used the local butcher up north, and he didn't have much capability on freezing at all. But down here we use a bigger operation, I can and will ask.
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PK - have replied to your pm, cutting place I referred to was
http://www.palfreyandhall.co.uk/index.html (http://www.palfreyandhall.co.uk/index.html)
Hope I'm correct on this info - I know they certainly did :)
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Following this thread with interest as I'm interested in chilling times before the need to freeze. We're due to take our lambs in on monday. They're slaughtered on Tuesday and I collect on Thursday at which point I'll vac pac the meat. I don't want to freeze it all as some family want some and would prefer to keep it chilled until they can collect and freeze or do what they want (to avoid it defrosting in transport). They can hopefully collect on the Sun/Mon. Is this ok to just chill the meat for this time? I know some people hang lamb so I think it's ok but government advice is freeze after 3-5 days.....
Sorry for jumping in the thread
Cheers!
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our butcher includes 7 days hanging for lamb as standard, we never take him up on it because i always order them taken in too late!