Is this frozen meat dead and I should toss it?

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
I found some stuff in the freezer from Omaha Steak that truly, I think may be 3 yrs old. It's sealed in it's original shrink wrap of course, but the color is a bit dark. My plan is to toss it, but since much of it is filet mignon, thought I'd ask first. Because it kinda hurts to toss that doncha know.

 
I find things like that and use them.

Typically the darkness is from freezer burn. I thaw it and sometimes soak it in a little milk - don't ask but it's just something my family has always done to remove some of the gaminess of venison and such so I tried it and it seems to work at taking out some of the freezer burn taste. See how bad the freezer burn is and go from there. You can marinate it and try pan frying or do a braise that will help improve some of the loss of quality. Use it in a stew. But it might not be that bad at all.

 
You will be able to tell more when you thaw it. Freezer burned meat will have a dry look to it,

Mainly around the edges. If your freezer stays at zero or below, it should be OK, especially if it is vacuum sealed. Properly aged meat is dark and may darken with freezing. If it looks OK after thawing and has some blood to the juices, marinate it, and it should be just fine. I'd trust my sight and smell test, if it were me.

 
I'm on the side of keeping it. Thaw and then check. I've had plastic wrap tear and cause

freezer burn and it can be trimmed off. It won't kill you if it's past it's prime and you might be pleasantly surprised.

 
If it has been kept frozen, the worst thing is it has freezer burn but it is still safe.

It might not be good as a filet but it's still beef and at the worst case scenario, you use it in a recipe you would normally use a cheap cut - as I said earlier, a braise, a stew, etc......

 
I'd use it for sure. I'd just cut off the freezer burn and use in a stew like the others.

In my opinion Omaha Steaks are highly overrated. So filet mignon from them, to me, is not a superior product (just my personal opinion). I would use it up in a stew or chili or some such.

 
If it is properly cryo-packed it should still be fine. I wouldn't grill it...

...or make it a "center of the plate", but I wouldn't hesitate to stew it, etc.

BTW, I only had Omaha Steak product ONCE and it was awful. Have you had decent luck with them?

Michael

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top