Untamed Tales

Wild Lands Marketplace Blog

Chill Out

Friday, May 03, 2024

Untamed Tales

The Wild Lands Marketplace Blog

Meat & Eats

Chill Out: Why Frozen Meat
Might Just Be the Better Meat

Think fresh never frozen meat is always best?

Time to defrost your beliefs and embrace the chill—discover why frozen meat might just be the MVP of your next dinner, offering unmatched frozen meat benefits.

The Old Days

Step up to any meat counter and you'll hear the gospel according to meat aficionados: "Nothing Beats Fresh!!!" But what if I told you that this meaty mantra is more about old habits than actual flavor? Buckle up, carnivores—it's time to skate into the truth and crack the ice on some chilly myths about fresh vs. frozen meat

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The Origins of the Fresh Meat Prestige
​Back in the day, before kitchens had refrigerators, they had... well, nothing. Meat preservation was a sketchy game of beating the clock, involving methods like salting, drying, or just praying the meat wouldn’t spoil overnight. Fresh meat became the gold standard—not by choice but by necessity. Now today, It’s like saying you prefer candlelight over electricity because you’ve never seen a lightbulb.

The Butcher’s Dilemma: Freezing the Old to Sell the New
​Imagine a 1950s butcher, standing behind the counter with a smile and a cleaver, and a week old aging beef cut that’s starting to look a bit sad. What does our friend do? He pops it in the freezer, not to improve it but to stop the ticking time bomb of decay and save the sale. This gave birth to the stigma—frozen meat became the equivalent of the discount bin, the last refuge of the unsellable.

Flash Freezing And Cryovac:
The Game Changer

Then science strutted in with flash freezing and cryovac packaged meat. This isn’t your average ice cube tray affair. It’s a high-tech vacuum sealed package and a beast mode freeze that suspends your steak in its prime. Just like Han Solo in carbonite, but tastier and less Wookies yelling. Freshness, nutrients, and flavors are all locked in faster than you can say "freeze tag," and with none of the textural tragedies of your grandma’s freezer-burned mystery meals.

The Science of Freshness:
It’s Cooler Than You Think
Flash frozen and cryovac (plastic shrink-wrapped package) packaged meat is the nerdy revolution the food industry needed. While fresh meat struts around, losing moisture and flavor with every passing minute, its frozen counterpart is chilling out, locked and loaded with all the good stuff. It’s a nutrient party, and ice crystals are not invited. So why do we snub it? Probably the same reason we thought mullets were a good idea—they were just popular, not practical.

Wet Aging in the Cryovac Package: An Unsung Hero
Now, let’s whisper about the magic of wet aging meat, think of it as meat meditation. In its chilled zen garden, beef for example tenderly relaxes in its own juices in a package, achieving levels of flavor and tenderness that air-aged counterparts can only dream of. It’s like having a spa day, but for steak, and in the frosty confines of your freezer.

Battling the Chill: Dodge Freezer Burn Like a Pro
​Ever pulled a piece of meat from the freezer and found it sporting a dry, grayish-brown tan? That's freezer burn, the cold world’s badge of neglect. It strikes when air sneaks in and steals moisture from your meats, leaving them as dry and tasteless as a saltine cracker left in the desert. The trick to dodging this icy villain? Cryovac, or vacuum sealing. Unlike regular wrapping that just cuddles up to your meat, cryovac sucks out all the air—creating a seal as tight as a drum. This not only blocks the frosty air’s advances but also keeps your steaks juicier than a gossip columnist at a celebrity wedding. Store your vacuum-sealed treasures in the steady arctic calm of your freezer (aim for 0°F), and you’ll say goodbye to freezer burn and hello to flavor that’s locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

How Long Does Frozen Meat Last? 
​According to the USDA "Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe". However, think of your freezer as a pause button for your meats' freshness and taste. Even the best technology has its limits. Generally, beef and pork can hang out in the deep freeze for up to two year's or more before they start throwing a quality tantrum. Chicken and turkey? They’re a bit less patient; give them a six-month cap before they lose their chill. Seafood is the diva of the bunch, demanding a spotlight return to the dinner plate within three to six months. Remember, these timelines are for keeping your meals tasting like they deserve a standing ovation, not just edible. So, mark your calendars, or better yet, slap a date on those freezer bags to keep track of your frosty inventory. Here's some good tips from Good Housekeeping on frozen meat 

Myth-Busting Taste Test: Frozen vs. Fresh
​It’s showdown time! Let’s settle this culinary clash with a blind taste test, where fresh meat and frozen meat go head-to-head. Picture the scene: the prejudices are set to thaw as quickly as ice cream on a hot summer sidewalk. Spoiler alert: According to survey from Deloite Insights most people, forks in hand, can't tell the difference.

But Here's Where It Heats Up.
Now, to many chefs, suggesting that frozen meat might match—or dare we say, surpass—fresh meat is blasphemous. Why? Because for decades, the culinary elite have been schooled in the gospel of freshness. Fresh is the luxury label, the crème de la crème of the kitchen, often commanding higher prices on menus and promising diners the pinnacle of quality and taste. To them, frozen meat is like showing up to a black-tie event in flip-flops—simply not done.

​These chefs have marinated in a culture that extols the virtues of fresh meat, often without question. It’s been a juicy tale of superior taste and quality, where frozen doesn’t just play second fiddle—it’s not even in the orchestra.

Let’s Slice Into Another Juicy Bit: 
Fresh meat sells at a premium. For restaurants, higher prices on dishes mean better margins. So, admitting that frozen could rival fresh might just deflate their well-aged meat beliefs. But the blind taste tests are stirring the pot. As more chefs and food enthusiasts brave the challenge, the results are slicing through old beliefs. While the old guard may defend the honor of fresh meat, a new wave of culinary thinkers is peeking into the freezer and letting their tastebuds  not their ego decide. They're finding that frozen meat isn't just a palatable alternative but a contender that stands its ground on both taste and quality.

​So next time you peruse the internet for meat, remember the great taste test wars. The battleground of meat is not as clear-cut as it once was, and frozen is making a sizzling statement that's hard to ignore. As the culinary world slowly thaws to this idea, it might just be time to reevaluate what really makes great meat.

Environmental and Economic Impacts

Opting for frozen meat isn't just a win for your taste buds—it's practically a high-five to Mother Nature herself. Think about it: frozen meat lets us sync up with nature's rhythms. Animals can be harvested when they're naturally fattened, which is a whole lot better for the environment and the animals than trying to feed them year-round in a concentrated pen by the thousands. Fattening livestock non-stop year round is like trying to keep a party going long after the neighbors have called the cops.

Why do we end up with those mega corrals and giant confinement barns crammed with thousands of animals?
Because it's logistically much simpler to keep them all on an endless grain buffet in one spot. But let’s not sugarcoat it—packing animals tighter than commuters on a rush-hour subway isn't exactly the pastoral scene on Noah's Ark. It's more like a hotbed for disease and a factory for producing overly plump animals.

Did that hit a nerve? 
And, oh boy, the can of worms: there are millions of jobs and countless dollars and politics wrapped up in confinement agriculture around the world. Yep, I went there. But here’s the kicker: frozen meat could help us rethink this setup. By choosing frozen, you're not just making a meal choice, you're voting for a system that could potentially reduce the need for year-round grain diets and overcrowded living conditions. It’s about making choices that are as smart economically as they are environmentally sustainable.

How to Choose and Cook Frozen Meat for Optimal Taste
Want to join the frozen meat fan club? First up, let’s talk sourcing. Start at the farm or ranch. Look for brands that proudly share their practices and philosophies about animal raising. This transparency often indicates a commitment to quality that you'll taste on your plate.

When you’re eyeing meat options online, also pay attention to the packaging. You want it sealed tighter than your jeans after a Thanksgiving feast. This ensures that the meat has been protected from air exposure, which can lead to freezer burn and a loss of flavor and texture.

Cooking is the make-or-break moment for meat:
Do it right, and you're setting yourself up for a succulent feast. Remember, well-done meat is generally seen as a culinary sin, but there's a caveat. The safety of enjoying less-cooked meats largely depends on how the animals were raised and processed. Meat from animals packed into overcrowded, less-hygienic conditions think 10,000 head in a $%#&! filled pen, might warrant more caution. In contrast, cleanly sourced meats from reputable farms and sanitary slaughter facilities pose much less risk, making them safer for enjoying medium or rare meat.

And who says Meat is just for the grill?
That’s a summer fling myth. Winter, spring, summer, or fall—all you have to do is call on your trusty cast iron skillet. Start by searing your meat over high heat to develop that irresistible crust, then pop it into a preheated oven to finish cooking. This method isn’t just quick—less than 20 minutes from skillet to plate—it also ensures your meat is evenly cooked and bursting with flavor.

Finally, remember that cooking frozen meat isn’t just about heat and timing; it’s about respect. Treat it right—gentle thawing, sizzling sear, even cooking—and frozen beef will return the favor with flavors and textures that can go head-to-head with any fresh beef hype. So, ditch the notion that only fresh meat can grace gourmet menus. Frozen is here to play, and it's playing for keeps.

Don't Quite Believe Me Yet?

Here Are Some Other Really Good Articles

"Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe"

USDA