What is the shelf-life of frozen beef?

[kentuckysteader]

I have read that steaks, if stored/frozen properly, are good for 6-12 months and that hamburger is good for roughly 3-6 months. Does this sound about right?


Thanks!!!

[bill not in oh]

Yep - zero degrees. I've kept ground beef for 10-12 months without problems. Not saying that it's a particularly good practice, but.... Part of the formula for storing things frozen is the prep and packaging.

[farminghandyman]

If packaged well it good for 3+ years easily, in a good cold chest freezer. Below 0 F.

We cleaned out the chest freezer the other day and found a few packages that were 3 years old and was as good as the day put in the freezer, (chest freezer) and in times past up to 5 years and never noticed any problems.

a refrigerator freezer that is self defrosting may be much harder on it. as freezer burn is much more possible, or freeze dry it.

But if froze good and cold, well packaged in years (chest freezer).

[Alice In TX/MO]

A year is about the extent of my tolerance. But that's just me.

[goatlady]

If you use a home vac packer you can triple the storage time - it's the air in the packages that causes dryness and freezer burn. Same with veggies and most anyting you can vac-pac. Wonderful machines.

[DianeWV]

I think the one year rule is pretty good. We have eaten beef that has been frozen for over two years and it was good. No freezer burn or old taste. It's vaccum packed. Take Care.

[alpacamom]

We got 1/2 beef not too long ago from a local meat locker and they told us it would be fine to keep in the freezer for about a year or so. She said pork doesn't last as long because it doesn't freeze as solidly because of the salt content (I believe that's what she said), so you have to use that up in about 3 to 6 months.

[bill not in oh]

Originally Posted by alpacamom

She said pork doesn't last as long because it doesn't freeze as solidly because of the salt content (I believe that's what she said), so you have to use that up in about 3 to 6 months.

Nope - zero degrees is zero degrees. Well packaged meat (or vegetables) will keep just as well as any other. The salt content (of ham, sausage, etc) will only affect the temperature at which the freezing process begins. Zero degrees F is still frozen at zero degrees F. Bacterial growth is virtually nil at that temp regardless of what is kept at that temp - and that is the entire reason for preserving with refrigeration.

[farminghandyman]

OK all you out there that are pondering the purpose of life,

The purpose of life is to keep meat fresh with out refrigeration.

Now you can all sleep at night and not ponder the question any more.

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by bill in oh

Nope - zero degrees is zero degrees. Well packaged meat (or vegetables) will keep just as well as any other. The salt content (of ham, sausage, etc) will only affect the temperature at which the freezing process begins. Zero degrees F is still frozen at zero degrees F. Bacterial growth is virtually nil at that temp regardless of what is kept at that temp - and that is the entire reason for preserving with refrigeration.

Actually, there are two reasons for freezing. One is to stop bacterial growth, the other is to stop or slow enzyme action. At 0 F there is almost no enzyme activity, so frozen meat and produce can last for a couple of years if well wrapped. When my cow produces a heifer (last night made the third heifer in a row) I freeze a whole beef to last me two years. I'm good until fall of 2008.
Processed foods, like ham, bacon and sausage can deteriorate because of the chemicals added to them, but I've never had any go bad in the freezer even more than a year later.

[Trixie]

We have eaten beef frozen for two years.

That is fresh frozen meat. I would not buy meat in the grocery store and keep it that long. That may just be me - but I wouldn't.

[foxtrapper]

I've eaten frozen meat over a decade old with no problems. Properly packaged, it stores quite well for many years.

[mink]

like some of the posta have said the biggest factor seems to be how well the meat has been wrapped . i have beef sometimes for a year and a half with no apparent difference in taste and i have had fish frozen in a block of ice for 4 years with no loss. pork doesnt seem to have a long shelf life in my mind but who knows maybe im crazy anyways,,,,LMAO. so all said wrap well and sleep good....mink

[Clifford]

Vacume sealed properly, meat is good for well over a year, even burger. I freeze short term in white freezer paper, but half of the batch is frozen in vacume bags to ensure it does not burn, etc.

[texican]

I freeze my meat in chunks, instead of steaks. This way, it'll last several years (if need be), and if it does last that long, I can trim off the freezer burned areas. If I cut the meat into steaks first, yes, they wouldn't last a year in the freezer, as different parts of the cut of meat would be of differing qualities, because of freezer burn.

[chas]

I found 2002 ground venison in the bottom of the freezer and the edges of the patties got a little burned.As salisburry type burghers they are great.The rest is in chile for tonight.
Chas