Freezer Burn

Hey Guys

Just got some phesant out of the freezer. Was shot this last year and its got frezzer burn.
Not to bothered.

But was just wondering what causes it?

Would vacum pack save the day?

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Would vacum pack save the day?

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Yes. I've been vacuum packing meat and fish for years now and never seen any freezer burn.

I think freezer burn is caused by exposure to air which dries it out. When defrosted it usually disappears. Vacuum packing will definitely eliminate it.

Freezer burn is caused by impatient people rummaging through the freezer causing damage to the plastic wrapping and allowing air into the contents, vacuum packing is good especially if one wants to age the meat before freezing but will still be subject to damage unless one has an 'freezer education' policy in place.

I heard gladwrap was good to wrap around meat and creates a good seal which helps prevent it.

I tried it on my last deer and so far better than plastic bags and cheaper.

Vacuum packing will sort it, every now and again I find a vacuum-packed cut of veni at the bottom of the freezer that's 3-4 years old, and it's always perfectly fine just like the day it went in there. The vacuum bags that are thicker are even better (i always write the date and what deer it came from on the vacuum bag when I pack it).

Glad wrapp all deer meat,all good.

As others have said, vac packing makes a huge difference. Never got it since switching from bagging to vac packing. Definitely increases shelf life too. On a side note- I also found switching from a chest freezer to an upright makes it much easier to endure older cuts don’t get lost at the bottom as everything is compartmentalised. And it has a smaller footprint in my garage.

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Originally Posted by Trout

Glad wrapp all deer meat,all good.

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+1, particularly for the bigger cuts like shanks that cannot be easily bagged.

When bagging, make sure you extract all the air out of the bag, just like a vacuum packer does. Leaving air in a loose bag will result in burn.

Vac packing, can still get some freezer burn if not done perfectly but is a thousand times better than not doing it.

Wrap tight in freezer paper, label and then vac-pac. Bullet proof for ages. Pulled Veni sausage out the other day that were almost 2 1/2 years old and they were mint.

However I do remove from package and defrost covered in the fridge on a rack so not sitting in it's jizz and can sniff/sight check it

Vacuum packers are a bit like garage door openers - once you've experienced it, you'd never go back. Even more important for fish than meat. I "rediscovered" some bluenose in one of our freezers that was over a year old and still mint. You could be certain that wouldn't have been the case if it was just in a plastic bag.

Labelling and rotation management is definitely worth doing. Sure, bags are a cost but well repaid in food quality and avoiding having to toss UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) that have gone off.

You lot can't be eating enough meat if it's in the freezer long enough to get burnt!!

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Originally Posted by 223nut

You lot can't be eating enough meat if it's in the freezer long enough to get burnt!!

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I've got a massive chest freezer and by the time I pick up the stuff from the butcher and bakery I'll be lucky to be able to shut the lid.

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Originally Posted by 6x47

Vacuum packers are a bit like garage door openers - once you've experienced it, you'd never go back. Even more important for fish than meat. I "rediscovered" some bluenose in one of our freezers that was over a year old and still mint. You could be certain that wouldn't have been the case if it was just in a plastic bag.

Labelling and rotation management is definitely worth doing. Sure, bags are a cost but well repaid in food quality and avoiding having to toss UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) that have gone off.

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Agree- the difference is much more noticeable with fish. & yes, label management & rotation are good habits. How’s everyone label their stuff? I do species & cut, date packaged & weight. Weight I find makes it easier to quickly pull something out that’ll suit different number of guests for dinner.

Another point regarding cost of bags- vac pack bags are easily washed and reused. They just get marginally smaller each time you cut em open. Given the amount of uses I get I actually reckon it’s probably more economical than buying zip-locks.

It's laziness that makes me just hack the bag open and discard. Yeh, def reusable with some effort.

As for labels, mine are simply like "Feb 22 Sika B/stk", the main thing being the date. Given I largely only save backsteak and process the rest, it's pretty obvious normally but you can get caught out.

I'm having a play tonight with some wild pork backsteak that my mate reported tasted great but was a bit tough. After that recent thread on cooking techniques, mine has been steaked and marinating since midday in a somewhat acidic cider. Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Vacuum packers are cheap as chips at Briscoes and save $$$$ in reduced meat wastage!