Freezing Pork

[pikergolf]

I've had some pork go rancid on me in the freeze. the first item was 10 lbs of hutterite bacon. It was pre frozen in slices in a 10 lb box. I broke up the slices and wrapped in freezer paper. I did not expect it to last to, to, long as it was frozen, but after three months the fat is getting that rancid flavor. the other item was a pork shoulder roast, about 6 months and again the fat was getting a rancid flavor. Any suggestions other than vacuum machines. There is only two of us and the vacuum machines just don't make sense. What say you.

[Johnny G1]

You can't go wrong with a sealer, a good one from Costco will definately save your meat or any food, have opened fish that is 3 yrs old and still good, the wife use's it to re wrap her cheese and fresh meats to be eaten a week later and everything is still fresh, your 10 lbs that you lost would have been half way to the price of the machine, Just my thought's.

[gopher67]

Pork is a type of meat that goes rancid fast you should use with in 6 months the bacon is cured so the salt in the product is keeping it from being frozen this happens in any cured meat you can try vacuuming it will last a little longer

[elkdump]

I can remember as a kid on the prairies , the smoke shack hanging full with smoked cured ham and smoked cured bacon sides for many many months ,

No one we knew owned a deep freezer

[calgarychef]

Wrap in plastic wrap then brown paper. That's pretty fast for it to go rancid, maybe it wasn't handled that well to begin with?

[pikergolf]

The bacon was delicious when we first got it. I figured it would go fairly fast because it was bulk frozen and when I broke it up and wrapped it there was no way to get a nice tight wrap on it. But I expected it to last longer than a few months. I guess the best bet is to get them to call me when they package it and get it before they freeze it. then wrap in plastic and freezer paper? If it is not frozen I should be able to get a nice tight wrap on it. I've never had trouble with beef.

[huntsfurfish]

And make sure your freezer temp is good -18 C or more.

[TrollGRG]

There is just two of us. After 15 years we decided to get one of the vacuum sealers from Costco. Didn't think we would use it that much. Just about every trip to town now ends up with us sealing (that is sealing not stealing ;o)) something. We should have gotten one a long time ago. Well worth the investment. At first we would just pack and freeze bulk chicken and ground beef but soon we started doing a lot of different things. It is the only way I will freeze fish for later use. I wouldn't eat it if it was frozen the old fashioned way.

[Dean2]

If meat in the freezer is going Rancid you have two issues. Air is getting to the meat but most importantly your freezer is not nearly cold enough. Fully frozen unwrapped pork should last at least two years if it is truly frozen solid. The air exposure will give you freezer burn but not rancid meat. For meat to go rancid the bacteria needs to be active, caused by not being fully frozen, and have air.

[bighorn1]

vacuum sealer is the way to go, i used to have freezer burnt sausage in 5-6 months now it lasts a few years no issues, it is the way to go.

[Kim473]

For fish, keep your cardboard milk containers, put fish in and top up with water. Then freeze. It will keep much better frozen in the water. I don't usually have to freeze the fish I catch. With the small limits it's all gone shortly after cleaning.

[vcmm]

Originally Posted by Dean2

If meat in the freezer is going Rancid you have two issues. Air is getting to the meat but most importantly your freezer is not nearly cold enough. Fully frozen unwrapped pork should last at least two years if it is truly frozen solid. The air exposure will give you freezer burn but not rancid meat. For meat to go rancid the bacteria needs to be active, caused by not being fully frozen, and have air.

^^^This

[Tundra Monkey]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

There is only two of us and the vacuum machines just don't make sense. What say you.

I would think that being just two of you......makes for the perfect reason to have a vacuum sealer. You can buy in bulk and break things down to serving sized portions.

Sux to lose good bacon

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Dean2

If meat in the freezer is going Rancid you have two issues. Air is getting to the meat but most importantly your freezer is not nearly cold enough. Fully frozen unwrapped pork should last at least two years if it is truly frozen solid. The air exposure will give you freezer burn but not rancid meat. For meat to go rancid the bacteria needs to be active, caused by not being fully frozen, and have air.

This ^

And get the vacuum sealer. It will pay for itself in less than a year.

[omega50]

Debt and rancidity are both cumulative

[DevilsAdvocate]

Originally Posted by Kim473

For fish, keep your cardboard milk containers, put fish in and top up with water. Then freeze. It will keep much better frozen in the water. I don't usually have to freeze the fish I catch. With the small limits it's all gone shortly after cleaning.

Tried this....wasn't impressed.
First problem is that these block of ice now take up a lot more space.
Second problem, is time to thaw is much longer....and issues with leaving it on counter multiply.
Third, water has oxygen in it...that is what is needed for decomposition.
Fourth, fish done this way seem to be mushier.....might be with the flesh abosorbing water, which expands as it freezes and breaking cell walls doing so. That is one of the reasons you should try to get your fish fillets as dry as possible before vac sealing.

Just my opinion...

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by Dean2

If meat in the freezer is going Rancid you have two issues. Air is getting to the meat but most importantly your freezer is not nearly cold enough. Fully frozen unwrapped pork should last at least two years if it is truly frozen solid. The air exposure will give you freezer burn but not rancid meat. For meat to go rancid the bacteria needs to be active, caused by not being fully frozen, and have air.

This! And never wrap in plastic and put in the fridge.