Tomorrow I'm getting a bunch of donated beef for our food pantry. Not sure what kind or how much, it's from someone cleaning out their freezer. The comment was made that it some of it is a bit freezer burned (not sure if that means a little bit or a lotta bit).

Does anyone have suggestions on guidelines as far as how bad it can be before it's bad? For myself I've used meat that's been in the freezer for a very long time and not in the best condition, but it's me. It's a different story if you are giving it to someone else. As far as I know I don't think there is a big health risk, more flavor and texture issues.

Stew.  Lots of stew.  Potatoes and carrots you go!

Every one beats to a different drum. If it were me I would turn it down. Simply because I didn't know its history. And if its old or freezer burnt & it came from my freezer I would still toss it. 

Find someone that feeds raw to their dogs and or cats.

I received the meat donation today. It was all vacuum sealed and looked to be in good shape. There is about 16 lbs sirloin steaks; 20 lbs round steak; 7 lbs chuck roast; 10 lb. Beef shank; and some ribs.

It has been in the freezer about 3 years. I know the guy who donated it and where the meat was processed. Instead of handing it out at the pantry I think we will use it for our free community meal next week.

Looking at doing pepper steak with the sirloin, Swiss steak with the round. Also have about 50 lbs. of chicken to do something with. Any ideas appreciated. [ Invalid Attachment ]

I was gonna say that is how chili came about...but that meat, sealed the way it is could have been in a freezer for 4 years and it would be fine.  Do you have plans for it?  Freezer burnt or not, a hearty beef stew over rice, man that is rib sticking...But you have so many options, Enchilada Lasagna, Tacos, Burritos, Meatloaf, Cheeseburgers, Shepard's Pie, Stroganoff, Western Mac...Go get em!

Wow...someone turned vegetarian keeping all of that meat in a freezer for 3 years.

 First - A big thank you for your work with the food bank!

 Generally food past its best before date might loose some of its freshness..What I see doesn't look bad at all;no freezer burn and good color. The packaging looks first class .

 The community meal is a deed well done.

You could consider pmillen's Pepper Stout Beef  https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=308.0

Good work you are doing, thanks!!!

SAUSAGE

You could consider pmillen's Pepper Stout Beef  https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=308.0

Good work you are doing, thanks!!!

I'm a huge fan of pulled chuck with peppers and onions, have done it many times.   I tried something a little different and even easier last weekend and it was a hit.

I started with a brisket flat because it was on sale.  Chuck would be fine, and frankly so would any of the frozen meats outside of the ribs.  I rubbed with taco seasoning.   Smoked for two hours, then into the crock pot for 6 hours.   In the crock pot was

3 lbs beef
one half red onion diced
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup water.

You can up the kick a little if you like, but this worked perfectly for pulled beef tacos. 

DK

Yeah, sorry, forgot the Atta Boy!

You could consider pmillen's Pepper Stout Beef  https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=308.0

Good work you are doing, thanks!!!

I'm a huge fan of pulled chuck with peppers and onions, have done it many times.   I tried something a little different and even easier last weekend and it was a hit.

I started with a brisket flat because it was on sale.  Chuck would be fine, and frankly so would any of the frozen meats outside of the ribs.  I rubbed with taco seasoning.   Smoked for two hours, then into the crock pot for 6 hours.   In the crock pot was

3 lbs beef
one half red onion diced
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup water.

You can up the kick a little if you like, but this worked perfectly for pulled beef tacos. 

DK

Basically similar to pulled beef but using the crock pot instead of the pellet grill for the last portion of the covered cook to braise the meat until it falls apart.  I did the whole process in crock pot once and it was still very edible just lacked the smoke flavor.  If you want to kick it up, use a can of chipotles in adobo sauce instead of the tomato paste.  I bought some hickory smoke powder.  I may try that in a rub on a chuck in the crock pot for the entire process to see if it adds any smoke flavor and a bottle of chipotle beer by Flying Dog.

When my wife was in college way back when, the landlord had inadvertently turned there power off when her and her roommates  were gone on spring break. Well long story short they had a freezer with meat in it and to this day I can still smell the stench of it. We had quite the stretch of warm weather at the time. I even had a couple of dryer sheets over my face and the smell still permeated through.  Nothing worse than that smell or rotting soybeans!!

 

First thing I would do is cook one up. Vacuum packing is great and extends the meat life but 3 yrs might be to long. Try one, fry it or whatever but at least you will know what you have and not plan a big meal and the meat is old. If it was not vacuum packed I would never even try it, just throw it or feed it to the dogs,cats etc.