How to Freeze Meat

Preparing the Meat

Store your meat in the refrigerator until it is ready to prepare for freezing. You should store fresh, raw meats in your refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days before freezing them. Your refrigerator’s temperature should be kept at 40 degrees F or below at all times to ensure peak freshness and safety of all foods. Be ready to prepare the meat quickly so it will stay cold until you freeze it.

Remove the meat from its store packaging and place it on a cutting board. The packaging from the grocery store is not resistant to vapor or moisture, so just discard it. Freezing the meat in the store packaging may cause it develop freezer burn more quickly.

Cut the meat into individual portions. Use a sharp knife to cut the meat. Remove any unnecessary bones, as they take up freezer space. When cutting poultry, keep the deboned meat separate from the meat with bones. If you are freezing ground hamburger, you can divide it into 1 pound increments, or form it into quarter pound patties. Do not rinse the meat before freezing. It isn’t necessary, and can cause crystallization on the meat when it freezes. If you want to rinse the meat, do it right before cooking.

Wrapping the Meat

Place the meat in the center of a large piece of freezer paper or plastic wrap. If you are using freezer paper, make sure that the paper side is touching the counter and the meat is resting on the waxed side. Freezer paper is similar to wax paper. It has a plastic or wax coating on one side, which helps keep meat juices from leaking out. Meat markets and grocery stores use this paper to wrap raw meats in. If you can’t find freezer paper, regular wax paper, parchment paper, or even plastic wrap will do. If possible, use freezer bags. They're usually thicker and protect the meat while reducing the amount of ice crystals.

Pad any bones with small pieces of paper towel so they won’t pierce the wrapping. If any bones pierce the wrap, air will get into the packaging and compromise the quality of the meat. Wrap small pieces of paper towel around the bones, then continue to wrap as instructed.

Wrap each piece of meat tightly. Bring the top and bottom of the freezer paper or plastic wrap together over the meat, then fold the freezer paper down towards the meat, making small folds, each ⁄2 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm). Push all the air out of the bag before sealing it. That is key to preserving the texture of the meat.

Tuck the ends of the freezer paper or plastic wrap around the package. Smooth to remove as much air as possible. If wrapping in freezer, wax, or parchment paper, use freezer tape to seal the paper securely around the meat.

Wrap the meat again, this time in aluminum foil or a zippered plastic bag. This step is optional, but double-wrapping will help keep air away from the meat and cut down on the risk of freezer burn. If storing the meat in a plastic bag, make sure to push all air out of the bag before closing. In the plastic bag, place each individual patty or piece of meat between two pieces of freezer paper to help keep them separate when they’re frozen. This will make them easier to quickly grab from the freezer, and it will also speed the thawing process.

Prepare a whole bird for freezing by tucking in its wings, tying its legs and removing the inner organs. Then you can place it into a large plastic freezer bag, or wrap it tightly in freezer paper and tape it closed to seal. Store the giblets, heart, and liver separately in a large plastic zip-top bag for freezing. If you’re storing the chicken right in a plastic bag, be sure to force all of the air in the bag to escape before zipping it closed.

Label the wrapped meat with the date and its contents in permanent marker. The date lets you know how long each piece of meat has been frozen, and the contents let you know what cut of meat you’re grabbing from the freezer without opening the package. Permanent marker works on freezer paper, plastic bags, parchment paper, wax paper, and aluminum foil.

Freezing the Meat

Place the wrapped meat in a freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. This is the ideal temperature for keeping meats safely frozen. The refrigerator freezer will work just fine. Avoid freezing large quantities of meat together, as it will slow down the freezing process.

Place the meat in the coldest area of the freezer. Separate the pieces or bags to allow the meat to freeze faster. Once the meat is completely frozen, you can rearrange the layout of the freezer. If the meat doesn’t freeze quickly enough, ice crystals can form in the meat. These crystals contribute to freezer burn and to the loss of juices while the meat is thawing out.

Avoid opening and closing the freezer repeatedly. Your freezer should maintain a temperature of 0 degrees or lower at almost all times in order to keep the meat at its best. If you’re only freezing your meat for a short amount of time (a couple of weeks), it’s okay if the freezer’s temperature fluctuates a little from the door opening and closing. Just be sure to eat the meat quickly.

Storing and Refreezing Meat

Store your meat and poultry at a constant temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain their quality. Freezing will keep foods safe almost indefinitely, however the length of time the food is frozen can have an effect on its quality. If you want to freeze your meat long-term (over a month), but your refrigerator freezer can’t maintain at least 0 degrees, you may want to consider buying a small, separate freezer for long-term cold storage. Well-wrapped meats can be frozen for 6 months to a year. Frozen meats can be stored for up to 3 months with almost no breach in quality, but after 3 months, there is a higher chance of developing freezer burn. This is especially true if they are kept in a freezer that doesn’t maintain 0 degrees F. Chicken that is wrapped well can be frozen for up to 9 months.

Scrutinize your meat to see if you can detect freezer burn. Look for browning on the meat, smell it for a sharp frozen smell, and look for any ice crystals.

Store cured meats for 1-2 months only. The extra salt in cured meats causes the meat to turn rancid more rapidly, so they must be eaten more quickly. This is true for meats like ham and bacon.

Refreeze your refrigerated raw meat safely. If you thaw your meat out and decide not to use it all, you can safely refreeze the raw meat, as long as it has thawed inside of the refrigerator. Keep in mind that the quality might not be as good after refreezing the meat, as thawing causes loss of moisture.

Refreeze any cooked meats within 3 to 4 days. Never refreeze anything left outside of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.