Preserving the benefits, or how long can beef be stored in the refrigerator and other places?
Beef is a valuable food product containing proteins, fats, and amino acids necessary for the proper functioning of the body. But raw meat quickly spoils without special conditions.
Eating spoiled food can lead to serious poisoning. For the best way to store raw and cooked beef at home, read this article.
Content
Meat shelf life
The shelf life of beef depends not only on storage conditions, but also on the quality of the meat. The following product is considered the best:
- fresh (no more than 3 days from the moment of slaughter of livestock);
- well drained of blood (blood preserved in the vessels is a breeding ground for bacteria);
- clean (but not washed!).
In a refrigerator
In an ordinary household refrigerator, in the coldest place (in different models this may be the top or bottom shelf), where the temperature remains slightly above 0 degrees, raw beef will last up to 5 days.
Raw minced meat without spices can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Ready-made dishes from this type of meat are left in the refrigerator for 3-6 days, provided that the product is in a closed container.
Meat in broth spoils faster, so it is recommended to boil soups with beef for about 5 minutes after 2 days of storage, then cool and put them in the refrigerator again.
In the freezer
In the freezer of a regular refrigerator, where the temperature is maintained at -5 -7 degrees, meat properly prepared for freezing will not lose its properties for 2-3 months.
In a special freezer with an instant freezing function, at a constant temperature of -18 degrees, the product will remain edible for more than six months.
At room temperature
At a standard room temperature of +22 +25 degrees, putrefactive processes in fresh meat will begin within a few hours. It is not recommended to keep raw beef warm for more than a day.
If a piece of raw beef wrap in a cloth generously soaked in table vinegar, the product will remain fresh for up to 48 hours.
Heat-treated meat (stewed, fried, boiled) without broth can remain edible for 2-3 days. It is better not to leave meat soups in a warm place for more than 6 hours.
Eating spoiled meat can lead to severe poisoning! An unsuitable product can be easily identified by its specific putrid odor, slippery surface, and discolored broth.
The vast majority of housewives keep meat in the refrigerator for short-term storage or put in the freezer for a long time. Rural residents who keep their own livestock place beef in underground glaciers, keep it in barrels, sprinkle it with salt.
Raw
Raw beef must be prepared for storage. The meat is divided into portions, removing large bones and coarse veins.
Do not wash the product before storing! Water is a favorable environment for the development of bacteria and putrefactive fungi.
Small dirt from the surface of the meat is removed with a dry towel. Beef should be washed immediately before cooking.
For short-term storage of meat in the refrigerator, the pieces are placed in an enamel, glass container with a lid or in a plastic container. Dishes must be clean and completely dry.
For freezing, beef is packaged in thick plastic bags or wrapped in cling film. Raw minced meat is placed in plastic containers. It is necessary to achieve maximum tightness of the packaging.
Do not put warm meat in the freezer! When cooled sharply, the beef will release its juices and after defrosting it will be dry. Before freezing, the product is cooled for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
How long does the finished product last?
Well-fried, slightly dry meat is stored better than other dishes. It is transferred from the frying pan to a clean, dry enamel, glass or plastic container and put in the refrigerator, on the coolest shelf. There the product will remain edible for about a week.
Tips for extending the shelf life of frozen and refrigerated food
Many housewives use vacuum sealing to extend the shelf life of food products., including beef. The clean, dry product is placed in a special thick plastic bag and all the air is pumped out using a vacuum device.
The package is sealed. The absence of oxygen in the packaging suppresses the development of bacteria, prevents moisture evaporation, and preserves the aroma of the product.
Vacuum-packed raw beef placed in the freezer can last for over 15 months! In the refrigerator, at a temperature of +3 +5 degrees, it does not spoil for a week.
To prevent frozen beef from “flowing” when transporting the product without a thermal bag, the meat is wrapped in foil, then in several layers of thick paper. The resulting bag is placed in a thick plastic bag.
Meat packaged in this way will not defrost for up to 6 hours. In the same way, all types of frozen food are preserved in the event of a power outage or refrigerator breakdown.
If there is a need to store raw beef without refrigeration (in camping conditions, for example), fresh meat should be generously covered with fresh nettles.
Prickly grass has bactericidal properties and will extend the shelf life of the product to 3-4 days.
Another option for storing raw meat without refrigeration is in salt. Pieces of meat weighing no more than 2-3 kg are placed in a large wooden box or in an enameled (or stainless steel) tank, generously sprinkled with rock salt.
The layer of salt should be such that the pieces do not touch each other or the walls of the container. In this form, beef will not lose its nutritional value for several months. Before cooking, the meat is cleared of salt and soaked in clean water for 2 days, regularly changing the water to fresh water.
Beef pulp can be dried. Drying is the oldest method of food preservation, which has not lost its relevance today.
The process of drying beef is simple:
- Remove clean meat from veins and films, cut into strips no more than 1 cm thick and up to 10 cm long.
- Beat the strips with a hammer, like chops. Salt and pepper.
- Dry in a dehydrator (special infrared drying chamber) or in an oven at 70 degrees for at least 10 hours.
This product can be consumed as a snack with strong alcoholic drinks or added to broth to give it flavor and flavor.
This video will show you how to dry beef:
In addition to drying, beef is suitable for smoking, but for this type of processing you will need a smokehouse.
Stew is often made from fresh beef:
- Boil the pulp for about 3 hours, adding salt and pepper and bay leaf.
- The hot product is laid out in clean jars, filled to the top with broth or melted fat.
- Sterilize the stew in an autoclave or oven for at least 30 minutes.
Hermetically sealed beef stew is good to eat for 2 years if it is kept in the refrigerator or cellar. At room temperature its shelf life is 12 months.
Beef stew, video recipe:
Conclusion
The best and easiest way to store raw or cooked beef at home is to store it in the refrigerator or freezer. However, it must be remembered that Fresh, chilled, rather than thawed product has the greatest benefit.
If you can regularly buy fresh meat, it is better to avoid long-term storage of beef.
