Freezing Steak

[Half Dog]

Our local grocery store has steak on sale so I bought some. In the past, I’ve vacuum sealed each steak and when I thawed them I noticed the thickness has decreased. I googled to see if I should freeze the steaks prior to vacuuming packing or not and I got responses supporting each claim. Now I wanted to ask our group, do you freeze steak prior to vacuum packing or after?

Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve only frozen fresh meat, but I can see an advantage of freezing it first. No problems with liquid messing up the seal.

[Wayne Smith]

I can't answer because I don't vacuum seal but have two of six original steaks in the freezer now. Just wrapped in plastic wrap as I do all meat. That's been my routine for years. Just wrapped and froze a dozen Bratwurst as well.

[dverna]

I have always sealed meat and then frozen it. Not saying it is the best way so hope to learn if freezing first is a better option.

[BK7saum]

I vac seal and then freeze. Occasionally when freezing first a sharp edge or point pokes the bag and if I dont watch it, a little freezer burn if the steak happens to stay that long in the freezer.

[brass410]

Put up a bunch of beef for this winter in jars (pressure canned) it's a quick meal to heat up with a few other goodies from the pantry, all shelf stable if power goes down. Wanting to try vacuum sealing as well, need to get equipment will be back for tips and techniques. Seems like a good idea does the meat freezer burn when vac sealed?

[swamp]

I season, vac seal and then freeze.
swamp

[slim1836]

I let the wife do it, I have no clue. I bought the freezer, her's is to use it. I know nada about that stuff.

Slim

[brassrat]

I have an unused machine or two. I wrap everything in plastic wrap and then foil. Then into freezer bags. Often finish with 8" stretch wrap. I never see freezer burn and everything stays like new for multiple years Just had a chicken cutlet from our club dinner today from 7-2020,restaurant cooked and as good as then.

[MrWolf]

We just freeze the vacuum sealed packaging from the butcher. We've gotten half a steer the last two years and everything seems fine. I do have a vacuum seller and in the past would just seal and freeze. I did use a paper towel before the seal to catch liquids in the package.

[dverna]

We just freeze the vacuum sealed packaging from the butcher. We've gotten half a steer the last two years and everything seems fine. I do have a vacuum seller and in the past would just seal and freeze. I did use a paper towel before the seal to catch liquids in the package.

The paper towel hint is a great idea!!

[MaryB]

Bag and vac seal... no paper towel needed with my chamber sealer. I can seal a bag of water!

A FoodSaver type "vacuum" sealer pulls about 15 inches of vacuum, a chamber sealer pulls 29 inches, almost double. Means less oxygen in the bag so food lasts longer. Downside is initial cost of the machine, I have an Avid Armor Ultra Series Model USV32 Chamber Vacuum Sealer and it is $529. BUT I use mine a LOT sealing meat, garden veggies, leftovers... I was killing a FoodSaver is 9 months or less... the chamber sealer is going on year 3. And bags are a lot cheaper VS FoodSaver bags.

https://avidarmor.com/avid-armor-ult...vacuum-sealer/

[Winger Ed.]

I never freeze anything first. I use a food saver machine for some things, but not a lot.
I make a run of sausage once or twice a year and just use zip-lock freezer bags for that.
I pack it down in the bag, mash it flat driving the meat into the corners, press all the air out and close it.
Never had a problem.

[georgerkahn]

Our local grocery store has steak on sale so I bought some. In the past, I’ve vacuum sealed each steak and when I thawed them I noticed the thickness has decreased. I googled to see if I should freeze the steaks prior to vacuuming packing or not and I got responses supporting each claim. Now I wanted to ask our group, do you freeze steak prior to vacuum packing or after?

Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

I am a 101% user -- wouldn't be without one! -- of our vacuum sealer! One thing I've learned in the many past years of use is 99% of the time the BEST method is to put whatever on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, and freeze it as such. After frozen, THEN put it in the vacuum bag (I use the ones Cabela's sells) and vacuum away! For what it's worth, I believe that the initial vacuuming of much sucks out some moisture/blood. My sealer even has a "moist" setting for stuff which the moisture gets sucked out to the extent it prohibits sealing!
On the other hand, being kind of (kind of???) lazy, with goodies like garden green beans -- we're harvesting zillions daily -- I just say "(expletive)-it" and as soon as they cool from being blanched -- I just put them in the bags.
My younger son suggests -- re steaks -- to pour a teaspoon or so of virgin olive oil on them before placing on the paper covered cookie sheet, and spreading it about to totally cover the steak. Believe it or not, vis any taste this does nothing but enhance it; and, greatly prohibits/eliminates those ice-crystals which form -- even when vacuum sealed.
As a side note, we just bought but THREE Canadian rib-eye steaks in a pack at BJ's Wholesale Club -- $46.10 USD! Just me wife and me here now -- I cut them each in half; do the olive oil coating; freeze on the cookie sheet; then vacuum each and freeze. The fairly thick -- roughly 2.5 cm. -- steaks cut in half are more than an adequate serving for each of us -- and thus cut/served make for a delicious, affordable steak dinner!
geo

[.429&H110]

I have spent some afternoons vac-sealing Copper river Reds fillets
adding a small amount of olive oil seems to keep them juicier.

IF you have a frost free freezer, then it must have a defrost cycle.
Your frozen food will not thaw, if buried tightly, wrapped in layers of paper
but around the edges, the defrost cycle causes freezer burn.
It gets freeze-dried in a sealed package.
That's why there's no frost...

A chest freezer, an old frosted over freezer, will be stable much longer.
And will stay much colder longer on power fail.

Keep the freezer full between moose seasons. I kept coolers in it,
frozen water jugs, stacks of newspaper, swapping air makes frost.

Back in the day, the Schwan guy was a good deal. Then he got greedy.

[Lloyd Smale]

I season, vac seal and then freeze.
swamp

i vacuum pack it then freeze it. when i buy a whole beef its already done and if it was aged properly theres not enough blood to give you fits if you do it your self. now venison can give you those problems because at least for most it isnt aged. with venison i do what swamp does and season it before. it works like marinading. ive tried the paper towel but just dont like the idea of a blood-soaked paper towel with my meat. but thats me because it sure wouldnt hurt a thing. id just rather wipe out the machine a few times while im using it and give it a good cleaning when im done. i do to many deer every year to try to freeze it on trays first. id about have to have a dedicated freezer just for that. i havent seen the one frost free freezer i have in the house hurt vacuum packed meat but that may be because we tend to keep meat in our 3 non frost free chest freezers in the garage and rotate about a months supply at of time to the in house unit. only time ive seem freezer burn even on 3 year old meat is if the bag wasnt sealed right and air gets in. id bet it would still be the case with a frost free freezer

[762 shooter]

I freeze then seal when I can.
When you are pulling the vacuum that a chamber sealer does, it has to disrupt the cell structure.

762

[georgerkahn]

I freeze then seal when I can.
When you are pulling the vacuum that a chamber sealer does, it has to disrupt the cell structure.

762

Interesting thought I had never considered. Interestingly, a friend fills 1/2-gallon milk cartons with water; puts in whatever they wish to store; and then freezes carton. All contents -- be it veggies, fish, poultry, or meat -- purportedly (so they say) both look and taste exactly as BEFORE they were frozen. Zero freezer burn -- and, in the square milk cartons they're so easy to stack/store. Frankly, my one and only dislike re the vac-sealed food is the inability to stack it -- seems they have more than an affinity to slide out!
geo

[Wag]

Seal, then freeze.

--Wag--

[dale2242]

I freeze it semi frozen so that the juices don`t mess up the seal, vacuum seal it, then freeze it solid.