Cleaning out the freezer. How old is too old?

[greenwart]

Cleaning out the bottom of the freezer. Found a few thing that I could not distinguish what they were and they got trashed. Came across a 3 lb vacuum packed bacon ends and pieces that expired Jan 2018. It looked really good no freezer burn at all. Since I went over to a primarily plant based diet it got neglected. I still use pork fat for my beans and was going to make a pot of black beans just wondered if it was "safe". Lard is the secret ingredient in the best beans and has about a 2 year shelf life. tTo you Vegan's there is no substitute for pork fat, unless it is duck fat.

Bob

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If an item is properly wrapped (I use two layers of plastic wrap and then a freezer bag) it seems to be good indefinitely. I've used items that were 8 years old.

[dverna]

Even meat with a bit of freezer burn can be made into stew.

I use the vacuum pack system and have eaten stuff over 2 years old.

BTW, NEVER through it out. Many dog owners will be grateful for meat,

[Winger Ed.]

If that package is ends & pieces like we have here, its in the refrigerated section,
and the expire or best by date is geared towards that method of storage.

In the freezer, it would be extended way on down the road.
If its always been frozen, I wouldn't have any problem eating it.

[tomme boy]

We have people that will buy old expired meat here. They are using it for dog and cat food. I just give them what I have. Lots of people feed their pets a pure meat diet. Might want to check your local facebook pages if anyone is looking for it.

[Edward]

I vacuum pak and I don"t bother looking at dates anymore as it"s all good if sealed right and with 3 and 1/2 freezers I don"t worry about shortages as long as powder /lead hold out ! Think another 2 life times/:bigsmyl2:

[snowwolfe]

If it looks and smells good, eat it. If it doesn't your pet will love it.

[square butte]

Depends on how hungry you are - We call our freezer the "way back machine" - It's either way in the back, or from way back a long time ago :)

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve ate deer that’s four years old in my freezer and doesn’t clean you out too bad.lol

[greenwart]

Made some black beans with it and they look great. Got to love the pressure cooker.

[MaryB]

bacon can lose some flavor with long storage but I have eaten 2 year old...

[popper]

I saw Navy steak in 1944 boxes that we got free for liberty parties in the 60s. I'm still around.

[NyFirefighter357]

I just made venison that's been vacuum sealed in the bottom the freezer for 7 years. Made cutlets, tasted like they just came off the deer.

[starbits]

I thawed a package of antelope steaks from 2012 a month or so ago. They were as fresh as the day they were frozen.

[rototerrier]

Just had ground deer from December 2017, tasted great! It was the oldest I had on hand, so i know the rest is good.

[Iowa Fox]

You won't have any problem with that bacon

[Elkins45]

Unless it’s freezer burned it’s good to go. Even if it’s freezer burned that just makes it have a bad taste and texture. I wouldn’t eat freezer burned meat under normal circumstances but in an emergency I absolutely would.

[Tripplebeards]

I pickeled some yellow looking northern pike fillets I had frozen in a solid block of water for five years last summer. They tasted great.

[waksupi]

I don't know how long it was in there, but I found several packages of mastadon in the bottom of the freezer. Tasted okay to me!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I don't know how long it was in there, but I found several packages of mastadon in the bottom of the freezer. Tasted okay to me!
I am pretty sure that makes you immune from coronavirus

[Gewehr-Guy]

I recently threw out about ten pounds of that bulk pack bacon that I bought last summer. Usually I break it down into 1 pound portions and wrap in plastic wrap then freezer paper. This stuff went rancid tasting pretty fast, but I'm not sure how long it sat in the open cooler at the store before I purchased it The bacon that is vacume packed in thick plastic seems to keep for a couple years , but I won't be buying that bulk stuff again. Remember, if it is cured with salt it never freezes as well as fresh meat.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup it isn't like its poison. Just doesn't taste that good. If it bothers you trim off the burn and the rest will be fine. Ive ate meat that's been in the freezer for over 5 years. Even the freezer burned parts don't have to go to waste. Watch how fast your dog licks it up.
Unless it’s freezer burned it’s good to go. Even if it’s freezer burned that just makes it have a bad taste and texture. I wouldn’t eat freezer burned meat under normal circumstances but in an emergency I absolutely would.

[blackthorn]

Properly sealed, so that no air can get at it, meat can last indefinitely. I just used up the last of the moose burger from 2016. We use heavy-duty Zip-lock bags, squeeze as much air out as possible and wrap in heavy brown paper intended for use in wrapping meat.

[cupajoe]

Mastadon, HA HA I like that.

[Thin Man]

I saw an article once where someone was asking how to make venison steaks more tender. The reply was to take them out of the freezer and let them thaw about half way, then freeze them again. Repeat this a second time, then one more time for a total of 3 thaw/ refreeze cycles. After all this, thaw and cook and enjoy tender steaks. If partial thawing and refreezing makes meat more tender, I won't worry if we lose the power to our freezer and get it back in reasonable time. Not sure what the answer would be if we lost power for 3 weeks as happened to us several years ago when a monster storm was dropping trees and power lines all over the county. The repair crews simply could not keep up with all the restoring of services they had to complete.

[gwpercle]

If the package is not marked and I can no longer remember what it is and it's not recognizable ...
Toss it in the can !
Otherwise use your best judgement ...
Gary