If you’re new to buying meat from us or another local farmer, you may not be familiar with purchasing frozen meat.
Since all of our meat is frozen, our goal is to help you feel confident in thawing meat from us in a way that does not compromise the quality or food safety of the meat.
The nice thing about buying meat from a local farm like us is that the meat was most likely vacuum sealed and frozen directly after butchering, which is perfect for freezer storage and will remain top quality in the freezer (at zero degrees) for at least a year and food safe indefinitely.
Meat purchased from the grocery store was likely butchered, frozen for storage and transit, and then thawed to display at the store. This is why grocery store meat doesn’t last long once purchased.
However, once you thaw meat from our farm, it’s good in the fridge (below 40 degrees) for up to a week!
Let’s dig into the two ways we’d recommend that you thaw your meat.
Thawing in the Refrigerator
This is our most recommended method. I usually take out meat from the freezer for the whole week and plan to cook the meats that will thaw the quickest earlier in the week and roasts that take longer to thaw later in the week.
This is a gradual and controlled thaw, meaning you won’t compromise the quality or safety of the meat.
Our tips:
I recommend having a basket or container lined with a kitchen towel dedicated to meats in your fridge. This will keep any leaks from contaminating other items in your fridge. You can also place this on the bottom shelf just in case any extra juices leak.
Allow enough time for the meat to thaw completely, otherwise you may end up with your meat being overcooked on the outside or undercooked on the inside
0-1lb packages (chicken breasts, tenders, sausage, tenderloin, ground beef, etc.): thaw 2 days prior to cooking
1-3lb packages (bone-in chicken cuts, pork ribs, pork chops. etc): thaw 3 days prior to cooking
3-5lb packages (whole chickens, pork/beef roasts, etc.): thaw 4-5 days prior to cooking
Quick Thaw in Cold Water
We use this method if we are in a pinch and forgot to thaw any meat for dinner:
For smaller packages (1-2lb), you can place in a clean bowl and fill with cold water and use a heavy plate to submerge. This should take 30-60 minutes.
For larger packages (3-5lb), you can just fill one side of your sink with cold water and add your package of meat with a heavy plate to submerge. I usually do a quick clean of the sink just in case there’s a small hole where water could potentially seep in. This should take 2-3 hours depending on the size of the package.
Change the water every 30-60 minutes to keep the water cool. This is especially important if your kitchen is super warm, especially during the summer months.
Once thawed completely, we recommend cooking your meat within a week.
We hope this was helpful!
Please share any other tips you may have or meal planning tips too, we are always excited to learn from each other :)