Frozen Meat Safety Question - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

swedeace · 04-06-2007, 10:48 PM

I just wanted to make sure, but I thought I'd ask this question to verify.

I had a brand new pack of pork cubes in my freezer since December. I figured that freezing it would last longer. I am starving right now, so I thought I ought to cook something meaty for dinner and cook some rice. I pull out the pork, and the color doesn't look too red. There are red and brown patches. What caught me off-guard was that there was frost formed inside the package. Get this - the package was not opened, nor was there a piercing on the package because the package had that bubbly look to it when the air is packed inside.

I didn't think much, so I just opened up the package and was ready to defrost and cook. After I opened the package, I thought to myself, "Hey, wait a minute. Why would there be frost inside the package?" I smelled the meat, but I didn't smell the usual raw meat smell, so I just decided to not cook it. I don't want to get food poisoning from this frost-inside meat.

What is your opinion on this? Was it really frost-bitten, or am I over-reacting?

Zoneboy · 04-06-2007, 10:59 PM

I did restaurant work for years and we kept meat in the freezer but I have never seen frost actually inside the package. If the meat was originally vacuum sealed then it's likely that a hole got in the package somehow thus allowing air back into it which probaby caused the frost. This may not be the most logical answer but it's the best that I can come up with. If you were unsure about whether it was safe to eat then you probably did the right thing by not doing so, Better safe than sorry.

swedeace · 04-06-2007, 11:48 PM

Thanks, Zoneboy.

I threw it in the trash, but it really hurts for me to do that. I had planned on making a crockpot dinner out of it since a couple of months ago. Instead, I just browned some ground beef and made hard-shell tacos out of it.

Brieannas21 · 04-07-2007, 08:45 PM

Anything that you freeze will have frost on it, the longer you have it in the freezer more frost or ice you will have on it. Most likely your meat was freezer burnt since it stayed in the freezer for 4 months. So you did the right thing by throwing it out.

swedeace · 04-07-2007, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brieannas21

Anything that you freeze will have frost on it, the longer you have it in the freezer more frost or ice you will have on it. Most likely your meat was freezer burnt since it stayed in the freezer for 4 months. So you did the right thing by throwing it out.

Thanks. Yeah, that's what I pretty much figured - that it was freezer burn. The meat also didn't smell like fresh raw meat. It smelled...odd. So, yeah....I wouldn't wanna risk any food poisoning. *shudders*

04-06-2007, 10:48 PM	#1
swedeace Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 22, 2003 Posts: 9,009	Frozen Meat Safety Question I just wanted to make sure, but I thought I'd ask this question to verify. I had a brand new pack of pork cubes in my freezer since December. I figured that freezing it would last longer. I am starving right now, so I thought I ought to cook something meaty for dinner and cook some rice. I pull out the pork, and the color doesn't look too red. There are red and brown patches. What caught me off-guard was that there was frost formed inside the package. Get this - the package was not opened, nor was there a piercing on the package because the package had that bubbly look to it when the air is packed inside. I didn't think much, so I just opened up the package and was ready to defrost and cook. After I opened the package, I thought to myself, "Hey, wait a minute. Why would there be frost inside the package?" I smelled the meat, but I didn't smell the usual raw meat smell, so I just decided to not cook it. I don't want to get food poisoning from this frost-inside meat. What is your opinion on this? Was it really frost-bitten, or am I over-reacting?

04-06-2007, 10:59 PM	#2
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,416	I did restaurant work for years and we kept meat in the freezer but I have never seen frost actually inside the package. If the meat was originally vacuum sealed then it's likely that a hole got in the package somehow thus allowing air back into it which probaby caused the frost. This may not be the most logical answer but it's the best that I can come up with. If you were unsure about whether it was safe to eat then you probably did the right thing by not doing so, Better safe than sorry.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

04-06-2007, 11:48 PM	#3
swedeace Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 22, 2003 Posts: 9,009	Thanks, Zoneboy. I threw it in the trash, but it really hurts for me to do that. I had planned on making a crockpot dinner out of it since a couple of months ago. Instead, I just browned some ground beef and made hard-shell tacos out of it.

04-07-2007, 08:45 PM	#4
Brieannas21 Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 05, 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 9,792	Anything that you freeze will have frost on it, the longer you have it in the freezer more frost or ice you will have on it. Most likely your meat was freezer burnt since it stayed in the freezer for 4 months. So you did the right thing by throwing it out.