What does "fresh when frozen" mean? Does hanging time mean it's not fresh?
posted on
January 28, 2022
When we think about the quality of meat, freshness usually comes to mind. But, what is “fresh” meat anyway?
I mean, meat needs to cool and age. And, when you go to a butcher or a grocery store, the fresh cuts behind the glass or wrapped in plastic may have been sitting there for days… or even a week. I wouldn’t call that “fresh”. But, since the meat has never been frozen, it’s sold as “fresh”.
On the flip side, there’s frozen meat. I don’t know exactly why, but there’s a definite cultural bias against frozen meat. I’ve done a good amount of research on this and have come to the conclusion that frozen meat is superior. Here’s 5 reasons why you want frozen meat.
You might be thinking, what about nutritional loss? Some people think that frozen meat has less nutritional value compared to fresh meat. Not true! When packaged and frozen properly, frozen meat can have greater nutritional value compared to fresh meat.
But, I digress. Let’s get to the “meat” of the answers here….
What does “fresh when frozen” mean?
“Fresh when frozen” means that the meat was put in the freezer ASAP, definitely within 24 hours of butchering. It was frozen when it was as fresh as possible.
The size of the cut affects how long it takes to freeze completely. The bigger the cut, the longer it takes.
What is hanging meat?
After the animal is slaughtered and the carcass is clean, meat needs to cool thoroughly and/or hang. “Hanging” is a literal term. The carcass is attached to a hook and hung in a clean, sanitary, and very cold cooler.
Does hanging meat mean it's not fresh?
No, absolutely not! Hanging meat is integral to producing the highest quality, best tasting meat. How “fresh” meat is starts just after it’s butchered.
Why does meat need to hang?
When meat hangs, the enzymes naturally present in the meat do their magic and break down the fibers of the muscles, making them softer and more elastic. This improves the flavor, texture, and tenderness of meat.
The meat also loses water when hanging. Water loss concentrates the flavor, makes the meat more tender and juicy, and allows it to freeze better (ice crystals can cause damage when freezing meat).
The culinary result of hanging meat is tender and tasty meat. Believe me, you would not want to eat beef, pork, or lamb that wasn’t hung for an appropriate amount of time. It would be dry and tough and have less flavor.
How long does meat need to cool and/or hang for?
This varies, depending on the type of animal:
- Beef: 10-14 days (cooling & hanging time)
- Pork: 4-5 days (cooling & hanging time)
- Lamb: 4-5 days (cooling & hanging time)
- Chicken: 1 day (cooling time)
- Turkey: 1 day (cooling time)
What about Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome?
These are both conditions that can make a body overreact to histamines or not be able to adequately control histamine levels. The typical result is allergy symptoms, which can make life pretty miserable.
People with these conditions are often advised to avoid foods high in histamines. Histamines in food are present due to many factors including the animal’s stress level, aging time, preparation and cooking methods… there are so many factors! Hanging time is certainly a big factor, too.
Since you really wouldn’t want to eat meat that wasn’t aged an appropriate amount of time, my recommendation to folks with these conditions is to simply avoid or limit your beef, pork, and lamb intake… especially beef, since it’s aged the longest. And, if you do eat beef, pork, or lamb, keep it frozen and cook immediately after thawing. Chicken and turkey will likely agree with you always.
