When freezing meat, to help ensure its quality, it’s a good practice to remove meat from the original packaging and double-wrap to protect it: first in plastic wrap or freezer paper; then in foil or an airtight freezer bag. Here are a few added tips for ensuring your meat is kept at is prime:
Bacon – For unopened packages: refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month. To freeze opened, uncooked bacon, roll each slice into a coil, place on a baking sheet, and flash-freeze for 2 hours. Once frozen, wrap and place bacon into an airtight bag. For cooked bacon, flash-freeze a single layer on a baking sheet overnight; then transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork - When wrapped carefully, fresh steaks, roasts and chops will last up to 1 year in the freezer. Wrapping chops individually helps preserve quality, taste and freshness.
Fresh poultry – Store whole chickens or turkeys in the refrigerator (up to 2 days) and then frozen (up to 1 year when portions are individually wrapped). Refrigerate chicken or turkey pieces (up to 2 days) and then freeze them (up to 9 months).
Ham - Fresh, uncured ham lasts up to 4 days cooked or 5 days uncooked in the refrigerator. A cooked, store-wrapped ham will last for a week in the fridge. Fresh, uncured, uncooked ham lasts up to 6 months; Frozen, cooked, store-wrapped, whole, half, sliced or spiral ham will last for up to 2 months.
Hamburger, ground meats, and ground poultry - Fresh hamburger, ground beef, turkey, chicken, other poultry, veal, pork, lamb and mixtures are safest to use within two days if refrigerated. In the freezer, they'll last up to four months. When freezing, be sure to wrap thoroughly to preserve the quality and prevent freezer burn.
Hot Dogs/lunchmeat - An opened package of hot dogs or lunchmeat is safe to store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Unopened, they will last for two weeks. Frozen hot dogs and lunchmeat can last for up to two months. To freeze hot dogs, wrap them individually in plastic; place in an airtight bag. For best results with lunchmeat, layer each meat slice between sheets of wax paper; then wrap and bag.
Sausage - Storage times vary based on type. Raw pork, beef, turkey or chicken sausage are safe to store in the refrigerator (up to 2 days) or in the freezer (up to 2 months), or, when cooked, up to 5 days (refrigerator) or 2 months (freezer). When purchased frozen, cooked sausage will last up to 2 months from purchase in the freezer.
Make sure to label any bagged, frozen meats with the date and contents using a permanent marker. Then, per the FDA, keep all frozen meats at a temperature of 0° F (-18° C). Remember, never thaw meat on the kitchen counter, and dispose of any meat that's been at room temperature for more than two hours.