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To prevent freezer burn, prepare and package the meat before putting it in the freezer. Meat and poultry can be frozen in the store packaging but it is advisable to over-wrap the packaging to make sure no air can enter the package. Use plastic bags and heavy duty aluminum foil specially designed for freezer use (the label will tell you) to over-wrap. Use a home vacuum sealer to remove air from packaging. Vacuum sealers come in a variety of models and prices and use special bags (sold separately) to store food. Use air-tight containers such as plastic or freezer safe jars and cans. Use wraps such as heavy weight aluminum foil, plastic freezer bags or polyethylene wrap and bags. Remove as many bones as possible before freezing as bones take up space and can contribute to freezer burn. Place freezer paper or wrap between slices or patties of meat to make separation easier after freezing. Meat will not keep forever in a freezer. Uncooked meat (such as steaks or chops) can be kept frozen safely for 4-12 months. Uncooked ground meat can only be kept safely for 3-4 months. Cooked meat can be stored for 2-3 months. Hotdogs, ham and lunch meats can be frozen for 1-2 months. Poultry (cooked and uncooked) can be kept for 3-12 months. Wild game can be kept for 8-12 months. Make sure to maintain a freezer or cooler temperature of 0F (18C) or below. You need to know what is in the freezer and how old it is. The label should contain the type of meat (chicken breast, steak, ground beef, etc.), whether it is raw or cooked, and the date it was frozen. To help you find things later, it is a good idea to group like items together. For example, put all the chicken together, all the beef together, all the pork together. Use the oldest items first to avoid having to discard out of date or freezer-burned food. This is one of the easiest ways to preserve meat. You can use the freezer compartment that is attached to your refrigerator or use a stand-alone freezer. Stand-alone freezers are larger than the compartment on a refrigerator. Be aware that a freezer does use electricity so your energy bills will be higher if you use a stand-alone freezer in addition to your refrigerator. The cost increase will depend on the size of the freezer and how energy-efficient the model is. Coolers can be used anywhere as they do not require electricity. You can use a cooler if you are camping or if you need to store meat during an electrical outage. You will need to fill the cooler with ice to make it cold. Place some ice on the bottom of the cooler, put in the meat, then cover the meat with more ice. Make sure the meat is surrounded by ice to ensure complete and even freezing. If you use a cooler you will need to replace the ice as it melts to make sure the meat does not thaw before you are ready to use it. Thawing properly will help reduce the chance of food-borne illness. Thaw meat in the refrigerator. Plan ahead as large items such as turkeys will take about 24 hours to thaw this way. Thaw by submerging the meat (in air-tight packaging) in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until completely thawed. You can thaw meat in a microwave but be sure to cook it immediately. Microwaves thaw unevenly and may start to cook parts of the meat. Before cooking, look for freezer burn. Freezer burn is the discoloration of meat due to freezing and does not necessarily make the meat inedible. Cut off freezer burned portions before consuming. Use common sense. If the meat or poultry looks or smells "off" do not eat it.
Prepare meat before freezing. Know how long you can safely store frozen meat. Be sure to label all containers and packages. Use an electric freezer to store meat. Use a cooler if you do not have an electric freezer. Know how to thaw meat.