Can You Freeze Marinated Meat?

Marinating meat is one of the proven ways to soften the meat, intensify its flavor, and add extra moisture before cooking.

You might begin to wonder, “Can you freeze marinated meat?” This article will take a look at whether you can freeze marinated meat.

What Is Marinated Meat?

Marinated meat is meat that has been soaked up in flavourful ingredients like herbs, sauce, lemon juice, wine, mayonnaise, garlic, ginger, and other spices and seasonings. This process helps intensify the flavor of the meat while tenderizing it and adding moisture before cooking.

This method has been in existence for centuries, and now everybody is soaking up their meat to enjoy this awesomely flavored goodness.

What Are the Types of Marinades?

According to the Culinary Pro, there are three types of marinades, all grouped:

1. Acidic Marinades: This soaking-up process involves the incorporation of wine, wine vinegar, or lemon juice with seasonings, herbs, and of course meat.

2. Oil Marinades: For the oil marinades, oil is the base. The oils added to the meat range from olive oil, sesame, coconut, or hazelnut oil with meat, herbs, and spices.

3. Enzymatic Marinades: The soaking up involves the incorporation of certain fruits that release enzymes while tenderizing meat. They are kiwis, figs, pawpaw, and raw pineapple.

How to Freeze Marinated Meat?

The question, “Can you freeze marinated meat?” has been asked by many and you have asked yourself too.

To answer, freezing marinated meat either homemade or store-bought, you need to bear in mind that you need to marinate the meat in advance to intensify the flavor.

Here are the steps you need to take before freezing marinated meat.

1. Marinade

Before freezing, you need to, first of all, marinate the meat. Marinating meat takes up some time, plenty of time – hours. After soaking up the meat, with marinade, cover it and place it in the fridge for hours to allow marinate properly.

This helps in intensifying the flour of the meat while softening and adding extra moisture when it’s time to cook or consume.

2. Slice It

This is optional but after marinating, you can choose to slice the meat into smaller sizes before proceeding to the next step.

3. Wrap

Place your marinated meat or slices of marinated meat on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it firmly. Make sure there are no cuts or openings when wrapping.

4. Seal Bag

Next, place wrapped marinated meat in a sealed or freezer bag. Then, push out as much excess air as you can to keep away from freezer burn.

5. Label the Bag

Lastly, using a marker pen, record the storage date (today’s date and use-by date). Then place the bag in the freezer for around three months.

How Long Can You Freeze Marinated Meat?

You can freeze marinated meat for up to 3 months.

We recommend you freeze it properly so it can retain its flavor, texture, and quality for the 3 months of storage time. If you wish to consume meat, you can defrost it before cooking, it will still taste flavourful and fresh.

5 Tips for Freezing Marinated Meat

Here are tips to stick to when freezing marinated meat.

TIP 1: Select thin cuts of meat as they tend to be juicier after thawing.

TIP 2: Cut meat into slices and smaller pieces as they quickly soak up flavors when marinating for hours.

TIP 3: Keep in mind to make use of little marinades as possible. I once marinated meat with too many marinades to intensify the flavor. But after freezing, when the time came to thaw my frozen meat, it was difficult and time-consuming to melt so I can cook.

TIP 4: Properly defrost marinated meat before cooking.

TIP 5: Make use of a quality seal or freezer bag. This ensures your marinade does not leak while freezing and mess up your freezer.

Keep in mind that you can freeze marinated meat for about 3 months when contained properly.

How Do You Defrost Marinated Meat?

Once it’s time to defrost marinated meat, take it out of the freezer overnight and transfer it to the fridge. The fridge helps it in defrosting safely and adequately while you have a night’s rest.

We advise you should never bring frosted marinated meat from the freezer and leave it to defrost at room temperature, in so doing, the meat can go bad and reduce its tenderness.

How to Tell If Your Frozen Marinated Meat Is Bad?

If your frozen marinated meat goes spoilt or bad in the freezer, you can tell by watching for these signs:

The appearance of the yellowish color on the surface of the meat
A visible sticky texture and even when you touch it
A sour and rancid smell

Conclusion

Now, you know the answer to the question, “Can you freeze marinated meat?”, you may go ahead and stock up on meat to prepare varieties of marinated meat dishes for friends, guests, family, yourself, and loved ones.

You could also check: Can you freeze bread twice?

FAQs

Can you refreeze marinated meat?

No, you cannot refreeze marinated meat. It is advised you only freeze marinated meat once if you don’t want to affect the quality, taste, and flavor of the meat.

Does marinated meat freeze well?

Yes, marinated meat freezes well in the freezer. To properly freeze marinated meat, you should wrap it firmly before placing it in the freezer for up to 3 months.