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Fat Man Walking
07-29-2007, 00:36
Not sure but I may have already asked this. Given the time of year and the circumstances, I am lucky to remember my own name much less a question I asked a while back.

But, now to the question. I received as a gift for Christmas a "Yard of Beef" a great big summer sausage typically found at Sam's. I threw it in the freezer planning to use it when I do my yearly two week section hike.

I am leaving for VA in about three weeks and was wondering should I be concerned with spoilage after having frozen it and thawed it any more so that had I not frozen it?

I know SS keeps for a while w/out refrigeration but, thinking that I wasn't going for several months, I chose to freeze it. I am thawing it in my frig right now and plan to slice it and repackage in individual food saver/seal-a-meal bags for each meal I plan to take it for.

Any advise would be most gratefully received. :-?

Ridgerunner50
07-29-2007, 06:44
As an ol' mearcutter, I will tell you that freezing the yard of beef should make no difference in its shelf life, other than prolonging it. They usually have about a 6 mo. shelf life on them when we receive them in the store. Once you cut open the package, the shelf life is probably a week or so in the fridge. I have used it backpacking for 3 or 4 days without any problems. I like to chunk some up and add to mac & cheese. Hope this helps,

RockStar
07-29-2007, 07:08
That actually sounds yummy, the MAc n Cheese thing.

Hikes in Rain
07-29-2007, 07:41
Great in Zatterins's red beans and rice, too.

RockStar
07-29-2007, 08:43
I love Zatterin's Black Beans and rice. Maybe I'll try throwing some of this in.

StarLyte
07-29-2007, 09:54
Slice it and enjoy - you've only prolonged the shelf life.
Great in anything or by itself. How about some baby Swiss to go with that?
I recently had some chopped up in jambalaya too.

RockStar
07-29-2007, 11:14
This is making me hungry.

stickman
07-29-2007, 11:56
I ate a black pepper coated SS for 9 days this summer and had no problems with spoilage. I don't know if that long would be recommeded, but it worked out fine, and was wonderful either with some hard sharp cheddar or chunked up in Ramen.

Stickman

Ridgerunner50
07-29-2007, 16:35
Excellent in the Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice---one of my favorites!!

Dancer
07-29-2007, 16:48
If you like the SS then you might want to pick up the smaller ones at the grocery store that way you can unseal a fresh one every day or so. Add a sleeve of ritz, a chunk of cheese and you have a party right there on the trail : )

AW

RockStar
07-29-2007, 16:56
I don't care much for Ritz but, I do LOVE Wheat Thins! Thats an idea! Wheat Thins, Swiss Cheese and SS! MMMM

Dancer
07-29-2007, 17:09
Then there are Triskets, everything is great on a Trisket!

AW

RockStar
07-29-2007, 17:13
OH YEAH. I love those too! They seem like the love child of Life cereal and Shredded Wheat. Or maybe that's just me.

Rain Man
07-29-2007, 18:54
If you like the SS then you might want to pick up the smaller ones at the grocery store that way you can unseal a fresh one every day or so. Add a sleeve of ritz, a chunk of cheese and you have a party right there on the trail : )

Right you are, AW!!!

Rain:sunMan

.

Fat Man Walking
07-29-2007, 19:16
this time of year and with what I have going on right now, I'm lucky to remember my name.

Took a closer look at that "Yard-O-Beef" and happened to see that the Ex-Date was (get this) May 3,2006. Ugh...:eek: ... Guess it was Christmas before last that I put it in the freezer.

Now I'm thinking only of hiking it out to the garbage can.

Thinking now that fresh may be the best way to go.

Oh well.........:confused:

Monkeyboy
07-29-2007, 20:48
Great in Zatterins's red beans and rice, too.


Ditto the Zataran's dish with summer sausage....yum.

Ridgerunner50
07-30-2007, 06:34
Don't throw it away. Read an article recently that meat is good for many years when frozen. I does not spoil. Quality may degenerate over time. a lot depends on your freezer as to whether moisture gets into the product which will cause freezer burn. Freezers with defrost cycles keep moisture from building. Believe it or not, I ate a turkey that had been frozen for 3 years and tasted fine.

Rain Man
07-30-2007, 13:03
... Freezers with defrost cycles keep moisture from building. ...

Someone might correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it is exactly the defrost cycles that cause "freezer burn." That is, each cycle sucks a little moisture out of anything not sealed very, very well. That's because of the thaw-and-refreeze part of the cycle. "Defrost" features are great for keeping ice build-up off of the food containers, but are bad for the food itself (if not properly sealed).

Rain:sunMan

.

Ridgerunner50
07-30-2007, 16:29
Rain Man

My chest freezer does not have a defrost cycle and I get product with freezer burn. In theory, the defrost cycle is supposed to be short enough to keep ice from building up on the freezer but not long enough to thaw product. Your right about the packaging. Things that are freezer wrapped air tight or vacuum sealed hold up alot better than packages that are plastic wrapped in a tray with air pockets. I would guess that air pockets allow for condensation leading to freezer burn. Your right that the condensation would probably happen during a defrost cycle. A "Yard of Beef" would have no air in the package but does contain alot of fat which does not hold up as well as muscle tissue. Vacuum Sealers are the way to go but they aren't cheap and neither are their bags.

generoll
07-30-2007, 16:52
since this is a conference of the uninformed i feel right at home. the term "Freeze Dried" comes to mind. I'd suspect that anything improperly sealed would dry out over time in the freezer, regardless of the defrost cycle. Sublimation I believe it is called. Water going from a solid to a gas without that intermediate stage. Perhaps our resident engineer can provide the final word on this. Just how many summer sausages can be juggled before one spoils?

Dances with Mice
07-30-2007, 17:19
Just how many summer sausages can be juggled before one spoils?Data only exists for Scottish sausage-type substances called "Haggis". In that case, a little over 40 seconds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5w9pfnbS8E)before the first drop spoiled the juggle. A haggis drop is about a pound.

generoll
07-30-2007, 17:33
and there we have it. A definitive response.

Fat Man Walking
07-30-2007, 20:13
Well, alrighty then.

It is still in the package it came in, sealed and all. So, I guess that I will cut it open and see how it tastes.

I too have eaten game that was in the freezer for a while. So, I can somewhat attest to the extended shelf life. But, this will be somewhat extreme in that some of this will be un-refrigerated for almost two weeks. That's what has me concerned. Don't want to get 3/4 way through the hike and have to call it off.

peanuts
07-31-2007, 10:00
the last time i look, ss has lots of salt and nitrates,:eek: hence preservatives! don't sweat it:p

Wise Old Owl
09-25-2007, 19:52
Summer Sausage keeps exstreamly well if you do two things - Keep it wrapped in plastic tightly and close to the water bottle or bladder. Spoilage is in the weeks as it is shelf stable depending on the fat content. Years ago I came across a copy of spoilage amongs luncheon meat and the most shelf stable was Pepperoni at room tempreture. It lasts 90+ days in the open. The worst was Turkey!

envirodiver
09-28-2007, 12:57
I like to use it in Rice and Beans I make a recipe that I call Jambayla:

1 Pkg. of Red Beans and Rice (any of the 20 min. cook times are fine.
Handful of chopped fresh onion (dehydrated on longer trips)
Chopped fresh peppers (jalapeno, chili and banana) suit yourself on what peppers depending on the desired heat
Chopped fresh garlic (dehydrated minced OK)
Chopped summer sausage
Foil packet of shrimp
olive oil

Saute the veggies and summer sausage in olive oil
When onions are transparent add red beans and rice
cook for the recommended time
Add packet of shrimp 5 min before it's done

Now dems good eatin I garontee...Aeeeee

I haven't done this with a cozy but intend to try it in a couple of weeks. I guess I'll saute, add red beans and rice, bring to a boil, place in cozy for about 20 min., add shrimp and leave in cozy for about 10 min. (any thoughts on this?)

Cuffs
09-28-2007, 13:06
If your a hunter or know one, most processors will make small sausage sticks from venison and cut it with some beef and pork! They come out a little larger than slim jims and taste great!