Summer Sausage

[Fat Man Walking]

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]

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]

That actually sounds yummy, the MAc n Cheese thing.

[Hikes in Rain]

Great in Zatterins's red beans and rice, too.

[RockStar]

I love Zatterin's Black Beans and rice. Maybe I'll try throwing some of this in.

[StarLyte]

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]

This is making me hungry.

[stickman]

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]

Excellent in the Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice---one of my favorites!!

[Dancer]

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]

I don't care much for Ritz but, I do LOVE Wheat Thins! Thats an idea! Wheat Thins, Swiss Cheese and SS! MMMM

[Dancer]

Then there are Triskets, everything is great on a Trisket!

AW

[RockStar]

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]

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!!!

RainMan

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[Fat Man Walking]

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... ... 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.........

[Monkeyboy]

Great in Zatterins's red beans and rice, too.

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

[Ridgerunner50]

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]

... 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).

RainMan

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[Ridgerunner50]

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]

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?