Tap Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 We have had beef raised for us for years. Every once in a while, we will get a few bites of meat that taste horrible! The rest is fine, but just those couple of bites will turn you off of your meal for the night. We have had it happen several times over recent years (different cuts of meat) and can not figure out the cause. We eat our meat within one year of receiving it. We do transport the meat, but we get it hard frozen and use dry ice in the coolers/boxes when we move it. It arrives just as solid as when we left the butcher. We tend to wonder if the animal was hung correctly after slaughter. Or if it was due to shots/adrenaline, or some other biological cause in the meat. We have used the same small town rancher for years (family friend) and he sends all of his animals to the same butcher each time. The animals are treated well, fed well and and have many acres to graze and live on. They are grass fed and then grained in the end for meat flavor quality. We have a small chest freezer that we have had for 20 years. It is a basic Gibson brand chest and while it has a small air leak at the top (I have to knock down some ice crystals every few months), it is never given us a lick of trouble. Any idea of if the freezer could be causing the problem? I haven't seen freezer burn on the meat, but could there be an issue with storage causing the problem? We have half a hog coming soon and I am wondering if we need to replace the freezer. We using a different butcher this time and it is pork, so we hope there is no problem with the meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Do those bites taste horribly rancid and like old stale, greasy cardboard? We used to get some meat from a local farm, and every once in awhile there would be some freezer burnt spots. I could see them because they'd be grayish brown instead of the usual pinkish, and I'd try to eat around them, but sometimes I couldn't see them and would eat a bite, and it would make me want to vomit. It happened most often on pork here. I finally stopped buying from them because it was happening more and more often :( IMO, a year is a long time to keep meat in a deep freeze. I start noticing a decline in quality after about 4-5 months, so much longer than that, and yes, I'd think you were getting some freezer burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Do those bites taste horribly rancid and like old stale, greasy cardboard? We used to get some meat from a local farm, and every once in awhile there would be some freezer burnt spots. I could see them because they'd be grayish brown instead of the usual pinkish, and I'd try to eat around them, but sometimes I couldn't see them and would eat a bite, and it would make me want to vomit. It happened most often on pork here. I finally stopped buying from them because it was happening more and more often :( IMO, a year is a long time to keep meat in a deep freeze. I start noticing a decline in quality after about 4-5 months, so much longer than that, and yes, I'd think you were getting some freezer burn. Yep, just absolutely putrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Yep, just absolutely putrid. Blech :( I'm sorry. I stopped buying meat in bulk because we just couldn't eat it up before I felt like it wasn't that great anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 a frost free freezer can affect meat flavor if it's been in there along time. that can also vary with how it is sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 This is from my dh, so I don't know how accurate it is but this may be a cause. There are two types of fats, and sometimes when butcher grinds the meat or cuts a steak, the yellow fat from the back of the animal is included and that is the bad tasting fat. If you are buying and having a local butcher do it, maybe talk to him about this to see if he is aware of it. This fat taste does get worse the longer frozen, or after you cook the meat and it is cooled before eaten, or reheated the next day (especially in the microwave it seems.) Maybe the grain at the end of the animal's life could cause it because grain makes them put on fat (just my own thought/theory.) Corn feed animals have a different taste that is not necessarily better. Most farmer's grain feed to increase their weight = higher selling price. You could try a grass fed only next time to see if it matters. The animal will probably weigh less but be leaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 This is from my dh, so I don't know how accurate it is but this may be a cause. There are two types of fats, and sometimes when butcher grinds the meat or cuts a steak, the yellow fat from the back of the animal is included and that is the bad tasting fat. If you are buying and having a local butcher do it, maybe talk to him about this to see if he is aware of it. This fat taste does get worse the longer frozen, or after you cook the meat and it is cooled before eaten, or reheated the next day (especially in the microwave it seems.) Maybe the grain at the end of the animal's life could cause it because grain makes them put on fat (just my own thought/theory.) Corn feed animals have a different taste that is not necessarily better. Most farmer's grain feed to increase their weight = higher selling price. You could try a grass fed only next time to see if it matters. The animal will probably weigh less but be leaner. Is this possible on chickens as well? Every so often, after I freeze cooked chicken breast, it gets a horrible "chickeny" smell and taste. None of us can eat it like that. It seems totally random when it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 We buy 1/2 cow in the fall for the past few years. It is shrink wrapped and is supposed to be fine for up to 3 years in a manual defrost freezer. It hasn't lasted more than 15 months . I have never experienced the flavor you have described here. I would suspect an errant butcher practice or a frost free freezer could be the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Thanks for the ideas everyone. The freezer is not frost free and is a chest freezer in the semi-heated garage. We have noticed that the bad taste seemed to be in the fat of the meat and more research has brought up a process of lipid oxidization (a type of freezer burn concentrated in the fat). Maybe that is what it is. Hopefully the new butcher will be the solution to the problem. :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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