Storage of Australian Beef
For the best quality product, Australian Beef should be:
- Kept refrigerated or frozen
- Thawed in a refrigerator or microwave
- Kept separate from other foods
Minimize the amount of time that meat is left out of the refrigerator prior to cooking to prevent spoilage. In addition, wash working surfaces, cutting boards and utensils after touching any meat. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.
For Australian Beef in a vacuum bag
A storage method that works well for fresh or frozen beef is vacuum packaging. It helps to keep beef fresh for longer periods if properly refrigerated or frozen. The vacuum packaging is usually made from plastic material. The cut of beef is placed inside the bag, the air is removed creating a vacuum in the bag, and then the bag is sealed to maintain the vacuum.
Store chilled in vacuum bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freeze if storing for a longer period. It is normal to detect a slight odor immediately after first opening the vacuum bag. The odor should dissipate within minutes. Once the bag is opened, the beef color will change from a purple/red to a pinkish/red.
For Australian Beef in a plastic bag or retail tray pack (not vacuum packed)
Store beef in the coldest part of the refrigerator, keeping it as dry
as possible. Keep beef covered (ideally in the original wrapping) to
prevent moisture loss. Plastic will make the meat sweat. If you intend
to cook meat the day it's purchased, there isn't any need to take it
out of the plastic wrap. However, if you are planning to store it longer, the meat should be transferred to a non-plastic dish and loosely covered
with foil or plastic wrap to allow some air flow.
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Freezing
We highly recommend you eat your selected cut of Australian Beef at
the time of purchase, however, it can be stored frozen.
Recommended storage times relate to taste/flavor quality more
than food safety. After a certain period of time, frozen food starts
to dry out, so the smaller the item of food, the faster the effect. That's
why, for example, it's recommended to freeze minced beef for up to 3 months,
and roasts up to 6 months. Beyond this time, the meat will be safe to
eat but quite dry.
Re-freezing defrosted meat is not recommended unless it is cooked first, for a number of reasons:
- The quality suffers each time frozen meat is defrosted and refrozen. Freezing creates ice crystals within the structure of the meat (as meat contains a high percentage of water). These ice crystals rupture the fiber which causes the meat to bleed when defrosted. If repeated, the texture of the meat will be dry.
- There can also be microbial risk as a result of refreezing meat without
cooking it first.
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