What is the best method for packaging meat for the freezer? One local butcher shop vacuum packs the meat, but as a kid growing up we had all our meat packaged in white butcher paper. We noticed a very bad smell associated with the local shop's vacuum packaging. Is this normal and should I prefer this method to the old-fashioned one?

Thanks!

-- Kent Hawkins (khawkins@sfasu.edu), September 29, 2001

Answers

Kent, Vacuumed packed meat sometimes has a gas additive to prevent spoilage, or the plasticwrapper is not food grade hence the smell which will disapate. Personally, I like to butcher and wrap my own meat, foil plus in heavy duty Ziplock bags. If we have a whole deer, I have it butchered out than re-wrap when it gets here.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), September 29, 2001.

I place all my deer meat, chicken, etc. in a ziploc bag. Squeeze all the air out when zipping it shut. Then wrap it in one layer of freezer paper. I've had meat stay good for up to a year. Maybe longer.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 29, 2001.

The man who butchers my cows wraps everything in white freezer paper. I have no problems with freezer burn even when the meat is in there for a long time. Takes me over a year to finish a half, so you can see the freezer wrap does a good job. Still, I do like the vacuum packed meat I occasionally buy at Sam's Club.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), September 29, 2001.

Butcher paper and Freezer paper are different. Butcher paper is white paper. Freezer paper has a wax coating on one side (like wax paper).

Also you may want to wipe your meat dry before wrapping.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), September 29, 2001.

We always wrap our meat in plastic wrap very tightly, then wrap it in freezer paper. It keeps very well - no problems at all!

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), September 30, 2001.

we wrap twice in butcher paper. At home and what we get done at the butcher. All but the hamburger..which he does in plastic wrap "tubes".We buy a 1/2 beef and a whole pig each year and have them butchered, the rest I freeze at home is game meat, or our own chickens. The burger I grind at home I grind as I need it...I keep the meat frozen as stew meat, and If I need burger...just thaw and grind. It lasts longer in the freezer than frozen burger in my opinion.

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), September 30, 2001.

If you are wrapping twice, the second wrap could be newspaper, brown paper, etc.

-- Barbara Fischer (bfischer42@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001.