(Newswire.net — July 11, 2019) — Meat is a precious resource.
It costs a lot of money and it takes a lot of effort to raise the animals that often serve as our main sources of meat. As much as possible, we should not let any meat products go to waste.
Sometimes though, you may find yourself with a surplus of meat. After completing your farm work for the season, you may find yourself with a whole side of hog left over from the butcher.
You can probably serve some portions of it during a cookout, but you’ll probably still have some spare cuts lying around.
Once again, you cannot just allow that meat to go to waste, which is why you need to look into preservation. Before moving forward with the preservation though, take note of the things listed below to ensure that you get the most out of the spare meat in your possession.
1. The Type of Meat
Different types of meat can be preserved. Beef and pork are probably the most popular choices, but they are far from being the only options.
As this article from Penn State University notes, various types of poultry and game meat can also be preserved for later consumption. Notably, not all types of meat are suitable for all preservation methods.
Beef and pork just so happen to be the more versatile options, so if you want to try out different preservation methods at the same time, you should probably go with one of those or even both of them.
2. The Freshness Level of the Meat
If you’re having a tough time choosing a type of meat to preserve, then perhaps you can use a certain factor as a kind of tie-breaker. To be more specific, the freshness level of the meat you’re eyeing for preservation should factor into your calculations.
Ideally, you only want to use fresh meat for this process. Otherwise, the quality of the preserved products you end up with may not be very good. You may just end up pouring plenty of time and resources into meat products you’ll never be able to enjoy.
3. The Tools You’ll Be Using for the Preservation Process
This will depend on what you’re actually planning to do with the meat. You may end up needing some cans, a freeze-dry unit, a food dehydrator, or perhaps even just a nice, cool shed with good ventilation.
Whichever tools you end up deciding to use, remember to clean them thoroughly as well.
Bacteria are your enemy during the preservation process. If bacteria are able to infiltrate the tools you’re using to prepare your preserved meats, chances are that you’ll be waking up to the smell of rotten food sooner rather than later.
Cans need to be sterilized properly before they are used as storage vessels for your meat. The same holds true for any other receptacles you may be using.
Don’t forget the salt and other spices as well. Those will prove very useful throughout this whole process.
4. The Way You Process the Meat
Once again, what you intend to do with the meat will influence what you do here.
If you’re craving some jerky, then you’ll obviously have to cut the meat you’re using into very thin strips.
For those who want a centerpiece to serve during the always eagerly anticipated holiday dinner, you can keep the rear pork legs whole as they will be turning into hams in the not too distant future. As a bonus tip, poke the fat layer of the pork leg while you’re prepping it. The holes you create will allow more of your dry rub to get in and flavor the meat.
Meat that will be placed in cans typically have to be diced to make sure they will fit.
5. Is Cooking Required?
Cuts of meat set to be cured don’t have to be cooked beforehand. The drying out process will get rid of the bacteria that could prove harmful to people so the meat is fit for consumption as long as it was cured correctly.
The freeze-drying process does not require you to cook the meat you’re using, but that is an option available to you.
The United States Department of Agriculture recommends heating meat up to 160°F before dehydrating it to ensure that it is safe to consume in the future. Modern food dehydrators can now reach those temperatures so you can place raw meat in them, but if the one you’re using cannot get to that level, cook the meat first.
Meat to be canned can be cooked if you’re going the hot pack route, or you can also opt to keep it uncooked by following the raw pack procedure.
6. Should You Can Your Excess Meat?
The great thing about canning is that you don’t have to worry about a power outage affecting the quality of your preserved meat. You can also introduce some exciting flavors and really infuse them into whatever you’re preserving.
On the other hand, you’ll have to spend quite a bit of money to acquire the cans and the pressure canner you’ll need for this method.
7. Should You Cure Your Excess Meat?
There’s a reason why ham is quite possibly the most popular type of preserved meat. Cured meat retains its form quite well and the flavors that develop within it are incredible. You can also cut down on how much knife work you have to do if you’re curing meat.
Unfortunately, finding a good spot for curing meat can be difficult. Not everyone will have an unused shed or any other small room that is well-ventilated and not exposed to sunlight.
8. Should You Dehydrate Your Excess Meat?
With a food dehydrator in your possession, all you may have to do is cut the meat into strips, set them one of the trays, and wait for them to be thoroughly dried out. It’s a convenient process and one you can complete overnight without much effort.
Compared to other preserved meats, jerky does not hold up as well. You can store it in the freezer to prolong its shelf life, but even then, it will only remain safe to eat for up to six months.
9. Should You Freeze-Dry Your Excess Meat?
If you really want to tack on several years to your meat, freeze-drying it is the way to go. On top of that, many of the nutrients present in the meat you’re freeze-drying will be retained even after the process has been completed. You also don’t have to rely on refrigeration to properly store your freeze-dried meats.
However, freeze-drying does require special equipment. The entire process can also take multiple days to complete. You will have to invest a significant amount of time and money if you want to properly freeze-dry your meat.
10. Expiration Dates
Expiration dates for preserved meats are difficult to pin down precisely because there are so many variables involved. Still, there are timeframes to keep in mind.
For dehydrated meats, make sure you eat them before they reach six months. Canned and cured meats are capable of lasting for years. The canned meats are typically good for up to five years while the cured meats will still be fit for serving three to four years after they were originally made.
Freeze-dried meat can remain safe to eat for decades, but don’t expect it to taste great if you’ve waited that long.
Preserving meat is a great idea if you have way too much spare pork or beef lying around and not enough people to eat it before it goes bad. Before doing that though, take note of the considerations above so that you are able to complete the process correctly and save plenty of meat for future enjoyment.