How long is meat good in fridge

[pianoman9701]

Well now we gots a dilemma. I’ve heard from both sides. I think you may be both right to a certain extent.

A buddy says getting all the air away from the meat (vacuum sealed) will help it last down the road while thawing. Then again, if bacteria etc is on the meat, sealing it all in and then letting thaw can be a problem.

You both could be right. 

If meat is exposed to air at all it will have bacteria on it. Bacteria is everywhere all around us. Wet aging is not a theory it’s a well used technique to age meats.

Yet the finest restaurants in the world dry age red meat (exposed to the air) to make it more flavorful and tender, and under the inspection and approval  of health authorities.

That’s exactly right, they also wet age but basically all beef is dry aged before hitting market. And dry aged meat is covered in bacteria. The good kind. If you dry age long enough you end up shaving a layer of good mold off the meat. I think you are confusing bacteria as being inherently bad. You might take the time to learn about fermenting. It will help this stuff make sense.

I don't know what your background is, Dilley. But I know a lot more about food than you apparently think I do. Before mortgages, I spent more than 40 years in all aspects of the restaurant and hotel business, many of those as a chef and almost half of those as a supplier of exotic ingredients to the nation's top chefs. I'm not talking about dry aging before it hits the market. I'm talking about beef that's aged, sometimes as long as 6 months or more, in the restaurant. I know all about good and bad bacteria. I also know that wet aging can be safe for as long as 3 months or more in a sealed/vacuum environment, but can also cause serious illness if all food safety conditions aren't upheld throughout the entire process. One of the common problems at the household level is not maintaining proper temps and sanitation during preparation.

[dilleytech]

Well now we gots a dilemma. I’ve heard from both sides. I think you may be both right to a certain extent.

A buddy says getting all the air away from the meat (vacuum sealed) will help it last down the road while thawing. Then again, if bacteria etc is on the meat, sealing it all in and then letting thaw can be a problem.

You both could be right. 

If meat is exposed to air at all it will have bacteria on it. Bacteria is everywhere all around us. Wet aging is not a theory it’s a well used technique to age meats.

Yet the finest restaurants in the world dry age red meat (exposed to the air) to make it more flavorful and tender, and under the inspection and approval  of health authorities.

That’s exactly right, they also wet age but basically all beef is dry aged before hitting market. And dry aged meat is covered in bacteria. The good kind. If you dry age long enough you end up shaving a layer of good mold off the meat. I think you are confusing bacteria as being inherently bad. You might take the time to learn about fermenting. It will help this stuff make sense.

I don't know what your background is, Dilley. But I know a lot more about food than you apparently think I do. Before mortgages, I spent more than 40 years in all aspects of the restaurant and hotel business, many of those as a chef and almost half of those as a supplier of exotic ingredients to the nation's top chefs. I'm not talking about dry aging before it hits the market. I'm talking about beef that's aged, sometimes as long as 6 months or more, in the restaurant. I know all about good and bad bacteria. I also know that wet aging can be safe for as long as 3 months or more in a sealed/vacuum environment, but can also cause serious illness if all food safety conditions aren't upheld throughout the entire process. One of the common problems at the household level is not maintaining proper temps and sanitation during preparation.

I guess your point is wet aging is dangerous if you leave it on the counter for 2 months? Gee thanks for the insight.

[Karl Blanchard]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

[TommyH]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

[Karl Blanchard]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

I don't. Seems like way to long to have salted.  I take mine out of the bag, pat dry, and season the night before I cook or that morning of and let dry brine in the fridge until cooking.  Developes a much better sear that way 

[7mmfan]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

I don't. Seems like way to long to have salted.  I take mine out of the bag, pat dry, and season the night before I cook or that morning of and let dry brine in the fridge until cooking.  Developes a much better sear that way 

I do. Coat with olive or avocado oil, season with rub of choice, seal up and let rest in the fridge for up to 10 days or so. If you over salt it, it's noticeable,  If you get it right and that salt permeates all the way in it is fantastic.

Salt penetrates red meat at about 1/4" per 24 hours, so to fully oenetrate a 3" thick chunk meat it will take at least 5-6 days.

[pianoman9701]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

I like to season without salting, which I do as a finish. On this piece of London Broil is fresh minced garlic, thyme, parsley, pepper, and a tbls of butter. I put two of these up today. One in the fridge for a few days and one in the freezer. Sous vide for 3 hours and brown for a minute on each side. No other prep necessary.

[jae]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

I like to season without salting, which I do as a finish. On this piece of London Broil is fresh minced garlic, thyme, parsley, pepper, and a tbls of butter. I put two of these up today. One in the fridge for a few days and one in the freezer. Sous vide for 3 hours and brown for a minute on each side. No other prep necessary.

Just bought a Sous vide. I have eaten steak done this way before and it was amazing. Looking forward to using it.

[dilleytech]

We had backstrap last night off my UT buck. 20 days wet aged. Pan seared and butter basted to medium rare. Literally cut with a fork tender. 

Is anyone salting the meat or any seasoning on them before vac. Sealed and put in the fridge?

I tried that but it basically cures the meat. Perfect if you want to make venison ham or pastrami or Something. Not so great if you’re just wanting some good steaks. You’re better off taking the meat out a couple hours before you cook it and salt it then. Always salt your meat.