We've had some change 'round these parts over the past few months with our 2 oldest boys leaving the nest. I was faced with the reality of 3 VERY large pastured beef pot roasts in the freezer that I knew we wouldn't use up anytime soon. They had been languishing in said freezer for close to a year so it was time to use it up before freezer burn set in. Excuse the darkish photos, but I started this project late afternoon...
I used the meat grinder attachment for our Bosch mixer and quickly ground up all the meat. There was this whole large cookie sheet plus half of another one. Because I couldn't re-freeze it raw, I chose to fry it all up and freeze it in meal size portions. All told, this project took me 90 minutes (not hands on the whole time) but will save me LOTS more time over the next 3 months.
I ended up with 12 packets of cooked ground beef for the freezer (approximately 1.5lb each), not including the amount we reserved and mixed with my home canned spaghetti sauce for supper that night. I chose not to season the meat when I fried it up so that I could easily use it for any purpose, seasoning it at the time of incorporation into a meal.
These little packets will make suppertime a breeze on busy nights... they'll defrost quickly due to their shape, and I can pop them into casseroles, chilli, stroganoff, pastas, tacos, etc. Such a time saver!
We've ground our own meat many times before and I love doing it. It's a great way to control what goes into the finished product (quantities of fat, cuts of meat, etc) and we have total control over cleanliness. No fillers, no nasties... just lean, healthy meat.
We've also ground our own meat for sausage making which is wildly successful and frankly really easy, not to mention D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. But... that's another post for another day :)
Good job! And less germs grinding your own meat, rather then buying it ground. I grind mine also. And, like you mentioned, you know what went into it. I too, have trouble down-sizing my cooking. Your Bosch grinder is nice! I have an attachment to my kitchenaid mixer and sometimes it really strains! love,andrea
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I have a new grinder I haven't even used yet because meat is so high at the stores these days.
ReplyDeleteI have never done that before, but it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteGill
Great resourceful tip! How did you wrap for freezer storage!
ReplyDeleteTerry in TX
Terry, I used foil. I am trying to get away from using plastic, so foil seemed the best option. I made sure to fold the edges over neatly numerous times and I pressed and pinched them very tight to hopefully keep air out. We will use these 12 packets in about 2-3 months, so I think it will be ok. I'll let you know :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!! I love having these kinds of homemade convenience packets in the freezer. I've been freezing a lot of things in glass jars--harder to store, but they work great for stocks, sauces, and such. Never tried freezing meat in them, though...wonder if that would work, too....
ReplyDelete-Jaime
Great idea, Jaime... I use the jars for freezing stock and sauce as well but never thought to put meat into them. I'll try that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea and so quick when it comes to making a meal.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx