What are your feelings on frozen meat storage?

"I've purchased a half a cow many years ago and it was a good deal overall but grass fed meat is getting much easier to get fresh. My question is geared more to nutrition, how long does meat stay and what is the best way to defrost?"

Great question from one of my readers!

First of all, let me start out by pointing out that freezing meat and buying in bulk is a fantastic way to save on cost, and try several different cuts that you might not otherwise have experienced.

Follow these tips to make the most out of your purchase of a literal side of beef!

-Divide your cuts into appropriate portion sizes based on how many people are going to be eating at any given time- just you?  A family of four?  Decide accordingly.

-Freeze the fresh meat as soon as possible,  Don't leave it sitting in the fridge for days on end and certainly don't leave it out to get to room temperature.

-Make sure you properly wrap everything to be freezer safe.  The ideal scenario is to vacuum pack, but if that is not an option, at least do your best to use specific freezer bags and get as much as out as you can.  Don't throw the meat in a plastic container that's meant to tote your salad to work for this purpose- the meat will quickly develop freezer burn and possibly turn rancid.

-Keep in mind that fattier cuts of meat will not keep as long as lean cuts.

-Big cuts, like joint cuts, will also keep longer (possibly up to 6 months) than chops (2- 3 months) or ground meat (1-2 months).