I had kinda the same problem glitchy did: I ordered this huge piece of meat expecting it to arrive cold, and it arrived completely frozen, A phone call to Creekstone left me satisfied with the resolution, but with a lot of questions about what to do with a whole prime rib, about 16lbs, frozen solid.
Creekstone assured me that I could partially thaw it and cut it into roasts and steaks, and some internet research corroborated that. So, since I am on vacation now, this is when I decided to do it.
I took it out of deep freeze late Sunday, and I’ve checked it every day since. It has stayed pretty solid. Last night I sensed a little give, and I probably could have worked on it then, but I decided to wait until this morning.
I started by marking off 7†for the roast that we are going to have for the holidays. I then marked the rest of the primal into 1†sections. I then cut that into five 1†thick steaks, and five 1/2†steaks for Mrs Mosca.
I did this by thinking that it couldn’t be that big a deal; put the knife in place, cut hard, don’t saw at it, and keep the knife parallel to the edge. So that’s what I did. And I was correct.
I found a use for that $10 cleaver I bought. (This knife responded wonderfully to the sharpening I gave it with the KnifeSharp machine.) I pressed down on the head of the cleaver with considerable force while drawing it backwards with my other hand. I frequently needed to do a second or third stroke; I did the same thing, placing the knife all the way in the bottom of the cut first.
This is one beautiful piece of meat. Photos don’t do it justice. It isn’t just the marbling, it’s the color, the grain... you can just tell.
​​These steaks are still frozen, just starting to feel icy.
As I cut them, I moved them to the freezer, so they wouldn’t be sitting out. I have a Food Saver vacuum sealer, but I like this older, cheaper, simpler one much better. Branded Sous Vide Supreme, but made by who knows who?
I made the bags from the bag roll first, while the steaks were in the freezer, then worked quickly to seal them all, then back to the freezer with them all, except for one really nice one that is going to be for dinner tonight.
Notice something interesting with me. Notice that as you move from one end of the primal to the other, the muscle structure changes. This is the very end of the large end of the primal. See how there are as many as five different useable muscles there? In the other slices, taken from the middle, there are two, disregarding the little bits of muscle in what is going to be trimmed.
So, summing it all up:
The quality of the meat from Creekstone appears to be excellent. This was never in doubt, but it is nice to confirm.
It takes about 3-3 1/2 days at 35* for a 15 lb roast to go from -5* to about 25* or so.
A sharp cleaver is very useful. Cheap or expensive isn’t as important as sharp.
Work fast if you are going to refreeze.
The steaks are different, depending on where you cut them from. I personally don’t have a preference. I’ve eaten both, and I’ve never ever spit out a single bite. People will say buy the small end. Trust me, no one will care.
Creekstone assured me that I could partially thaw it and cut it into roasts and steaks, and some internet research corroborated that. So, since I am on vacation now, this is when I decided to do it.
I took it out of deep freeze late Sunday, and I’ve checked it every day since. It has stayed pretty solid. Last night I sensed a little give, and I probably could have worked on it then, but I decided to wait until this morning.
I started by marking off 7†for the roast that we are going to have for the holidays. I then marked the rest of the primal into 1†sections. I then cut that into five 1†thick steaks, and five 1/2†steaks for Mrs Mosca.
I did this by thinking that it couldn’t be that big a deal; put the knife in place, cut hard, don’t saw at it, and keep the knife parallel to the edge. So that’s what I did. And I was correct.
I found a use for that $10 cleaver I bought. (This knife responded wonderfully to the sharpening I gave it with the KnifeSharp machine.) I pressed down on the head of the cleaver with considerable force while drawing it backwards with my other hand. I frequently needed to do a second or third stroke; I did the same thing, placing the knife all the way in the bottom of the cut first.
This is one beautiful piece of meat. Photos don’t do it justice. It isn’t just the marbling, it’s the color, the grain... you can just tell.
​​These steaks are still frozen, just starting to feel icy.
As I cut them, I moved them to the freezer, so they wouldn’t be sitting out. I have a Food Saver vacuum sealer, but I like this older, cheaper, simpler one much better. Branded Sous Vide Supreme, but made by who knows who?
I made the bags from the bag roll first, while the steaks were in the freezer, then worked quickly to seal them all, then back to the freezer with them all, except for one really nice one that is going to be for dinner tonight.
Notice something interesting with me. Notice that as you move from one end of the primal to the other, the muscle structure changes. This is the very end of the large end of the primal. See how there are as many as five different useable muscles there? In the other slices, taken from the middle, there are two, disregarding the little bits of muscle in what is going to be trimmed.
So, summing it all up:
The quality of the meat from Creekstone appears to be excellent. This was never in doubt, but it is nice to confirm.
It takes about 3-3 1/2 days at 35* for a 15 lb roast to go from -5* to about 25* or so.
A sharp cleaver is very useful. Cheap or expensive isn’t as important as sharp.
Work fast if you are going to refreeze.
The steaks are different, depending on where you cut them from. I personally don’t have a preference. I’ve eaten both, and I’ve never ever spit out a single bite. People will say buy the small end. Trust me, no one will care.
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