Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Re-freeze Ribs?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Re-freeze Ribs?

    Here is my dilemma - I am doing a birthday rib cook tomorrow. A coupe of weeks ago I found baby backs on sale for $2.69 per pound. They come in 2-packs. So, I grabbed two. So, I have gently defrosted 4 slabs of baby backs but there will only be 9 people and I think 3 slabs is the optimal amount. Can I vacuum-seal one of the slabs and re-freeze it?

    #2
    Not sure what the official safety standard is but I personally do not thaw frozen meat then refreeze it unless I have cooked it.

    Others may disagree.

    Comment


      #3
      Go ahead and cook it then freeze it. I've done that a bunch. Either that or force your guests to eat more or take home doggie bags. In my house we have half that many, I guarantee you we could blow through 4 racks of ribs in like 2 days no problem.

      Comment


        #4
        Just cook'em all, serve only as much as will be needed for 9 people, then bag and freeze the remainder for future leftovers. I even go so far as to strip the meat from the unneeded ribs and bag/freeze that (saves room in the freezer).

        Comment


        • Nate
          Nate commented
          Editing a comment
          I like the idea of trimming the meat off and freezing just it!

        • MBMorgan
          MBMorgan commented
          Editing a comment
          Nate - I started doing that when I realized we basically never served frozen leftover ribs as "ribs". Instead, the rib meat is typically used in dishes like stir fries.

        • Mr. Bones
          Mr. Bones commented
          Editing a comment
          MBMorgan I also do that, an make stock with th bones Yum!

        #5
        Thanks for the quick responses. I've done a little research and it is safe to refreeze them so long as they were defrosted in a cold environment, like a 'fridge. The problem with re-freezing is they lose some moisture in the process and I've become a cooking perfectionist so I can't have that. I am going to follow the advice of everyone here and just cook them all. From there, we'll make a determination as to what to do with the leftovers. Perhaps like MBMorgan said, remove the meat from the bones and freeze it. It would make a nice accompaniment to some chorizo and andouille for a nice, cajun breakfast hash (I've done this with leftover pulled pork).

        Comment


          #6
          Personally, 3 slabs of baby backs is not much for 9 adults in my experience, even if its the super meaty "loin back" ribs I get from Sam's Club. The rule of thumb on ribs is usually about a half slab per person, which will average out for the woman that eats 3 bones, and the guy that eats 6 or 7.

          Now if you are cooking something else with the ribs, 3 racks is plenty.

          I've been known to consume left over ribs for lunch or dinner for several days in a row after a big cook, and they are fine as leftovers.

          Comment


          • smokenoob
            smokenoob commented
            Editing a comment
            eat the ribs, refreeze the dessert!

          • JeffJ
            JeffJ commented
            Editing a comment
            jfmorris my wife has gotten me to cook make-ahead meat alongside a dinner. It works well and makes for healthier and more flavorful work lunches than going to Taco Bell.

          • Dewesq55
            Dewesq55 commented
            Editing a comment
            I agree with@l jfmorris on ½ rack per person for baby backs.

          #7
          I cooked all 4 of them. It took over 6 hours in the 26 + SnS and I felt that they should have gone a bit longer. This is what they looked like pre and post sauce:

          Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_1547.jpg
Views:	128
Size:	311.3 KB
ID:	488243Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_1550.JPG
Views:	123
Size:	331.4 KB
ID:	488244

          Comment


          • DWCowles
            DWCowles commented
            Editing a comment
            They sure look good!

          #8
          My mother taught me that you shouldn't refreeze meat. But, if you cook the defrosted meat you can then freeze when done. It has worked for me over the years.

          Comment


          • JeffJ
            JeffJ commented
            Editing a comment
            I got a vacuum-sealer for my birthday. I plan on using it for the leftover meat.

        Announcement

        Collapse
        No announcement yet.
        Working...
        X
        false
        0
        Guest
        Guest
        500
        ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
        false
        false
        {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
        Yes
        ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
        /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here