Storing meat + marination

FIRST AND FOREMOST, PLEASE DO NOT WASH YOUR MEAT.

- We do not recommend washing good quality beef or lamb as water introduces more bacteria to the meat instead of cleaning it.

MEAT STORAGE

- Store chilled meat up to 3 days in the fridge in consistent chilled temperature of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius.

- If you are not sure of when you can eat your meat within the chilled shelf life, you can move steaks and larger cuts to the freezer anytime during the 3 day shelf life to the freezer (0 to -18 degrees Celsius) for up to 6 months.

- For ground meat (mince), our recommended freezing time is a maximum of 2 months as there are more air pockets which means fat oxidation occurs faster in mince than steaks and larger cuts like roasts.

WRAPPING TO FREEZE

Freezer burn is when air is able to dry out parts of meat either through a hole in the wrapping or air exposure. When fat is oxidized, it turns rancid and can have an unpleasant taste.

Therefore we recommend vacuum sealing meat before freezing or double wrapping in cling film, making sure you get as much oxygen out as possible.

You can also freeze the wrapped meat on a tray until solid, then transfer to a larger ziplock to retain their shape.

MEAT DEFROSTING

- Best practice: Defrost your meat in the fridge the night before you wish to cook it.

- If in a rush, you can place minced meat in a ziplock or vacuum bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, then submerge in running lukewarm water. You can also leave your frozen meat on the kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours to accelerate defrosting, but then move it to the fridge in order to avoid any food contamination.

MEAT MARINATION

Did you know that marinades only penetrate about 3mm into meat surfaces? Only salt is small enough to penetrate into meat which is why drybrining is such a popular method to keep steaks moist and seasoned. (See drybrining).

You may be wondering "how come? I marinade all the time and it tastes so good". Well, there is an illusion that marinades penetrate deeply into meat because after cooking, the crusty flavored exterior mixes with the internal unmarinaded meat after slicing and the juices get in between all the meat on a board.

However, fear not! For thinner steaks like skirt and flank, the 3mm marination on both sides of the meat does deliver enough flavor. Therefore we recommend it on thinner cuts.

- Our beef and lamb requires little marination due to their high quality. For burgers, only a light sprinkling of salt and pepper is recommended. Even without any seasoning our burgers are amazing!

- For primary cuts like striploin, ribeye and tenderloin, no need to marinade. We also recommend a light sprinkling of salt and pepper and perhaps a basting of garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil/butter on a hot pan.

- When marinating cuts like lamb and brisket, best to marinade overnight. For other cuts like skirt and flank, we suggest up to 3 hours of marination but not longer as the muscle fibers will start to break down and the meat may get mushy.