We recently bought a five pound log of ground beef, and put it in the freezer without cutting it into sections first.
Now we’re trying to figure out how to slice it. I’ve always been told that you should never thaw and refreeze meat. But it’s so hard, we can’t get a knife through it.
Would it hurt to try to thaw it a little bit in the refrigerator for a day or two? Any other ideas on how to safely slice this thing? Or are we just going to have to thaw the whole thing and make a whole mess of chili? Anyone want to come to our place for a chili feed?
You can refreeze meat. It isn’t great but one time won’t hurt much. The simplest solution is to thaw it, cut it into appropriate sections (smaller is better) and then refreeze it to use in nice little chunks if you need to. I have used a hacksaw to cut frozen meat in an emergency but that wouldn’t be good for ground meat. You don’t have to thaw the meat all the way to make it cuttable and that will minimize any potential damage.
Many large supermarkets do have a policy against that, though. I worked on the meat department of one and was there when that was implemented. A lot of unhappy customers.
A big heavy sharp chef’s knife will cut through it if you let it partially thaw. Put it in the fridge for a few hours until it starts to soften, set the knife on it, and put your weight into it, you might want to put a towel over the point. That should do the trick just fine. Of course at work, we get are knifes professionaly sharpened every week, so YMMV,
Get a nice sharp wood chisel, a 1" would work well. Clean it thoroughly and then use it (with a hammer) to break off a suitably sized chunk. Then just thaw out the chunk. You can also break the remaining log into useable sized pieces for the next meal.
This actually works best if the meat is very frozen. Also, use the proper care and precautions when working with sharp tools.
I use a chisel. It’s a bit difficult to get straight cuts, but it’s ground beef, so just chip a bit more off the edges.
I’m lazy, so I get the trays of meat and squish them in to two sections before freezing so I don’t have to find a hammer when I want a meal-sized portion.
I just had to do this not to long ago. But it was with a whole frozen tenderloin. I used a Sawzall/Reciprocating Saw with a long hack saw blade on it. It worked great!
