Do I cook or do I freeze (a cut of meat)?

January 22, 2016 10:48 AM

I have a 2+ lb. tri tip steak that's been marinating (soy, lemon, sugar, garlic) for 24 hours and I have to concede I can't consume it by tonight. Which will make for a less mushy and sad eating experience? Do I grill it today and freeze the cooked beef for later consumption? Or do I freeze it now, uncooked, still in the marinade, and then grill it later, thawed?
posted by Ink-stained wretch to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Best answer: I would freeze it, but only once. After that, it's going to be a sad pile of mush, in my opinion. Then thaw and grill when you're ready to enjoy its deliciousness.
posted by lunastellasol at 10:50 AM on January 22, 2016

Best answer: Freeze it.

I've got a Mojo Pork in the freezer as we speak.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:56 AM on January 22, 2016

This depends on when are you planning on eating it. Within 24-48 hours: I would just let it marinate longer. An additional 1-2 days longer than that: I'd cook it now and refrigerate the cooked meat.

I'd avoid freezing it if possible, but if it would go bad if I didn't, I'd freeze it raw.

I guess I'm saying that the marinade doesn't make much of a difference for me, it's all about how long until it starts to go off. I'd avoid freezing unless the meat would otherwise go bad. You probably know how long the meat has better than the internet though. It depends on how fresh the meat was when you put it into the marinade and the quality of the cut.
posted by cotterpin at 11:00 AM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Freeze it now, but not in the marinade.
posted by rtha at 12:55 PM on January 22, 2016

If the steak was previously frozen, then thawed and put into the marinade, you'll want to grill before freezing it again.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:28 PM on January 22, 2016

I'd cook it and then refrigerate it and finish it over the next few days.
posted by zippy at 3:39 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm assuming you started with a fresh piece of tri tip that has never been frozen. If it's already been frozen once, then you need to cook it and eat it.

When our schedules are crazy, I sometimes freeze Ziplocs of 2 chicken breasts in marinade. It's fine for a quick dinner, but the freeze/thaw seems to absorb a ton of marinade. That can be a problem if your marinade is salty as I'd think yours is since you started with soy sauce.

In your situation, I'd drain the tri tip, wrap it tightly and freeze it uncooked. To freeze cooked meat while retaining the flavor and texture requires some commercial grade equipment. Sometimes you see the term "flash frozen" on freezer goods. Freezing something quickly has a different result than freezing it slowly.
posted by 26.2 at 1:33 PM on January 23, 2016