What should I do with the old, icky cuts of meat in my freezer?

September 3, 2009 2:28 PM

What can I do with a bunch not-so-appetizing cuts of meat that have been tossed into the deep freezer and forgotten?

I'm talking about the stuff I hate: porkchops, chicken bits that aren't breasts and ground beef. Some of this stuff is severely freezer-burnt. And it's all in there taunting me with its apparent uselessness.

What should I do with this stuff? I tired slow-cooking a couple of porkchops once and the result was sickening to behold (although that was without broth, veggies or anything). Can anyone throw me some recipes that will cover up the inherent foulness of these meats AND the freezer burn?

posted by kitcat to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Do you have a dog? Home made dog food. Pup will love you. Not sure, given the description, it'd be worth saving for your own consumption.
posted by slateyness at 2:29 PM on September 3, 2009

Also, keep in mind that food, over a long time, goes bad even if deep frozen. It might not be safe to eat if you've had it in there for a few years.
posted by slateyness at 2:30 PM on September 3, 2009

I'd go for homemade pet food also. 1/3 poached meat, 1/3 rice, 1/3 green beans.
posted by raisingsand at 2:41 PM on September 3, 2009

People ask for freezer-burnt meat to make pet food with on FreeCycle; you could try offering it there.
posted by kmennie at 2:45 PM on September 3, 2009

Response by poster: That's a great idea! Sadly, I have no dog or any pet to speak of.
posted by kitcat at 3:02 PM on September 3, 2009

Any bones? You could try making a couple of different stocks, but I'm not sure how well that'd turn out. Might be worth a try, though.
posted by converge at 3:27 PM on September 3, 2009

Chili. Smother the evil in fresh veggies and heavy spices. Boil the threat of contamination into oblivion and serve to a collection of indiscriminate palates.
posted by EnsignLunchmeat at 4:01 PM on September 3, 2009

I'm sure there are recipes that would make these cuts of meat more palatable to you. However, the taste of freezer burn isn't going to go away, no matter what you do to the frozen product. Doesn't matter whether you fry, stew, boil, or bake. It's still going to be there.

I know this from sad, sad experience.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:06 PM on September 3, 2009

throw them away
posted by Zambrano at 5:43 PM on September 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

freezer burned meat gets offered fairly often on my local freecycle specifically for people who make their own pet food.
posted by lemniskate at 10:16 AM on September 4, 2009