Is it ok to cold smoke steak before freezing?
About to wrap up a 60 day dry aged ribeye. After slicing to 2" thick cut steaks and trimming the pellicle i was debating on cold smoking with cherry for two hours. I've done this before but directly grilled. Instead im looking to freeze this round but from my research I havent seen any direct issues.
So this leads me to ask are there any issues with cold smoking a ribeye before freezing or should I freeze and cold smoke the day I'm going to cook to temp? Steaks will be vaccum sealed and probably when ready to cook dropped into a sous vide for 6 hours. Doubt these will be frozen past 6 months
Best Answer
No issues, as long as you control the temperature and remain outside the danger zone. In other words, can you cold smoke below 40F (4.5C)?
Time in the danger zone is cumulative. Freezing does not re-set the clock. If you can't stay out of the danger zone during the smoke step, I would smoke, sous vide, then freeze. This is probably a more common approach. You can then re-therm the steak directly from frozen when you are ready to eat.
As an aside, 6 hours seems like a long time to sous vide a rib-eye...even from frozen.
Pictures about "Is it ok to cold smoke steak before freezing?"
Quick Answer about "Is it ok to cold smoke steak before freezing?"
No issues, as long as you control the temperature and remain outside the danger zone. In other words, can you cold smoke below 40F (4.5C)? Time in the danger zone is cumulative. Freezing does not re-set the clock.Can you freeze cold smoked steak?
Smoked meat can be kept for four days, as long as it was refrigerated within two hours of being removed from the smoker. If you properly wrap and freeze your smoked meat, it can last up to three months.Can I cold smoke meat before cooking?
This is a nice reminder that cold smoking does not cook, or cure your meat in any way. Another option is to smoke your meat while it is raw, for a short period of time, taking special care that it does not reach dangerous temperatures. Then cook the meat immediately after the cold smoking process.Can you cold smoke meat?
Cold smoking is a process that can be used in unison with curation to preserve and add a unique flavor to food products. In most cases, it's meat. Some foods can be cold smoked without curing. All cold-smoked products can last for extended periods of time.Can you pre smoke meat?
Yes, you absolutely can smoke pre-cooked meats. The reason you might want to do this is so you don't have to worry about food temperatures, as well as the fact that you will have a much shorter cooking time. If you do decide to smoke pre-cooked meat, make sure that it wasn't smoked before it reaches your grill.Beginners Introduction to Cold Smoking Meat \u0026 Food
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Sami Anas, Zhanzat Mamytova, David Yu, Aleksandar Pasaric