It might surprise you to learn that the Australian beef company
Stanbroke has created something of an online information hub called Steak School. Yes,
we read it religiously. You might also be interested to learn that
Steak School published an article in 2017 that graced this rather curious headline:
"Is it a cardinal sin to freeze steak?"
It's a bold question, to be sure... and a question that certainly managed to pique
our interest. After all, we've certainly frozen a steak or two in our day… but perhaps we should
think twice before ever doing such a thing again. As The Daily Meal reported in June 2020,
"Frozen steaks may be cheaper and last longer, [but] you sacrifice the quality of the beef.
Freezing a steak can lead to ice crystals or freezer burn,
and improper thawing can make it hard to cook a steak to the desired temperature.
For [the] best results, [...] always go with fresh steak."
All of this goes some way in explaining why the Southern California meat company Meat The Butchers
absolutely refuses to freeze any of its products. According to the company's official website,
"Taste is king, and the first thing that is affected during the freezing
of meat is the flavor. The speed at which something was frozen changes the amount of
ice crystals that are created inside the cells of your meat. Slow freezing creates
a few large crystals and quick freezing creates a large number of small crystals.
Ice crystals no matter the size can damage the cell walls inside of your protein
and ruin its texture as well as destroy natural juices during the thawing process."
Instead, the folks at Meat The Butchers insist on dry-aging their meats. As the website explains,
"Our amazing rib chop bone-in signature steak is dry aged for 28 days to tender perfection.
We pick meat with perfectly even fat distribution for storage in a climate and
moisture controlled room to allow time for the beef’s natural enzymes to break down."
But should you always follow this No-Frozen-Steak rule? Perhaps not. Researchers at Kansas
State University made a rather interesting discovery in 2016. According to Science Daily,
"[They] found that freezing strip loin and inside round steaks makes
those cuts as much as 10 percent more tender when it comes time to eat them."
That's because the cuts didn't lose much moisture while freezing. And according to Steak School,
situations can arise in which it makes more sense to freeze the steak than to cook it right away…
especially when you've bought more meat than you ultimately need. As it turns out,
home cooks can freeze steak without affecting its quality, provided they follow a few rules to avoid
freezer burn. One recommended method involves vacuum-packing and freezing the meat quickly.
In fact, Bustle strongly recommends cooking your steak while it's frozen
instead of thawing it first. The reason why, as they explain, is that
"Frozen steaks [...] retain more moisture and [are] less
overcooked than their thawed counterparts."
If you're a home cook who needs to freeze your steak for a later meal,
Epicurious helpfully explains how to grill it later. The website strongly recommends that
you keep the steak laid flat in a freezer bag for no more than three to six months.
And when it comes time to actually cook that steak, you should arrange a two-zone grill...
a grill with two differently heated areas. One side should have direct, high heat... which
you'll use to sear your steak until both sides are caramelized. The other grill area should have
indirect, lower heat. After caramelizing your steak, continue cooking it in this cooler zone.
Guy Crosby, a Harvard professor of food chemistry and a science editor for America's Test Kitchen,
helpfully explained the science behind cooking frozen steak. As Inverse reports,
the vast temperature difference between the steak's frozen inside
and the heat of the skillet eventually sears the exterior of the steak perfectly
without drying its juicy interior. This Inverse article ends by admitting that
"Fresher is better."
But the same article also claims that
"Frozen is just as good."
We think we know what they mean: If you have the option, always choose fresh meat. If not,
don't even worry about it. Okay, but enough talking... Now who's hungry for steak?
"It is juicy... and delicious."
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