Beefed up for winter!

Eid-ul-Adha has just passed and almost every refrigerator in the country is loaded with meat. Even though you are a little fed up with beef now, a small portion of meat will make your mouth water every once in a while. So your favourite beef needs to be preserved properly in this season of beef.  

As meat contains high protein and some other important vitamins like zinc, iron, magnesium, it may rot very easily without proper preservation and if the temperature is not right. When we think of preserved meat, beef is suitable for pickling, freezing, smoking and drying. 

So here's what you can do:

You are obviously going to deep freeze the meat which is common and also the easiest way. Cut the meat into slices, not into pieces and then preserve it under –0 °F (−18 °C) or below. 

How long can you safely store frozen meat?

Uncooked meat- 4 to 12 months.

Uncooked ground meat- 3 to 4 months.

Cooked meat- 2 to 3 months 

After four months the taste will start to deteriorate. Try your best to wrap it in freezer-safe bags or containers, and ensure that they are airtight. Place freezer paper or wrap between slices or patties of meat to make separation easier after freezing.

Freeze-dried products are considered some of the best survival foods and can be arranged so a single meal fits within a Mason jar, ready to be hydrated and cooked.

You can use vacuum-sealed bags as well. And of course, try to eliminate as much fat as you can from the meat.

Hydrating meat can be another good option. On top of that, you will get delicious recipes for dried meat. Just ask your grandmother because she might have used preserved meat way back when.

Salt was one of the most common ways of preserving beef in olden times. In this method the meat takes on the flavours of the spices beautifully, and remains nice and moist. 

Prepare and preserve it in a way that the meat melts in your mouth whenever you crave a bite.