Best way to wrap for the freezer?

[Jimmy S]

Double wrap in Saran then freezer wrap. I make sure after I wrap the first in Saran, I turn it over and place face down before double wrapping. This ensures no open ends of Saran.

[mbieniek]

Smaller game or anything you plan on eating soon it will be just fine vacuum sealing it. But if you have a large portion of meat you plan on storing for a long time, I would go with some of the methods stated in the posts above.

[RWNewhouse]

I do have and use a vacuum sealer, and really like it. But when I run out of bags I wrap my cuts in plastic wrap and cover it in butcher paper (I highly recommend getting a butcher paper cutter!).

[troid]

I asked a local butcher about this last year. Here's what he recommended. I tried it and it worked very well.

1. Wrap in Saran wrap.
2. Wrap in freezer paper
3. Wrap again in Saran wrap.

He said the outer layer of Saran wrap ensures no moisture gets in. Over a year's time, your freezer defrost cycle will allow moisture to creep in. The ice crystals that form tear the meat tissue apart. That's essentially what causes freezer burn.

Anyway, that's his suggestion. I did it last year. A year later, the meat I unwrapped looked as good as the earlier stuff I pulled out. So, that's how I did it again this year. Stuff that I knew I'd be using soon didn't get the rewrap at the end, but stuff I knew was in there for the long haul did.

[UncleNorby]

I wrap twice in StretchTite brand plastic, then wrap in heavy duty foil. No freezer burn, even when meat is kept over 1 year. I do try to go through all my meat in a year though.

[kevin1]

Originally Posted by troid

I asked a local butcher about this last year. Here's what he recommended. I tried it and it worked very well.

1. Wrap in Saran wrap.
2. Wrap in freezer paper
3. Wrap again in Saran wrap.

He said the outer layer of Saran wrap ensures no moisture gets in. Over a year's time, your freezer defrost cycle will allow moisture to creep in. The ice crystals that form tear the meat tissue apart. That's essentially what causes freezer burn.

Anyway, that's his suggestion. I did it last year. A year later, the meat I unwrapped looked as good as the earlier stuff I pulled out. So, that's how I did it again this year. Stuff that I knew I'd be using soon didn't get the rewrap at the end, but stuff I knew was in there for the long haul did.

That's another reason why I oil mine first, other than that we're pretty much using the same method.

[Robert L E]

It's easier to show than describe. We just use butcher paper and have no trouble with freezer burn.

Note that this method is fast too. It is how my boy did it as a professional meat cutter.

[zrexpilot]

Originally Posted by Robert L E

It's easier to show than describe. We just use butcher paper and have no trouble with freezer burn.

Note that this method is fast too. It is how my boy did it as a professional meat cutter.

Thats exactly how I do it.
Meat will go a year like that. Freezer paper is probably the cheapest way also. There no way someone can vaccum seal faster than I can wrap.

[RWNewhouse]

Great photo, Robert L E. Thanks for sharing!

[Robert L E]

Originally Posted by troid

1. Wrap in Saran wrap.
2. Wrap in freezer paper
3. Wrap again in Saran wrap.

........... A year later, the meat I unwrapped looked as good as the earlier stuff I pulled out.................

That seems like a whole lot of work to me. Just wrapping with butcher paper protects meat for over a year, with no freezer burn.

As zrexpilot wrote- Just using paper is far faster than vacuum sealing. I agree. It is at least three times faster than your triple wrap too. The paper only method that I diagrammed has about three layers of plasticized paper over the meat anyway (more over most of the package). I have no freezer burn after more than a year.

Your method probably works very well. It is just that I see your method a little bit like wearing two pairs of suspenders AND a belt. When we have a larger roast we do sometimes wrap the roast twice to get multiple layers over it but we just use butcher paper for both wraps.

Note that it is easier to write on the paper than on plastic too.