Preserving meat – here’s how

Meat is a food that you can preserve in many ways. There are many more options available to you than just the freezer. In this article you will find out which options are available to you.

Preserving meat – not just in the freezer

If you have bought meat in stock, you probably think first of freezing it when it comes to extending its shelf life.

• Freezing: Freezing meat is definitely the most common and also a very easy way to preserve the delicate food.
• Oil: If you don’t have to store meat for quite so long before preparing it, you can extend its shelf life by a few days by soaking it in oil. The advantage of this is that the meat becomes more tender when marinated.
• Tip: If you know in advance how you want to season your meat, you can already give your meat the right flavour. The advantage here is that the spices penetrate the meat more deeply, giving it a more intense flavour.

Long storage with more flavour

If you not only want to preserve meat longer, but also give it a certain flavour, curing is a good alternative to the methods mentioned so far.

• Pickling is particularly suitable for larger pieces of meat. You can either buy curing salt as a ready-made mixture or make it yourself.
• Lay out the work surface with baking paper and spread the pickling salt generously on it. Then take the piece of meat and cover all sides evenly with it. Massage the pickling salt properly into the meat.
• Tip: For larger pieces of meat, or if the meat has a layer of fat, prick it with a skewer in several places. Then the pickling salt can penetrate better.
• You must be extremely hygienic when curing. Therefore, wash the meat thoroughly beforehand and dry it well.
• Store the prepared meat in a suitable container. If possible, there should be no free spaces or gaps. It must also be possible to close the container tightly.
• The salt removes so much liquid from the meat within four to eight weeks that it is relatively dry. Finally, it has a long shelf life.
• Mix finely ground spices into the pickling salt, you give the meat additional flavour. Pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, rosemary and juniper are popular.