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Find out how to freeze ground beef and a tip for organizing. Plus learn how long you can freeze beef – read on to see how!
How to Freeze Ground Beef (Without Any Waste!)
My friend Jamie is sharing this SUPER smart way to store ground beef! I *love* this idea, and will be doing it in the future since we have a small freezer. Thanks so much for sharing Jamie!
If you buy ground beef or ground turkey in bulk to save money – this is such a clever idea to store it! By using a rolling pin (or a wine glass – anything that can rotate will work!) and a ruler, you can store your ground beef in awesome little freezer packs.
The flat little bricks make it fast and easy to thaw and cook whenever you need it – and help you avoid wasting meat by forgetting it. (Has that ever happened to you? I know it has to me!).
Here’s how to store beef in your freezer:
You’re going to want to start with any ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, venison, even plant based!), and then grab a rolling pin and a gallon freezer bag. Also, these Freezer Bag Stands are super handy when working with messy foods and meats – they’re so worth it!
TIP: If you don’t have a rolling pin, but maybe have a wine bottle in the house, that would work too. Really anything that can roll something flat will do just fine.
Take the ground beef out of the store packaging and place the raw ground beef in the bottom of the bag and lie it down flat, leaving the zipper portion of the baggie open.
Using your rolling pin, flatten the meat and spread it out in the plastic bag evenly.
You’ll next want to take a ruler, or the back of a long knife, press lines to divide the meat into six sections.
You can even use a chopstick! When creating sections – you may realize that it would work better if you take some of the meat out and put it in another bag.
After this, freeze the bag for 30 minutes and pull out of the freezer. Your meat should be mostly frozen by this point. Gently bend at the dividing lines until it is separated more cleanly into bricks.
Sealing the bag well will help prevent freezer burn and keep your meat safe to eat. Once sealed, just place back in the freezer to use whenever you need ~ you’ll be able to pull off just one brick at a time to thaw the next time you need ground beef!
How long can you freeze ground beef?
FoodSafety.gov recommends that you can store ground beef in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Once you have your frozen ground beef in your Ziploc bag, be sure to label the date that the meat was frozen on the front so that you know if the meat is still safe to use once you pull it out of the freezer.
This method of storing ground beef allows you to store A LOT since we are making the packages so flat. Be sure to use the first in, first out method too, so you’re not wasting any of the meat.
I think this tip is SO super smart. Not only does it take up so little space in the freezer, but it really makes it easy to thaw out when you’re ready to cook. LOVE simple tricks like this! Do you have any other tips on how to freeze ground beef? I’d love to hear them!
I cook grond beef in bulk and then freeze it – when we need it for dinner, it is a fast and easy way to get dinner on the table quickly!
Thanks for sharing such a great tip! 🙂
So how much meat ends up being I. Each square?
Hi there Kim ~ it just depends on how much meat you add to your bag! 🙂 If you put 4 pounds of meat in your bag and divide it into 4 squares, it’ll be about 1 lb per square, but will vary if you add more/less meat! Hope that helps!
Check the weight of the bulk package ( family of 5 I use 1 1/4 pound ) separate place in quart freezer bags flatten with your fingers zip bag freeze .perfect portion in one bag.
Quick question: after you bend at the dividing line, do you separate the bricks in smaller baggies before placing them back in the freezer?
You could but you don’t need to! It’s easy to pull out the square you need when you’re ready to use it – even when it’s in the same bag as other squares.
How much ground meet first in the gallon freezer bag? 2#s?
Hi Sue, yes it was about 2 pounds. We didn’t weigh it but I tried to eyeball it 🙂
A sandwich size ziplock bag hold 1 lb perfectly and no extra steps.
I agree, I have been putting 1 lb of ground beef in a quart bag (typically not a freezer bag) but then I place about 4 of those bags into a gallon freezer bag. You can keep reusing the gallon bag since no raw meet has touch it. I flatten each individual bag to make it easier to thaw. Just grab what you need.
Thanks for the tip Sue! 🙂
Uniform size and thinness also make for faster thawing.
What a GREAT Idea! I’ve been pre-cooking my ground meat for years, but I will have to give this a try too. Thanks Laurie! So glad you posted this!!
Thank you Laurie! This is going to change my life! I love getting hamburger meat at Costco but never really organized the meat like his before. This will save space and separate them so you can just pull a pound of meat out for dinner.
You’re so welcome Sarah – so glad it helps! 🙂
I have been doing this for years n then if u forget to pull something out for dinner u can put Bag in cold water to thaw.in 30 minutes
I have been doing this for ages and it keeps so nicely and defrosts quickly. It is great when you forget to thaw something for dinner; you just need to defrost a package and you can start making so many different meals.
Linda, I do the same thing! I cook up multiple pounds at a time, season it with my normal spices, rinse the grease off and then divide it up into bags and put it in the freezer! Great for spaghetti with meat sauce, soups, casseroles, etc. Do all the work and clean up once and save time on those evenings when you’re tired or cranky and don’t feel like cooking as much!! I love it when I can just do a “dump it all in” recipe and abracadabra…. dinner is done!!!
I freeze mine in 1 lb ziplock bags, but after I have cooked it and rinsed it. Then I don’t have to brown my hamburger when I am wanting to make a quick meal.
I do this also. If I’m making pasta with hamburger I will throw the frozen chunk in with the noodles to thaw. The little bit of fat in the beef works to keep the pasta from sticking and the extra fat goes down the drain with the water. Keep in mind most of the fat is already removed from the browning of the beef.
How do you rinse the meat and how long can you freeeze once cooked?
Hi Susan! One way to do it is to place the meat in a strainer or colander (over a bowl or the sink) and pour hot water over to rinse it. Then let it drain before packaging it up. It should keep around 3-6 months ~ hope that helps!
I do this but I used quart size freezer bags and put in 1)lb. Of meat. My favorite is when the vacuum packs of grass fed beef or Bison go on clearance for $3-$4 lb. All I have to do is put the sate on it and freeze it 🙂
I would have never thought of that and it makes so much sense! I have a small freezer space too and this is so helpful! Thanks for sharing!
So glad it helps Monica – it really is so much easier!
I do this with my left over cooked rice…. I always make a full cooker of rice and save what er don’t eat in freezer bags… cook once eat twice.
That’s so smart Alita ~ what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!!! 🙂