Omaha Steaks has been delivering quality meat to America’s homes for more than 100 years. Its frozen steaks are a mainstay in many families’ kitchens. For a lot of folks, an Omaha ribeye is the perfect cut for grilling on a sunny weekend afternoon — as long as the steak’s still fresh, of course.
According to Christian Perversi, vice president and chief production officer of Omaha Steaks, you have about a year before the quality of your frozen steak dwindles. “Omaha Steaks’ frozen and vacuum-sealed products can maintain top quality for 4 to 12 months,” Perversi exclusively tells Chowhound. “While they are safe to eat indefinitely, for best quality, it’s recommended to consume them within that timeframe.” Perversi explains that prolonged freezing can cause larger ice crystals to form inside steaks, damaging the meat’s cell walls. This causes the juices to leak out, resulting in dryer and less-flavorful steaks. Over time, the fats in the meat can also oxidize, further impacting the flavor. When this happens, the beef can still be safely consumed, but you may need to resort to a few techniques that restaurant steaks use to trick your tastebuds if you want to enjoy your dinner.
How Omaha Steaks keeps its frozen steaks tasting fresh
The company uses a flash-freezing process to help its steaks retain as much of their original flavor, color, and texture as possible. This involves subjecting the meat to a temperature of -20 degrees Fahrenheit, which significantly speeds up the freezing. This, Christian Perversi says, helps reduce the size of the ice crystals that form throughout the process.
To keep its beef at the highest possible quality while it sits in your freezer, Omaha Steaks also vacuum seals its products to protect them from freezer burn. Freezer burn happens when meat is exposed to the cold air in your freezer. The air leeches moisture from the meat, causing it to dry up and turn a grayish color. Vacuum-sealing stops this from happening by blocking out the external cold air and by preventing any cold air from forming inside the package.
If you want to maximize the quality of your frozen steak, take your time thawing it. “The best and safest way to defrost steaks is in the refrigerator, taking about 24 hours for a full thaw for a 1- to 2-inch steak,” Perversi says. You can use other methods to thaw frozen steak fast, but keep the general temperature low in order to prevent bacterial growth.
