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5 year old frozen beef...is it safe??

60K views 34 replies 31 participants last post by  mamarhu 
#1 ·
I just moved into a rental that has about 20 pounds of local frozen ground beef in the freezer. It is nearly 5 years old. It is well wrapped, and does not smell or look bad. It still has a nice red color, and appears to have been frozen solid the entire 5 years. I am renting the house from the people who bought the beef originally, and they said it was frozen the entire time.

Is it safe to eat? I was thinking of using it in chili and marinara sauce. I figure it will not taste that great...

I would love any input. I don't want to throw it away if it's usable, but I don't want to use it if it will taste awful!!
 
#4 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie View Post
So long as it hasn't been thawed and frozen again (long power outages, etc), it's safe to eat. Nothing can "grow" when it's frozen. Now it will most likely be rather tough and loss of flavor, but it's edible.
That is what I was thinking...it would maybe work okay in sauces or for taco meat, but not for burgers.

But I am a *little* nervous...
 
#5 ·
I would not use it. Even though the people say it's been frozen the whole time, there's no way to know for sure. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to meat, though, so maybe I am just too paranoid.
 
#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrum97 View Post
I would not use it. Even though the people say it's been frozen the whole time, there's no way to know for sure. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to meat, though, so maybe I am just too paranoid.
I am worried about this as well, but it looks and smells fine.
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by CarrieMF View Post
It is was meat I had purchased I'd eat it, but I wouldn't eat a stranger's meat that is that old. I'd feed it to my dogs.
that!


i'm pretty lax about food issues too, but i'm totally paranoid about meat, dog or toss it. it's just not worth the risk for me.
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by liliaceae View Post
I wouldn't eat it, you don't know for sure it's been frozen the whole time.
If it has thawed and then refrozen, you would see ice crystals. I would probably try it, myself. I might do a little test of it myself before feeding the family though.
 
#19 ·
I would want more information before making that decision. Why did they purchase so much? Where did it originally come from? Is it all the same type of meat? How was hte meat originally handled (prior to freezing)? Is it CAFO meat or locally raised? When did they move out (original purchasers of the meat)? Why didn't they take it with them? Do you know these folks? Are they strangers or friends of friends? What is their attitude toward the meat? Would they eat it? Why or why not? There is no need to answer my questions. I am just sharing my own thought process and how I would approach the situation. Once I had all those answers and a clearer picture of the situation, then I would do some research on frozen meat and I would probably do some experiments with the meat. I wouldn't just throw it out based on the little information you have presented thus far....
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetjasmine View Post
um, no, I wouldn't take the chance. ~shudder~ Sometimes food may not necessarily taste or look bad but can still harbor something unsafe. 5 years?? No way! And you don't know these people. Not that they are untrustworthy but I just wouldn't take the chance with my family.
Someone could test this for you...if you knew someone in biology or chemistry maybe they could refer you to a person who could do the testing (??).

I don't eat meat, and never have, but putting myself in your shoes, I'd most likely throw it out (even though it would be painful to do so).
 
#23 ·
I have a crown roast from a lamb we had slaughtered for us 2 years ago in my freezer. Well, I guess 3 years now. And I won't eat it. I've been tryign to give it away on craigslist/freecycle for someone who makes their own dog food.

sorry, there are certain food things I beleive, and frozen meat is only good for 12 mos, maybe 14 max. Otherwise, no way.

There was a house full of food at our house when we moved in. I tossed all of it including a questionable looking shrink-wrapped item we came to call "the deer heart".

Wasteful or not, your safety is more important.
 
#24 ·
i sometimes eat really old moose meat that has been in my parent's freezer for...years...it's fine.

but i know exactly how long it has been in there, it has stayed frozen, nothing questionable other than the fact that it is old.

random five year old meat? nope.
 
#25 ·
The meat is neatly (double) wrapped in white butcher's paper. It is labeled with the date, source and type of meat. I looked again today and I actually think it is closer to 50 pounds, possibly more!

The meat seriously looks perfect (at least the package I unwrapped did) and I would never guess that it is 5 years old. It looks like it could be a month old. I am leaning toward feeding it to the dog...but I don't want to waste it if it *is* edible.

But I don't think I am brave enough to try it...especially since so many of you are saying no way.
 
#26 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sierra View Post
Someone could test this for you...if you knew someone in biology or chemistry maybe they could refer you to a person who could do the testing (??).

I don't eat meat, and never have, but putting myself in your shoes, I'd most likely throw it out (even though it would be painful to do so).
This is an interesting idea.

Also, I know this sounds terrible, but our local food banks have actually been ASKING for expired food. They have 'experts' to determine what is and isn't safe. I am wondering if they would be able to put it to use after they determined whether or not it was okay to eat? The waste factor is just driving me crazy...especially since it looks perfect. There are so many people struggling to put food on the table right now...
 
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