Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Freezing Prime Beef Filets--Using Dry Ice ?


Paul Bacino

Recommended Posts

Maybe..an external...aquarium pump, with the tubing inserted and sealed into the side. That way the motor is not subjected to..cryogenic temps. :)

When it's all said and done..if I can't get it by Friday.. I ll probably break up the dry ice..and just pitch them in for the first run.

Analyze the outcome...see if we notice any possible difference in quality

Doc

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could put the tubes through the lid to make the sealing easier - but so long as you have the pump and the motor in a single unit, what with the super-cooled alcohol going through, it's going to chill. Hell, with the alcohol pre-cooled well enough, a bagged steak'd freeze so quickly you could reach in and swish it about with a pair of tongs.

QUIET!  People are trying to pontificate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

breaking up the dry is is what I'd probably do, hammer it in a towel or something, then cover the meat or completely surround it. Not that I'd do that, but if I did, that's probably what I'd do. Direct contact should freeze the meat faster than blowing somewhat cold air around it I'd think. I've frozen prime beef many times in my chest freezer, never noticed any change to the negative, though I never tested side by side. Just seems like a lot of effort for not all that much in return?

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Put the dry ice in alcohol. That will get the temp down fast.

I had a similar thought on reading the OP, except I'd use a fully-saturated saline solution. Cheaper and less volatile. Use the dry ice to chill. (One could use regular ice, of course, as with an ice cream freezer, but dry ice would be more cool, so to speak, and would avoid any issue of dillution.) Vacuum pack the meat, then freeze in the bath. This will be faster than freezing conventionally, or even in a box with dry ice, as water is much more conductive than air. Whether any of that will make a significant difference in the final product is more than I know, as I've not tried it. But, if I did, this is how I'd go about it.

A fully saturated salt solution freezes at -21C. Dry ice sublimates at -78C and ethanol freezes at -114C. You can get denatured alcohol fairly cheaply at a hardware store, it's going to work better than saline.

I realize alcohol will get much colder, but has its own issues, like effects on the plastic bags. In any event, I think immersion in a sub-freezing liquid (even saline) will be more effective than circulating dry ice chilled air. As the latter is the method the OP has decided to try, I'll be interested to hear about his results. As, I'm sure, are all of us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've worked with dry ice quite a bit in the past. I find the way to get the best conduction and heat transfer is to put chunks of dry ice in the food processor for a second or two - it very easily becomes "dry snow" which you can then dredge your steak in and have all surfaces in contact. I would do the steak naked rather than presealed since the bag will be a insulator and not all direct contact of the snow. Also, the snow is VERY cold, which would make the bag very brittle.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't dry age a tenderloin effectively. You need whole primals to be able to dry without excessive loss.

...

You would prefer.. The tenderloin still attached with the strip primal (rib)? Bone intacted?

Hanged in a locker..for 28 days..

Here is what I did... I removed the chine, trimmed it rolled it into a wonderfull pinwheel..filet,...I took the tail split it made one filet, I dissected the head, out...and made a nice filet roast.. With the reast of the loin.. I leave some fat..place the loin primal elevated on a cookie rack.. I'll get what I get..if I keep a close eye..on it..I will get some dissection and a wee bit of funk

Cheers..I'm not really worried on trim.. I'll add it to ground burger if needed

Only thing I have discarded so far is fat and silver skin..maybe 0.5 lb on 15. #

Edited by Paul Bacino (log)

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW, Paul, I agree and disagree with Shalmanese about dry aging in a home fridge. That is, I've done it successfully, but you have to be careful not to dry out the meat too much. In which regard, a week would be too long IMHO. For steaks, I've gotten best results with two days, where roasts can take three or four (depending on thickness). I flip every 12 hours, as the upper surface dries faster than the lower one (even with a rack, which I assume you intend to use). Then I wrap with plastic film and chill another 24 hours to equalize the evaporation. Works for me. If you have your own tried-and-true protocol, feel free to ignore all that. Looking forward to your report on the dry ice freezing experiment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see what Shalmanese and pbear. Are talking about. I have about two days on it now, gonna have to retool, to get it till Friday. Gonna let it go today. Then wrap it..tonight or tomarrow.

Thanks for the heads up.

Paul

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks RT..

First , let me say, fresh is always better. But I ate some last week and I have some for this week. So I have a surplus.

This is how I began my cooling. I placed the steaks in a freezer bag, covered them with dry ice for about 15 mins. By that time they are rock hard already. I then went to my chamber vacuum and completely vacuum sealed them. Then back into the dry ice. as here!!

11469150463_5da82fb538_h.jpg

I think I need to be careful of freezer burn, So I'm shooting for about 1-2 hrs , then done

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OUCH..

Word to wise.. dont freaking grab the DI bags, holding the meat with bare hands!!

RT--I dont know @ a minus 107 F. In about 2 seconds " how are you going to get freezer burn " my finger tips :cool: RRRRRRrrrrr

Edited by Paul Bacino (log)

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paul, thanks for the update. A few questions. First, when you say the steaks were rock hard after 15 minutes, I assume that doesn't mean frozen all the way through. (Otherwise, why bother with the second round of freezing.) Is that correct? Second, I assume you'd mention if you had a problem with the bags cracking. Is it fair to infer you didn't? Third, I'm somewhat puzzled as to why you put the vacuuming step in the middle. Seems to me that would have been best done at the beginning. What was the reason for doing it in the middle?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, why did you bag them before freezing? I would think it would be better to freeze them naked, then bag once frozen, as the bag is slightly insulative and will lengthen freezing time a bit. Also, doesn't freezer burn come from drying out/oxidation over long periods of time, not from extreme cold? I think what you're thinking of is frostbite, which I don't think affects non-living meat. Do watch out for your fingers though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a little refinement.

I placed the steaks in a zip lock bag..first for two reasons...to preserve shape..my chamber is set high.. so I get a fair amount of compression... so I set the meat..then they go to the chamber... now little compression... I only do this with filets. second..I did ask the DI people if DI has impurities.. they said no...but RT..thought he tasted food differently...if in direct contact...hense the bag for a little protection. I don't think it slowed the freeze much

After the second bagging...the steaks went back in for about 3 hrs. I notice no bag damage...and it didn't seem brittle...but I didn't manipulate.. it much

I hope to get some pics up today or tomorrow. Of how it look.

Freezer burn..I noticed nothing. And I think your correct...my bagging helps reduce oxygen exposure.

Curious if freezing steaks in a block of ice..like I do my fish...would be detrimental...fish in ice never get freezer burn

Its good to have Morels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very very interesting Mr Beef !

the one on the L was from the same cut and treated same before the freeze?

all these are now frozen?

so the next step would be the thaw ....

if the one on the L has not been frozen, but kept very very cold .........

:biggrin:

Edited by rotuts (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...