Refrigerated Meats
Meats are best refrigerated at just above freezing (32oF), between 32oF and 36oF. They do not freeze until the temperature drops to below 28oF. The best place to store meats in the refrigerator is in the coldest part. Many refrigerators have such an area or compartment reserved for meat storage.
Most retail meats are packaged with plastic wrap and can be refrigerated in their original wrap for up to two days. After that time, the store wrapping should be removed and replaced by loosely wrapped plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Leaving the tight store wrapping on meat for more than two days creates moist surfaces, which promote bacterial growth and deterioration of the meat. Exceptions to this general storage guideline are hams and other processed meats that are high in salt. They should not be stored in aluminum foil because the salt’s corrosive action on aluminum foil will cause discoloration of the meat. Cured meats are also high in fat, which quickly turns rancid when exposed to oxygen and light. For this reason, ham and other processed meats are best stored in the refrigerator in their original wrappings.
General guidelines suggest that fresh meat should not be stored in the refrigerator longer than three to five days, and that ground meats and variety meats should be cooked within one or two days. Variety meats are more perishable than regular meat cuts and should be used within a day or two of purchase or frozen immediately. Cooked meat can be kept for about three to four days. If the meat needs to be kept longer than the recommended storage times, it should be frozen.
One alternative to storing meats for long periods of time at refrigeration temperatures is a new, patented, controlled-atmosphere package (CAP) available only to meat wholesalers. It can extend the shelf life of fresh red meat from the current 2 days to up to 28 days. The process involves using a special package that allows the removal of oxygen and its replacement with a mixture of 70 percent nitrogen and 30 percent carbon dioxide.
