Preventing warmed-over flavor in meat

[cowboy]

I can't stand most reheated meat because of the warmed-over flavor. Frying it it a skillet makes it almost edible, but that's about it. Basically, I eat all leftover meat cold as a sandwich because of the effects of rewarming on the taste of meat.

Warmed-over flavor (WOF) is the result of oxidation of lipids within the muscle tissue during the cooking process. Preservatives like nitrite prevent WOF because of their anti-oxidant properties, which is why preserved meats don't have the WOF issues that fresh meats do.

I've mentioned that I'd like to smoke a bunch of roasts and throw them in the freezer for later, and I'm wondering if I'll have WOF issues. I haven't noticed the problem with pork, as I've warmed up a couple of frozen roasts that have been smoke and frozen, but I don't know if the anti oxidant properties of the smoke inhibit oxidation enough to prevent WOF, or if it just isn't as prevalent in pork (anyone who bites on this will immediately make my 'castrate on sight' list.)

Have any of you tried freezing smoked beef? Also, do any of you know if cooking with natural antioxidants like vegetables helps prevent WOF? If nobody has any suggestions, I guess I'll have to run a test roast and let you know, but that's like a three-day process, and I don't really feel like firing up my smoker for one roast.

[Drunk Tank]

From what I have read, it is important to freeze the meat with as much of the juice as possible. Maybe even add a little apple juice/cider vinegar to the bag before freezing. Frozen meat gets dry really fast. They way I am planning on doing mine is to vacuum seal the meat and freeze. To reheat, throw the vacuum sealed bag in a crock pot or roaster filled with water and bring it up to temp. Once heated, cut open the bag and serve. The flavor of the rub penetrates deeper into the meat, except the nice bark you get from smoking virtually disappears.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ng+frozen+meat

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ng+frozen+meat

[RobinFinderson]

I try to keep my meat warm at all times.

[landpoke]

I try to keep my meat warm at all times.

Not me, I keep mine chilled at all times. But then I'm not one to brag.

[RobinFinderson]

Not me, I keep mine chilled at all times. But then I'm not one to brag.

You certainly own your moniker. How does that affect the flavor? I guess it can't be 'warmed-over' if it was never warmed in the first place.

[landpoke]

You certainly own your moniker. How does that affect the flavor? I guess it can't be 'warmed-over' if it was never warmed in the first place.

I can't speak to the flavor.

[RobinFinderson]

I can't speak to the flavor.

And apparently no one else can either. Here is a tip. Take it or leave it. More people prefer hot pastrami to cold cuts. I learned that from a Quiznos commercial.

[cowboy]

And apparently no one else can either. Here is a tip. Take it or leave it. More people prefer hot pastrami to cold cuts. I learned that from a Quiznos commercial.

Can you please flirt with landpoke in another thread? I'm looking for real answers here (shout out to DT.)

[FMCoug]

I agree with you in general regarding frozen meat. However for some reason I've never had problems with smoked meat. Maybe it's because it is so flavorful to start with?

[RobinFinderson]

Can you please flirt with landpoke in another thread? I'm looking for real answers here (shout out to DT.)

Why is it always 'robin, stop flirting with Landpoke,' and not 'landpoke, stop flirting with Robin?'. Very well, I will leave Landpoke to himself, the land, and his ugly cold cuts.

[Portland Ute]

I'm not expert on smoked meats.

However, I'll interject here.

I HATE reheated meat, in general.

Even if it's been refrigerated and not frozen.

One thing I've found to mitigate the "leftover meat" taste in beef, chicken, pork, etc is to store the meat in some type of sauce.

The easiest example of this is roast beef. If you make a nice roast but have leftover meat, sink the leftover meat in the gravy that you made. For whatever reason, it prevents the "warmed up" taste.


Same thing for turkey. Even pork roast.

It's sometimes rare to have chicken gravy, so sometimes it's just as effective to put the chicken in some sort of canned soup.

Note: You don't have to eat the canned soup. BUt it will keep your meat from tasting nasty.