Is it challenging to store wagyu beef? Learn the best ways to store Wagyu - halal beef in the fridge. Is paying a visit to the restaurants the only option to relish the succulent halal wagyu beef? Are you afraid of buying expensive wagyu beef for your home because you have no clue how to store it properly?
Voila! It's no more a fancy dream to get the mouth-watering and juicy halal steak at home. If you want to avoid prior booking in the restaurant to get your hands on a juicy Wagyu beef steak, from the comfort of your own home, then do not miss this read.
Wagyu beef is lauded for its luscious flavour and tenderness. The heavy marble pattern in the red meat gives it the edge over other kinds of beef. Wagyu cattle originally has advanced from Japan, but now different countries like America, UK and Australia are savouring the flavoursome eating experience.
Halal Wagyu is certified beef, and this might be one of the prime reasons for projecting an increase in the market in future. Halal Wagyu is the finest quality of meat but it comes with a big pricetag too. One cannot afford to mishandle it and lose to enjoy the morsel of premium beef.
So, let's dig into the best ways to store and handle Wagyu to bring you a memorable meal with all its delicacy.
Best Ways to Store Wagyu Beef
Finding the right way to preserve halal wagyu beef will help the meat to maintain its mouth-watering taste and tenderness. Many find refrigerating Wagyu the ideal way, and some believe that freezing Wagyu can conserve the taste of the beef.
Let's not get into an argument about refrigeration vs freezing. The do's and don't make both the options effective and help you enjoy Wagyu the same as you would on day one of freshness!
Tips to Refrigerate
If it is hard to hold yourself to get the taste of Wagyu and you intend to cook it in 48 hrs, then refrigeration is the perfect fit to preserve Wagyu beef. Even the premium and highest quality Wagyu, like Chilean Wagyu and Halal A5, lose their flavour if the right amount of care is not taken to maintain the quality of the beef.
Some useful tips to indulge in the ultimate taste experience are:
- Understand the importance of packaging and do not settle for less than an intact, airtight packet of Wagyu. The sealed packaging doesn't allow the air to spoil the taste and texture of the meat.
- Select the coolest part to refrigerate the beef to avoid stale food at the end.
- Make sure you use the refrigerated Wagyu before 48 hrs if you don't want to miss the taste of tender meat.
Tips to Freeze
Who says you're bound to use Wagyu within 48 hrs? You don't have to worry if you already have stocked up a large amount of the beef and now thinking to consume it within 48 hrs.
Wagyu preservation time is lesser in refrigeration than the freezer. But still, hope is alive for those who don't want to end their stock within two days. Freezing has also proven as an effective way to preserve your food, in fact, for a more extended period. Proper handling is the only trait you need to keep the beef fresh like the first day.
Feast yourself with the unbeatable taste of frozen Wagyu by following the following tips;
- The extra layer of protection extends the life of Wagyu in the freezer. However, do not compromise on the low quality of packaging offered by halal meat online stores or departmental stores. Instead, always freeze the Wagyu packed in an air-sealed bag to keep the taste alive. That Fat Cow will always use high quality packaging to ensure your premium halal meat is not adversely affected.
- Frozen Wagyu preferably should be consumed within a month.
- Let your freezer get familiar with the raw meat. Try to avoid opening your freezer doors too often to accellerate the freezing process.
- It is better to avoid refreezing the meat as it might end in waste. Yes, the customers usually get refrozen meat. It's the brilliance of the restaurant workers that don't let consumers tell the difference.
Tips to Thaw
You're already using an airtight package to preserve the beef, and never ignore the temperature of your fridge to avoid contamination. Still, wonder why your Wagyu goes to waste?
Thawing is also an essential factor to get the best taste of the frozen beef that many overlook. One cannot blame frozen Wagyu that doesn't taste the same until you watch the process of thawing.
This process cannot be ignored because it is the phase at which your meat needs more care than ever in order to avoid any contamination. The bacteria will not only spoil the beef and your mood but can also cause food poisoning.
Some useful tips to save your Wagyu from bacteria comtamination are:
- Thawing wagyu demands some extra time. Yes, slow and steady wins the race and here too, keeping it in the refrigerator for 48 hours for thawing will save your meal.
- Running under the hot water to thaw the beef might speed up the process, but it involves the risk of losing the taste and the juiciest factor from Wagyu. We do NOT recommend this step at all.
- It is suggested to avoid defrosting the beef using the microwave. The defrosting might get easy with the microwave, but you would have to compromise with the taste and texture of the meat. Again, we do NOT recommend this step in any way or form.
Signs your Wagyu Beef is Spoiled
You're a huge fan of Wagyu, but you have to accept it also has an expiry date. It is better to consume the meat before the use-by date to find its highest quality.
Sometimes it isn't easy to spot the difference between the spoiled and the food that can be consumed. The ideal way to give a close look to your halal beef is to identify the following signs:
- If your steak feels dry and loses its popular juiciest texture, then you have a spoiled wagyu on your plate.
- The most eminent sign is the discolouration of the meat, where the meat will turn green or yellow to give a clear message about the spoiled beef.
- The other noticeable sign is the smell of spoiled wagyu beef that will be unusual than the smell of the raw meat.
Following the above tips and advice will ensure you preserve and store halal Wagyu beef in the proper way, so that each time the beef is cooked, you and your family enjoy restaurant quality steaks with a homemade touch. It’s the best combination ever!