If you’re a lover of lamb then you’ll know just how well it takes to various marinades. But, can you add a marinade to a lamb and then pop it in the freezer or should this be avoided?
Can You Freeze Marinated Lamb?
Yes, you can freeze marinated lamb for up to 3 months. Place the meat into a freezer bag before removing all excess air and sealing the bag shut. Then, place the meat into the centre of the freezer, where it will freeze well.
Do Does Marinated Lamb freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Marinated Lamb? No
How to Freeze Marinated Lamb
The benefits to freezing lamb in a marinade are endless. It can add flavour and it can tenderize the meat.
However, there are a few key steps to follow to ensure that the marinated lamb stays fresh and delicious when it is thawed and cooked. Below, we cover the best way to freeze marinated lamb:
- Marinate the Lamb: Itās best to marinate the lamb entirely before freezing it. The lamb will not take on flavour in the freezer so you’ll want to marinate it for 24 hours to ensure it is loaded with flavour.
- Bag Up: This step is relatively self-explanatory. All you need to do is place the meat into a freezer bag, being sure to place it as far in as possible.
- Remove Air: Removing excess air from the bag will prevent condensation from forming within the bag, which would freeze to solid ice and be the starting point for freezer burn.
- Seal: Sealing the bag is vital, as not only will it prevent the onset of freezer burn from the outside of the bag, but it will also prevent the marinading juices from spilling out of the bag, obviously.
- Freeze: Place the meat into the centre of the freezer to be sure that the meat is as far as possible from the frost front that originates at the edges of the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Marinated Lamb
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing marinated lamb to have the best results:
Freeze It Raw
Freezing the marinated lamb raw is the best way to ensure that the texture is maintained as well as possible. The lambās texture is yet to be denatured and changed by cooking. If you froze cooked lamb and then reheated it, the freezing damage would be more noticeable.
Freeze in the Marinade
If you freeze the lamb and the marinade together, the marinade wonāt soak into the lamb until thawing. This means you can thaw the lamb in your fridge and, as it thaws, it will be marinading. This can be a huge time saver.
Use the Water Displacement Trick
The water displacement trick is where you place something within a plastic bag and then, with the bag still open, lower it into a large basin of water. The water pressure presses against the plastic, pressing the air out of the top of the container.Ā
How Long Can You Freeze Marinated Lamb?
You can freeze marinated lamb for up to 3 months.
After 3 months, the lamb will likely be freezer burned, which would lead to the texture being damaged intensely. The meat that has been impacted will also take on a sour, bitter flavour.
Although it is likely to remain safe to longer, you shouldn’t keep marinated lamb in the fridge for longer than 2 days. This is because the marinade may break down some of the fibres in the lamb, ruining the texture.
How Do You Defrost Marinated Lamb?
The best way to defrost marinated lamb is to place it in the fridge overnight, where it will thaw slowly.
Once in the fridge, the thawing process will take place, but the lamb will still be cool enough that it can be stored safely, and cooked the next day. Remember to thaw it away from cooked and non-meat produce.
Can You Refreeze Marinated Lamb?
No, you cannot refreeze marinated lamb and refreezing meat can be dangerous, leading to bacterial growth. You may also find that the lamb dries out with repeated refreezing.
The exception is if you have frozen raw marinated lamb, defrosted it and then cooked it. This, now cooked, lamb can be frozen.
Does Marinated Lamb Freeze Well?
Yes, marinated lamb does freeze well. The reason for this is that the freezing process doesnāt remove any of the flavours from the marinade, leading to meat thatās still in great shape.
To ensure that the lamb freezes well, we recommend making sure the bag is totally sealed – an open container will lead to frost and contamination.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing marinated lamb or lamb in general, then these may help:
A fatty cut of lamb should be marinated for up to 48 hours. A lean cut will only need marinating for 24 hours. Beyond these time periods, you may find the lamb becomes broken down too much and the texture actually becomes mushy.
No, frozen meat will not absorb a marinade. It will simply sit in the marinade. However, once it thaws, the meat will begin to soak up the flavour from any marinade it was frozen in.
