The traditional pork pie is a snack that many love and comes in all sizes, from the mini-snack size to the huge pies where just a slice is enough to fill you up. But if you want to keep a pork pie for longer than five days then how should you store it?
Can You Freeze Pork Pies?
Yes, you can freeze pork pies for up to 5 months. You can freeze pork pies, whether big, small, fancy or plain. All you need to do is wrap them to ensure they’re airtight then stick them in the freezer.
Do Do Pork Pies freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Pork Pies? No
How to Freeze Pork Pies
There are just 4 steps to freezing pork pies, and they’re super easy to follow:
- Cool Your Pies: If you have just cooked your pork pies using your favourite recipe, you will need to wait for them to cool fully before freezing.
- Wrap Them: The secret to successfully freezing pork pies is in the wrapping. You will need three layers in total. Firstly you will want to make sure they are well wrapped in parchment paper. Once wrapped in parchment, add a tinfoil layer to keep the flavour and freshness inside.
- Bag Them: Finally, pop the wrapped pork pie into a freezer bag and seal it so it is airtight.
- Freeze: Write the date and name on the bag or airtight container and pop it into the freezer.
Some packets of pork pies say they are not suitable for freezing. This could be because they have previously been frozen. It could also be because the manufacturer is concerned about the quality of the pork pie once it has been frozen which could harm their brand.
3 Tips for Freezing Pork Pies
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing pork pies to have the best results:
If In Doubt, Wrap Again
You need to ensure your pork pies are stored in the freezer airtight. If you doubt that your bag or container is airtight, wrap your pork pies again in a layer of foil.
Label Them Clearly
If you’ve got a variety of pork pies, then make sure you freeze them in their own bags, labelling each with the type of pork pie such as Melton Mowbray.
Patience is Key
When defrosting pork pies, you need to be patient. Place in the fridge to defrost overnight and then allow it to come up to room temperature for an hour or so to enjoy it at its best.
How Long Can You Freeze Pork Pies?
Pork pies can be kept frozen for about four to five months. After this, they will start to deteriorate and could get freezer burn which would change the taste and texture of the pies.
Five months is plenty of time to make up a batch and have a constant supply of delicious snacks and lunchtime meals.
Once opened, pork pies will need to be consumed within 3 days when stored in the fridge. If they have been cut open then they will only keep for 1 day.
How Do You Defrost Pork Pies?
How long a pork pie takes to defrost will change depending on the size of the pie, and you will want to ensure it is fully defrosted before eating it.
Luckily the traditional way to eat this food is chilled, or at room temperature so you don’t need to worry about heating it back up again.
Make sure you are happy that it is fully thawed out. You also must ensure you eat it on the day you defrost it.
- Remove and Unbag: Remove the pork pie from the freezer and remove the freezer bag or the outer layer.
- Place Into the Fridge: Leave the pie in the parchment and foil and pop it in the fridge to defrost.
- Wait for 24hrs: Let them thaw for 24 hours then take them out of the fridge and let them rest at room temperature for an hour before eating.
Can You Refreeze Pork Pies
As with all meat products, we would highly recommend erring on the side of caution when it comes to refreezing pork pies. There is a risk that the pork pie will turn bad during the initial defrosting period if not stored correctly.
When you refreeze bad pork pies, you won’t kill any bacteria.
Do Pork Pies Freeze Well?
You shouldn’t be able to tell much of a difference between a fresh pork pie and a pie that has been frozen at all.
The texture and taste changes are minimal if at all and because you traditionally eat pork pies cold this works brilliantly for freezing and then defrosting and eating with very little effort!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing pork pies or pies in general, then these may help:
Melton Mowbray pork pies are some of the best you can buy in the world. Well, the good news is that you can freeze them. They’ll freeze just like any pork pies. Once cooled, wrap them up, bag them, and place them into the freezer.
Again, you can use the same techniques. You might want to slice the gala pie into portions beforehand to make it easier to grab a slice or two from the freezer without having to defrost the whole thing.
Morrisons claim that their pork pies are not suitable for home freezing. This is likely because they do not freeze well and they want to avoid complaints from customers.
Why can you freeze all pork pies but not Tesco’s
Unfortunately, the method above is for homemade pork pies. Shop-bought pies may have previously been frozen so it’s always a good idea to check the packaging.
I bought some Vale of Mowbray mini pork pies and there was no info if you could freeze them or if they have ever been frozen before so I emailed them and here is the reply still no info if they have ever been frozen but they advised not to. It is a shame I am not a baker and it would have been handy to be able to freeze them.
http://www.valeofmowbray.co.uk
Good morning Pie consumer, as to your enquiry I would not advise to freeze our pies as they are not of the same quality post defrost. “I do hope this helps”
Sounds like they advised not freezing them to avoid degrading the quality versus a safety thing. Unfortunately, like you, we have no way to know what process they have been through so would be tough to say whether or not it is suitable for home-freezing.
My pregnant granddaughter has eaten a very small pork pie which was mistakenly frozen at Christmas. Should we be alarmed?