Help me settle this debate. My friend’s mother and uncle are saying it necessary to freeze a whole, vacuum sealed beef tenderloin before cooking it on Christmas Day. Purchasing from Costco and the expiration date is 1/5/26. Uncle is a chef at a hotel in Europe and is insisting that this needs to be done. I have never ever in all my years of cooking or bingeing on the meats heard of freezing a cut of beef like that prior to cooking when it is properly packaged. Help me out.
by TexasTantrum
42 Comments
Fridge is fine until then if it’s sealed like this
If you’re buying it now that’s fine. I would take it out of the bag and dry brine for 24-48 hours before the cook.
If your family is very insistent, freeze it now and start defrosting the 21st. Then you can take it out and brine the 23rd. It will still be a bit frozen in the middle then.
In fact, I’d recommend **not** freezing it.
I would never do this at any of the restaurants I’ve worked in over the previous 16 years.
Proper, commercial low oxygen packaging would be fine for a month, let alone 14 days.
Keep it in the coldest part of your fridge, as that other commenter stated.
It’s fine in your fridge, but if they’re going to make a whole big argument out of it, then I’d spare myself the drama and freeze it. Make the uncle cook it if he’s such a big shot chef.
You can use the date of 1/5 as a do something date, either cook or freeze, not both.
As long as your fridge is a proper temp should be no problem at all. If you didn’t pick it up it would sit at the store exactly like that for longer.
You absolutely do not need to freeze this piece of meat. In fact, you shouldn’t freeze it. The meat has a sell by date (not an expiration date) which is a guideline for selling. It’s basically universally agreed that you can keep the beef 30-60 days refrigerated after that date. It’s a process called “wet aging” beef.
I would recommend telling them you froze it and just keep it in your fridge.
It’s 100% ok to leave refrigerated. From pack date its good 40+ days if left unopened
It’s 100% ok to leave refrigerated. From pack date its good 40+ days if left unopened
This thing fits in your fridge?
Tell your uncle that food service industry trains people to be paranoid about food storage and prep and you don’t want to ruin the meat by freezing it.
Your biggest issue here is that this piece of meat seems to have slipped into a void of nothingness and I have no idea how one would get it out
I buy packer primals and leave them on the fridge for a month or so before cutting into roasts/steaks.
What does the label say?
how much was that 300 bucks?
No. He’s a weirdo. Guessing taking precautions to not get people sick but it’s unnecessary. More of a liability
That meat will just get more tender the longer it stays vacuum sealed.
And it will still be good after the expiration date.
For god sake do not freeze it.
In Europe, they probably have to have the beef shipped in from a wonderful country with millions of acres of pastures. Such as the United States! So it probably sits in a shipping crate waiting to clear custom, making sure that it is not an illegal immigrant, before being transported to a market. Then, Uncle chefy sends someone to said market to purchase it. So, yeah, he probably would get it frozen.
Not at all. I’m not sure I trust a chef that wants to freeze meat unnecessarily.
Long time restaurant chef here
We regularly age these for a min of 40-60 days from pack date for best flavor and texture. (We could afford to do this) you bill be fine not to freeze
It’s possible there are different standards where your uncle is from in Europe at the packing plants. In US packing plants, cryovac beef bags are sterile and last a long time. Matter of fact, letting it sit in your refidgerator for 30-40 days is how you can wet age all your beef cuts making them more tender. This obviously wouldn’t have a significant impact on a tenderloin though.
If you open it up just a little, you’ve got 7 days in the fridge tops. Keep it out of the danger zone (41 º – 135º Fahrenheit). For the sake of freshness, personally, I would freeze it until Sunday and then thaw it for the rest of the week in the fridge (stored below ready-to-eat food to avoid contamination of said food).
– ServSafe Certified
It’s not a must; but since your cooler/fridge at doesnt go as low as the ones in store it’s best practice to do so. Most people got their fridge around 5 degrees Celsius (41F) while stores tend to be anywhere from 0 to 3 degrees Celsius (32-37F) while it’s a small difference, it makes a major difference for food.
I’d think it would be fine as long as it’s in the fridge.
Dry aging?… So no problem
Don’t listen to your uncle who is a chef at the days in. Don’t freeze it. It’s good well beyond that date since it’s vacuumed. Also, red meat is sterile on the inside. Just refrigerate until time for use. Set it on the counter to come to room temp for an hour before you cook it.
There’s no harm in freezing it and then taking it out 3 days before to thaw properly in the fridge.
You’re fine. Uncle is wrong
No need. It’s vacuum sealed.
Me..I’d go with freezing and using the three day defrost method..it won’t hurt it and I prefer to be on the safe side
DO NOT FREEZE. I own a small meat distribution company in the US. I personally have eaten stuff 6 weeks past the use by date if the seal is not broken. EDIT: 1 in 100 of these tenders from big packers can have an absolute vile smell indicating contamination from pooping the guts and making the tenderloin gross. Slight fart smell is expected after opening, vile rotten smell indicates you won a bad lottery.
Are you gonna cook it whole, or cut it in to steaks?
It’s fine if kept in the vacpack and in the fridge below 40 degrees.
No
Sysco foods ages all their beef at least 28 days from slaughter date. It’s a service they do for the restaurants who don’t have the space to do so. It’s better for the meat.
90 days+ wet age is not uncommon.
By reading all if the comments it is 50/50..do what makes you feel good. Tell your friends mother and uncle they were right at least to humor them.
As long as it stays sealed you can keep it in your fridge for up to 60days with no concerns.
You’ll be fine those things can last a long time if they’re properly sealed
I just bought one of the vac-sealed prime tenderloins from Costco yesterday with the intent to cut it into steaks on Christmas day. The **sell by** date on mine is 1/6/2026.
FWIW, I just put it in our secondary fridge and have no intent to freeze it.
no probs wet aging a couple weeks. i do it with briskets as well.. 30 – 45 days.. some do longer. just keep it sealed and very cold.
It can wet age and there’s already an expiration or best by date advertised that is well before Christmas. The date shown is for it being defrosted and freezing it would keep it safe to eat well beyond the expiration