The key points
- Barbecue meat can be frozen and grilled from frozen, but it will take longer to cook and lose more moisture.
- Thin cuts of meat sometimes benefit from being frozen, as they can develop more roasted flavours.
- Ice crystals impair meat quality, so airtight packaging is important.
- Gentle defrosting in the fridge is recommended to preserve the best consistency and flavour.
Freezing barbecue meat and grilling it from frozen?
In general, it is possible to freeze barbecue meat and grill it from frozen. However, there are a few things to be aware of. One thing for sure is that frozen food takes longer to cook than food which is already at fridge or room temperature. Frozen food also shouldn't be barbecued on a very hot and oiled plancha. huge temperature difference between the ice-cold meat and the hot oil produces a lot of smoke. Also, the spitting from the oil is then so extreme that real care needs to be taken to avoid being burned.
A distinction also needs to be made between thicker and thinner pieces of frozen meat. Thicker pieces of meat need significantly more time on the barbecue due to their low core temperature. The first challenge might be achieving the optimum core temperature without burning the surface. Thicker pieces of meat generally also have uneven surfaces so it's not possible to completely seal the surfaces when searing. This means that overall the meat loses more moisture during the longer cooking process. A barbecue that can be closed would also be important for minimising further loss of moisture.
The smooth surface on thinner pieces of meat makes things a lot easier. In some cases frozen meat could even be helpful for ensuring is it done to perfection. it takes longer than usual before the optimal core temperature is reached. More time is therefore available for searing the meat and allowing more of the roasting aromas to develop.
How long can you freeze barbecue meat for?
If you freeze your barbecue food, it should have a flat surface. This not only helps the barbecuing process, but also saves space in the freezer. You should also dab it dry before freezing. This helps to prevent lots of ice crystals from forming. In the freezing process these damage the cell structure and the meat becomes tough when cooked. The ice crystals also help bacteria to multiply during the defrosting. The meat should also be wrapped up to be as air tight as possible. This helps to minimise bacteria from forming and prevent freezer burn.
If you freeze barbecue meat, it will keep for several months. This means you can easily freeze pork belly or sausages for three months. Beef and steak can even be left frozen for an entire year! Storing barbecue meat in a Liebherr freezer significantly extends its shelf life, as modern cooling technologies create the ideal environment for deep-freezing. NoFrost prevents ice and frost from forming, so meat does not dry out or suffer freezer burn. Other functions, such as SuperFrost, enable rapid cooling to -32 °C, preserving cell structures and ensuring long-term meat quality. Thanks to these technologies, barbecue meat stays fresh, flavourful and nutritious for a long time when frozen, so it is ready to cook at any time.
Freezing barbecue meat and grilling it from frozen: does it taste different?
In most cases it actually does taste different. It is impossible to prevent ice crystals from forming completely. Frozen meat will therefore always lose significantly more liquid than barbecue meat that has already been defrosted and will tend to appear dry.
We therefore recommend leaving the meat to defrost overnight in the fridge. This avoids the critical temperature zones which cause germs to form, and the meat retains its quality during the cooking process. This way, you can freeze barbecue meat without any worries.
