How and where to store horse meat correctly?

Horse meat belongs to the category of perishable meats. It is not recommended to buy it in large quantities. In order for the product to be endowed with traditional taste, it must be eaten as soon as possible after purchase or immediately frozen.

You can store horse meat in the following forms:

• cooling;
• freezing;
• drying.

Often, horse meat is preserved in dried or smoked form. It is rather difficult to carry out such procedures, therefore, they are used only by experienced chefs with sufficient experience and knowledge.

Drying horse meat allows you to preserve the meat for a fairly long time… First, the product is abundantly salted, and then placed in the refrigerator for a day. Then the released juice is drained, and the meat is spread on a baking sheet, after cutting it into small pieces. Drying is carried out in a conventional oven at a temperature not exceeding 50 degrees. The process of rubbing with salt must be repeated several times. After 3-4 hours of drying in the oven, horse meat is packed in containers and tightly closed with lids. In this form, the meat can be stored for up to two years in a cool and dark place. You can cook dried horse meat by boiling or frying.

How and how much to store horsemeat chilled

Chilled horse meat should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 72 hours. As a container, you can use sealed containers or ordinary glass jars. It is advisable to eat horse meat as early as possible and not to keep it in the refrigerator for several days.

The nuances of storing horse meat in a chilled form:

• if chilled horse meat was purchased in containers, then it is recommended to open them only before direct preparation;
• when purchasing horse meat, you must immediately decide when it will be cooked (depending on the period, it must either be eaten within two days, or immediately frozen);
• horse meat can be cooled in containers, foil, enameled dishes or using a cloth;
• chilled horse meat retains freshness longer if stored in large pieces (in small pieces, the appearance of bacteria develops faster);
• experts recommend purchasing horse meat in containers for storage in a chilled form (in such packages, the meat retains its freshness longer than when placed in containers after purchase).

How and how much to store frozen horse meat

The process of freezing horse meat has its own nuances. When preparing meat for sending to the freezer, you need to stock up on foil or vacuum containers. Do not use plastic bags or cling film.

Horse meat can be stored frozen for up to 6 months. After this period, it is better to eat meat. The longer it stays frozen, the more its taste and consistency will be violated after cooking.

Nuances of freezing horse meat:

• in no case should you wash horse meat before freezing;
• before freezing, the horse meat must be wiped dry with paper napkins (otherwise the taste will be violated, and the meat after cooking will be too tough);
• it is recommended to store small pieces of horse meat in foil or, conversely, large bones, ribs and other parts;
• large pieces are placed in containers (if the meat does not fit into the container, then it must be cut into pieces of a suitable size).

Horse meat, like other meats, must not be re-frozen after thawing! The melted ice provokes the rapid multiplication of bacteria, and after repeated defrosting, their number will immediately increase several times. Eating such meat is hazardous to health.