Storing meat in a kegerator

[istr810m]

My wife and I have a farmer friend who is going to sell us beef. I don't have a chest freezer so I would have to buy one. Always looking to maximize return on investment, as well as trying to rationalize making a kegerator again, I want to know if beef can be safely stored at 26 degrees which is what I would like my beer at? Or am I looking at 2 separate freezers :-(

 

[myndflyte]

Do you mean 36 degrees? Because, aside from your high ABV beers, your beer will be frozen at 26 degrees. Assuming you mean 36 degrees, then it's just like a fridge. I wouldn't store meet longer than a few days to a week in the fridge.

 

[TechFanMD]

Your freezer should be close to 0F. Not to mention you'll be putting warmer kegs in there and the temp will easily go above freezing until the new kegs cool.

WAY too warm for meat in my opinion.

 

[istr810m]

Do you mean 36 degrees? Because, aside from your high ABV beers, your beer will be frozen at 26 degrees. Assuming you mean 36 degrees, then it's just like a fridge. I wouldn't store meet longer than a few days to a week in the fridge.

No I meant 26 (twenty six). When I had my kegerayor a few years ago, that is what I kept it. Now granted the controller may have been off by a few degrees, but it was below freezing. So my question is, let's even say at 28, will the meat spoil?

 

[day_trippr]

"Here are some basic guidelines for storing meat in the refrigerator. Raw ground meats, all poultry, seafood, and variety meats: Refrigerate 1 to 2 days. Raw roasts, steaks, and chops (beef, veal, lamb, and pork): Refrigerate 3 to 5 days. Cooked meat, poultry, and seafood: Store in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days." Mar 10, 2010
Meat in the Refrigerator: How Long Does It Last? | FoodSafety.gov
https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meatinrefrig.html

 

[TechFanMD]

No I meant 26 (twenty six). When I had my kegerayor a few years ago, that is what I kept it. Now granted the controller may have been off by a few degrees, but it was below freezing. So my question is, let's even say at 28, will the meat spoil?

Yes. It will spoil. Slower than in the refrigerator but it will absolutely spoil. 0F is considered the minimum to store meet in the freezer. Lower is even better and it will last longer. Anything above that will cause degradation - the warmer it is the faster it will degrade. You'll be just below fridge temp in the best of circumstances.

28 degrees is 28 degrees higher than the recommendation.....it is a lot.

 

[bob1852]

I used to occasionally keep veggies in my kegerator (set to 37*).

One time, I put some vacuum sealed meat in there, thinking that because it was set below 40* it would be similar to putting in the fridge.

A couple of days later, I realized I was relying on the temp controller setting and not the actual temperature (which was much higher in my collared keezer).

Yeah, that meat was tossed....

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Longer term storage of meat needs temps of between -24°C and -18°C, -10°F and 0°F for the metric deniers. Beer would definitely freeze at that level.

 

[S-Met]

What is your intention with the meat in the kegerator? Long term storage is not an option, but you could definitely do some dry ageing. Perhaps up to 45-60 days, but you need to watch moisture levels.

 

[FunkedOut]

meat degradation is the exact same thing as meat aging.
there’s wet aging and dry aging.
get yourself a vacuum sealer, seal it all up tight and 1 month in the fridge is not enough to get hurt.
you’ll notice the meat you eat at the 1 month mark is more tender (more aged, more degraded) than the meat you eat right away.

YMMV and this advice is worth what you paid.
I’m not liable and cannot be sued if you get the Hershey squirts.
Proceed at your own risk.