Tips to keep pork fresh all year round

Choose meat

You should choose to buy fresh and delicious pork with identifying signs such as: The meat has a bright pink color, firm, solid fibers, thin skin. When pressed, the surface is dry and has good elasticity.

Avoid buying soft, mushy meat with strange color and smell, yellow fat, and white spots on the meat fibers because the meat shows signs of spoilage or infection that is harmful to health.

Meat preparation

Cut the meat into meal-sized pieces for easy defrosting. Wash the meat with diluted salt water mixed with lemon, then rinse with warm water and drain. Salt water helps kill some bacteria if any, while the two substances in lemon, citric acid and vitamin C, help the meat stay fresh longer. The meat needs to be completely dry because if there is any water left, when frozen, the meat will be surrounded by ice and when defrosted, the meat will lose its natural sweetness.

Brush with wine, cooking oil, and honey to enhance flavor.

After drying the meat, place it on a clean surface and use a brush to sweep a layer of white wine over all surfaces. Alcohol has an alcohol concentration that effectively disinfects and cleans surfaces. Next, sweep a layer of honey (optional) over the surfaces. Since ancient times, honey has been a natural preservative. Moreover, the amount of sugar in honey helps the meat retain nutrients and prevent them from escaping according to the rule of "salt separates, sugar retains" in cuisine. Finally, sweep a layer of cooking oil to create a soft, shiny film around the meat to protect it from bacteria. Moreover, cooking oil does not dissolve in water, so when frozen, the meat is less likely to have ice chips and retain its delicious flavor.

Package meat and freeze

If you have a vacuum sealer, that's best. If not, use plastic wrap to tightly wrap each piece of meat to prevent air from getting in. Then wrap everything in foil or put it in a sealed box and freeze it. If you make a lot, freeze it twice (the first time to let the meat freeze, then put the pieces of meat into a large box, when you take it out it's easy because each piece of meat is separate). With this method, pork can be frozen all year round, used gradually and still fresh and delicious.

When eating, take out enough for each meal, put it in a box and put it in the refrigerator to defrost slowly, after 12 - 24 hours depending on the size of the meat.

Or if you need to do it faster, place the meat on the bottom of an upside-down pot. Then fill the second pot with water and place it on top of the meat. The flat, heavy metal is a good conductor of heat, the pot and the water in it help transfer the temperature from the meat to the outside environment, gradually melting the ice. After only about 10-15 minutes, it can be defrosted while still maintaining its bright pink color.