We have two or more steers a year butchered. Our butcher has always just used paper. Never had a problem except like shtrdave said. Always thaw it in the sink!

 

We've gotten beef from the butcher wrapped in standard butcher paper also. Never had a problem with long term storage. Butcher paper and freezer paper are generally coated on the inside with plastic wrap type stuff, if the butcher wrapped it tightly there shouldn't be an issue. I would try to keep it no longer than a year though. When you unwrap a package, check to make sure the plastic coating is there, if it is, you're in the clear!

Oh, and I hope all of you know this but. . .never, ever use a frost free freezer for long term meat storage. Have you ever left ice cubes in a frost free for a while? What happens to them? They dehydrate, well, that's what'll happen to your meat too. . .yuck!

 

Rose is correct as usual....

 

Hi Jim, how are you tonight?

 

I am great Karen a bit busy but what ya gonna do.

 

Busy's good sometimes, helps the time pass. I'm going to get busy here in a minute and check the inside of my eyelids for holes. . .could take all night!

 

Growing up we had a hefer/steer butchered every year and stored the meat in the freezer in just the paper and never had a problem. In the last few years, we've had a steer butchered every 2-3 years. The meat has kept fine in the interim. We've tried putting meat in the fridge inside ziplocks while defrosting, and half the time the ziplock leaks, too. Put it on a plate or in a bowl in the fridge to defrost.

As for storing meat in the self defrosting freezers, don't do it for more than a couple of weeks. It won't just taste bad, it will be bad. Use a deep freeze.