Lomo and Lonzino recipe successful! Now what?

[Michael K Johnson]

I’ve successfully completed my Lomo and Lonzino pork loin dry age recipe. As big as the pork loin was, I now have several pieces of Lomo and Lonzino that need to be eaten before they go bad. I let them go a little longer than the 35 to 40 % suggested moisture loss. I’m around 47 to 50%. I like the texture better.

So what can I do for extended storage? How long will these dried, cured meats last if I vacuum pack them and put them in the fridge? AND, how would these meats turn out if I froze them for an extended period after vacuum packing? Or should I just start eating, or giving them away?

So far my family and neighbors really like how they turned out. One I rolled in cracked black pepper instead of paprika.

[Jim]

There is no hard shelf life that anyone can give you for these, because they are home made and no shelf life studies were done on your process.
If you had 47-50% moisture loss, you eliminated much of the main source of spoilage of any food product, that being water. I would suggest packing them in Foodsaver vacuum bags and storing them in your fridge, that way you will have immediate access to them if you feel like consuming them. They should last at least a couple of months like that. You can also freeze them and then they will last much longer. But of course it means you would have to defrost them every time you want to consume. Maybe you want to do that to part of the harvest.

[Michael K Johnson]

I’m sure I will try both methods. Vacuum bags in the fridge and freezer. I will eat some for sure in the next couple of weeks, but will want to freeze some for later on. My biggest question is once they are frozen and then thawed out, does it change the texture or taste of the meat when thawed out? Just curious.
Thanks for the reply.

[Jim]

There isn’t much moisture in the meat. Moisture crystals is what damages texture. As long as you vacuum seal them before freezing so as to protect from freezer burn you should not notice any difference.

[Michael K Johnson]

That is what I was hoping to hear. Thank you.

[Bob]

There really is no need to freeze. Storage in the fridge vac sealed the shelf life is indefinite. The same goes for dry cured salami. They will also continue to develope flavor.

[Michael K Johnson]

Ok. I vacbagged several pieces last night and put in the freezer. Would be ok to pull out and put in fridge? Once thawed back out should they still keep indefinitely as you suggested they would?

[Bob]

If previously frozen. That I do not know.

Storage times for sausages here. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/sausages-and-food-safety/ct_index Dry cured whole muscles you can search the FDA site for. Also check Aw

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