You can freeze leftover cooked beef for up to 3 months, if it is covered and refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking - this prevents harmful bacteria from growing to dangerous levels and maintains the quality of the meat. Beef left at room temperature for more than 2 hours could be unsafe to eat and should be thrown out.

Tips for freezing cooked beef

Every time you handle meat, you increase the chance of increasing bacterial growth which can cause food poisoning. If you have leftover beef, you can freeze it once, defrost it and eat it cold or reheat it once as long as you handle it safely as outlined below.

1. Before wrapping, check the beef is cold to prevent moisture from forming and causing freezer burn.
2. Slice roasted joints and remove any liquid, especially from rare roast beef and steak.
3. Portion the meat into meal-sized servings and place in airtight freezer bags or freezer-proof containers. Smaller portions offer greater flexibility and are quicker to defrost.
4. Label each portion with a new use-by-date.

Defrosting and reheating cooked beef

When ready to use your frozen cooked beef, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. It can be eaten cold or cooked and consumed within 2 days for ground and diced beef and 3 days for steaks and roasts.

The secret to successfully reheating beef without drying it out is to add moisture and avoid cooking it further. Before reheating, remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes. Place in a pan on the hob, in the microwave or in the oven, add a little beef stock, gravy, sauce, butter or oil and cover. Cook on medium until the internal temperature of the meat is 70℃ before serving.

How to tell if frozen cooked beef is bad

Once defrosted if the beef has a foul odour, discoloured patches or a sticky, slimy texture this also indicates that the beef is off and should not be eaten.

If the freezer packaging is damaged, or you failed to cool the beef sufficiently before freezing, you may find ice crystals on the surface indicating freezer burn. This dries the meat out and creates discoloured patches. Once thawed the texture will be tough and unpleasant to eat and the beef is best thrown out.

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