Can ground beef that was partially thawed in refrigertor and the refrozen be safe to cook and eat?

Answer 1

Most experts do not recommend refreezing meat that has thawed but there are some conditions under which it can be done with no harmful consequences. I've done it on occasion. I think the reason they flatly discourage it is because so many people would do it even when their handling of the meat is outside the parameters of safety so it's easier to just say "Don't do it". First, the meat MUST be kept cold, even if thawed, the entire time. If it's only partially thawed, that's better. If it's thawed, it should not have been left on the counter to thaw because it would not stay cold. The meat should be wrapped - either in foil, plastic wrap, or a plastic bag. In other words, meat that has been kept wrapped is less likely to be subject to more bacterial contamination than is safely overcome. Of course it should be discarded if there is any "off" odor. Do not ever refreeze any type of meat or poultry that has been thawed and has been at room temperature for a length of time. That's asking for problems. But if it's still cold, it will be okay to refreeze once. The times I've done this is when I have taken something out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw, then my husband might suggest going out to dinner or picking up something to bring home. I seldom turn down that kind of offer so that's when I've refrozen what I had thawed. I've never had a problem.

Answer 2

If it was handled and packaged properly, was safe before originally frozen, was thawed under refrigeration and re-frozen without allowing the thawed meat to become contaminiated or to go bad, it could be safe. It probably won't taste as good or might be drier and tougher than if it had not gone through an extra freeze-thaw cycle.