LongHorn Steakhouse Never Uses Frozen Steaks. Here's Why
For steak lovers, by steak lovers. That's the motto of LongHorn Steakhouse, the popular chain that's famous for, well, steaks. With nearly 500 locations across the country, the casual American restaurant prides itself on its high-quality, juicy beef. Since it first opened back in the 1980's, LongHorn Steakhouse has been serving up almost every cut of meat you could want, including ribeye, filet, sirloin New York strip, T-bone, and porterhouse steaks. Don't forget about the best-selling Outlaw Ribeye, either, which is 20 ounces of fire-grilled meaty deliciousness.
If you're wondering what makes LongHorn Steakhouse's steaks as mouthwateringly tender and tasty as they are, it's due to more than just the quality of the beef they source — it also has to do with how they prepare it. More specifically, how they store it. Unlike many busy chain restaurants, LongHorn Steakhouse never uses frozen steaks. All of the meat you see on the menu is fresh and it's for a very good reason.
Freezing steak can mess with the final result
"Always fresh, never frozen" isn't just a catchy tagline — it's also a way to ensure you're getting the best-tasting steak served to you every time you sit down at a LongHorn Steakhouse table. One of the restaurant's meat masters, Chef Michael Senich, says that many steakhouse chains choose to freeze their steaks because it's cheaper, easier to store, and most cost-effective. However, that can seriously affect the taste and texture of the steak once it's cooked, he told The Daily Meal.
According to Senich, when steaks are frozen, not only can they get freezer burn (which messes up the final flavor), but if they're thawed improperly, they can also be difficult to prepare at the right temperature. Steak School adds that if ice crystals form on a steak when it's frozen, it can ruin the structure of the muscle meat and result in moisture loss when the steak thaws.