A December meat plan that does not end in a full fridge

Every December the same thing happens: people buy too much meat in the last week, pay more for it, and then find the fridge cannot hold it. A little planning in November fixes all three.

Start with the numbers, not the recipes

For a gathering with rice or ugali and a vegetable, allow 300g of bone-in meat per adult and 200g if it is boneless. Children eat about half. That means:

• 10 people: 3kg bone-in, or 2kg boneless
• 20 people: 6kg bone-in, or 4kg boneless
• 50 people: 15kg bone-in, or 10kg boneless

If there are two meats — say choma plus a stew — cut each of those figures by a third rather than buying both at full quantity.

Buy in two waves

The mistake is one enormous shop on 23 December. Buy in two waves instead:

Wave one, early December: the cuts that freeze perfectly. Chaps, brisket, oxtail, goat for stew, whole chickens. Buy these when the price is normal and the counter is calm, and freeze them in meal-sized portions.

Wave two, the week itself: only what you will cook in the next 48 hours. Steaks, fish, fresh chicken, anything you want to eat at its best. This keeps the fridge from becoming a puzzle.

Freeze it properly or do not bother

Meat frozen badly comes back dry and grey, and no marinade fixes that. Three rules:

• Portion before freezing. Freeze what you will cook, not a 5kg lump you have to thaw whole and refreeze. Refreezing is what ruins meat.
• Press the air out. Bag it tight, flatten it, and remove as much air as you can. Air is what causes freezer burn and that pale, dry surface.
• Label it. Cut and date, written on the bag. In February you will not remember which bag was goat and which was beef.

Beef, goat and lamb keep up to four months frozen. Chicken three. Fish two. Minced meat freezes well but should be used within two months.

Thaw in the fridge, not the sink

A 2kg piece of meat needs a full day in the fridge to thaw safely. Put it on a plate on the bottom shelf, still wrapped, and plan for it. Thawing on the counter overnight is how people get sick at Christmas.

What to buy for the three meals everyone actually cooks

Nyama choma: goat leg, beef short ribs, chicken thighs. Bone in, cut choma-size.

Pilau or biryani: goat meat bone-in, or beef chaps. Ask for it cut small — pilau wants pieces the size of a thumb, not a fist.

A pot for the crowd: chaps or brisket, plus soup bones for the stock. This is the cheapest way to feed a lot of people well, and it improves if you cook it the day before.

Order early, and order by weight

December is the busiest month at the stall. If you need 15kg of goat for the 24th, order it a few days ahead and tell us the collection or delivery date — that is a normal request at this time of year, not an imposition.

Everything is cut to order, any weight from half a kilo in quarter-kilo steps, and delivered the same day across Nairobi if you order before 6:30 PM.