Ground venison

[crappyice]

Settle an argument - I feel that I can freeze the bits that I want to grind all season long(hopefully after a couple deer hit the ground) until the season is complete. Then, defrost those pieces, grind it and then freeze it as ground meat.

Wifey thinks I should grind in small batches and then freeze only once as ground.

I have some logic behind my thinking but I'm curious as to your thoughts first.

What's your procedure when grinding your own?

[132 eight pointer]

I just ground several pounds this week. I freeze the cuts I want to grind in a freezer bag and grind it after thawing and trimming anything that is white off the meat.I made a meatloaf and cooked it in tinfoil on my grill the other evening when it was 90 something degrees out.I have never re-froze the ground venison so I don't know how it would be that way.

[wooly]

I do the freeze-grind-freeze method all the time, and rarely ever puke anything back up.

You'll be fine.

 

 

[Paula]

I say no. Not sure why, can't remember right now. In food service you are taught you can't do that. It's easier to grind while it is either frozen or mostly frozen, so I grind and repackage and put back in freeze

I am also proud to say I have never put anything up either.

[Kot2B]

I'd be fearful of freezer burn, grinding is gonna create more moisture. When I went to culinary school they taught us once its out of the freezer and thawed, gotta use it or you'll lose it.

[SteveB]

Wrap air tight or vac seal and there is no problem and no freezer burn.

Most of the meat you buy in a store has been frozen.

Freeze, grind/package, and freeze - limit the time before refreezing and its fine.

[Kot2B]

Wrap air tight or vac seal and there is no problem and no freezer burn.

Most of the meat you buy in a store has been frozen.

Freeze, grind/package, and freeze - limit the time before refreezing and its fine.

I suppose that will work well if you also have a commercial sub zero freezer hanging around in your house. I see where you're coming from, probably would work but I hate losing food and having to throw it out.

[growalot]

I'm not quite sure of the point...if you froze chunks for grinding...which is what I do...then why not just grind as you use?...I package just enough for what ever I plan to make.1-2pounds and label...when grinding I just use the food processor....pulse just right and what you end up with is meat that tastes like ground sirloin...I just add a touch of olive oil before grinding for moisture in cooking

[First-light]

Some good points here:

Is it Safe to Refreeze Thawed Meat ?

 

Question: I thawed some frozen steaks for dinner tonight, but now I’ve had a change in plans and don’t have time to cook them. Is it okay if I refreeze them? 

Answer: It’s fine to refreeze the steaks — as long as you thawed them in the refrigerator.

If that was the case, you can put them right back into the freezer (see here for detailed advice on how to freeze them). When you eventually thaw the steaks a second time, you may notice a decrease in quality, but they’ll certainly be safe to eat, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

If, on the other hand, you thawed the steaks in the microwave or in cold water, the USDA advises that you should cook them immediately before freezing. That’s because with either method, the steaks could have at least temporarily warmed up to a temperature higher than 40°F. At that point, harmful bacteria can begin to multiply and only further cooking will destroy it; simply refreezing the steaks won’t do the trick.

Finally, if you thawed the steaks on the counter or in hot water, you shouldn’t eat them at all. The USDA cautions that it’s dangerous to eat any meat or poultry that’s been thawed under those two methods, as the outer layer of the food would have been allowed to sit between the bacteria-breeding temperatures of 40° F and 140° F for far too long to be safe.

 

[Carbonelement]

no re freezing! just shoot a deer at the end of the season and grind the whole thing.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

It is fine to do. We do it all the time for our sausage making and never have a problem. We thaw it controlled like in a fridge or coolers. I would do it as soon as you can break it apart in pieces you can fit in the grinder. We vacuum seal the chunks for grinding as we do the deer and the finished product is also vacuum sealed.

[CuseHunter]

I'm no food safety expert, but let me tell you what my hunting group of buddies have done for years.

Every deer we kill you keep the steaks, and the rest is cut up and put in a garbage bag and try to get the air out as best as you can. We then put it in the freezer. At the end of the season, after having all the deer down and processed, you'll have say 3 bags per guy in the freezer. We weight them all out, report the weigh-ins and buy pork fat and fatty beef in bulk from a butcher. Take the venison out and defrost. Everyone meets up and we all put our meat together and grind it up with the other fatty cuts of pork or beef depending whether we are making sausage, breakfast sausage, meatballs, or hamburgs. That's was we do and vacuum seal in portions each type and freeze them. I've never gotten sick from doing it, and will keep on doing it this way for probably the rest of my life.

[jjb4900]

I would just freeze it in larger chunks and grind it as you use it.........I've started freezing all my venison in larger chunks and cut it up when I defrost it to cook........I think the larger chunks keep better in the freezer.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I partially freeze most of what I grind, so it grinds better, then I vacuum seal and put it in the freezer after its ground. No issues.

[PooperScooper]

We put some packages in the freezer labeled as "to be ground." When we're processing more than one at at time and have limited time to do it, this seems reasonable. In the end we typically don't grind those packages. Instead we use them in small chunks for things we previously used ground meat for, like tacos, quesadillas, chili... I must say, I enjoy it that way more than ground.

That being said, some friends of mine grind up EVERYTHING and have a freezer full of ground meat because that's they way they like it. I imagine the re-freezing will effect texture and possibly flavor if nothing else.

Perhaps most importantly, my microbiologist wife states that she would not do it but that it could be done. The keys being timing and cleanliness...as always, it depends on how you handle it. Some may succeed, while others may be taking a great risk. It's complicated, which means you are going to get a number of conflicting responses and will need to decide what's right for you.

[First-light]

I'm no food safety expert, but let me tell you what my hunting group of buddies have done for years.

Every deer we kill you keep the steaks, and the rest is cut up and put in a garbage bag and try to get the air out as best as you can. We then put it in the freezer. At the end of the season, after having all the deer down and processed, you'll have say 3 bags per guy in the freezer. We weight them all out, report the weigh-ins and buy pork fat and fatty beef in bulk from a butcher. Take the venison out and defrost. Everyone meets up and we all put our meat together and grind it up with the other fatty cuts of pork or beef depending whether we are making sausage, breakfast sausage, meatballs, or hamburgs. That's was we do and vacuum seal in portions each type and freeze them. I've never gotten sick from doing it, and will keep on doing it this way for probably the rest of my life.

To each their own but I like the venison straight up!!!!

[crappyice]

Thanks for all the opinions. My initial thought is that it is okay to freeze-grind-re freeze for the reason that someone mentioned prior. I imagine that most meat we buy in supermarkets have been frozen prior to our purchase, yet the meat I buy is often "fresh" or has been defrosted. But if the sale is too good to pass up, we will stock up and freeze for later use. So that sounds like the Freeze-defrost-re freeze scenario. By harvesting our own meat, we are cutting out the first freeze that supermarket meats get from the slaughterhouse to the supermarket.

[jjb4900]

Thanks for all the opinions. My initial thought is that it is okay to freeze-grind-re freeze for the reason that someone mentioned prior. I imagine that most meat we buy in supermarkets have been frozen prior to our purchase, yet the meat I buy is often "fresh" or has been defrosted. But if the sale is too good to pass up, we will stock up and freeze for later use. So that sounds like the Freeze-defrost-re freeze scenario. By harvesting our own meat, we are cutting out the first freeze that supermarket meats get from the slaughterhouse to the supermarket.

my guess is, that if you saw how supermarket and restaurant meat was handled prior to our consumption, it would probably cure you from ever eating it again...........you'll be fine.

[Five Seasons]

i've always just done the grinding during butchering and froze the ground. everythings all messy and dirty anyhow... haha.

[crappyice]

Related question...anyone have any luck using the grinders that can attach to a Kitchenaide Stand Mixers?

[BornToHunt]

worked for a butcher in the past was told never to freeze thaw then refreeze meat makes it taste like S#@t.

[Fantail]

Long time ago I used to grind then freeze. Back then it was one or two of mine and help out with another or so. Then I got into archery and process more of my own plus others. From a time saving point I bag & freeze for later.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Fantail

[RangerClay]

When I cut up my deer, anything that is scrap or does not have a purpose is ground after I am done processing the rest of the deer.  I personally grind all the meat from both front shoulders. 

 

After grinding, I measure out 1 and 1.5 pound portions.  I put it in plastic food storage bags (not zip-lock), twist the top then wrap it in freezer paper.

 

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Related question...anyone have any luck using the grinders that can attach to a Kitchenaide Stand Mixers?

 My mother has one. It is OK if you are going to grind up for a meal.  But I woulnd't want to run much through it. I am a firm believer if you design something to perform many functions it will do all of them but none of them well. I am pretty fond of my 1.5 horse grinder....just don't get your fingers in there.

[blackradio]

When I butcher my deer, I take off all the steaks and roasts. Everything else I cut it off the deer, I first decide if it's big enough for chunks and if it is and doesn't have too much silverskin on it, I'll bag it and use for stew and stir fry. All the other little, stragly and stringy bits I bag and label it 'grind'. I package the grind meat in small portions so I can take them out of the freezer, grind and eat at my convenience. Works perfectly for me.