meat storage

[bubba]

How does everyone store their venison?  i know in a freezer.  I mean how do you package the meat.  Do you put all the information on the packages that is required?  I process my own and I use a heavy duty vacuum sealer and mark the packages with what it is date of kill and tag number.  It will stay for a decent amount of time that way.  I have been thinking of taking freezer paper and wrapping the sealed packages in it for an extra layer of protection.  

[Deerthug]

I use a food-saver and plastic vacuum sealing bags. Work great. But the meat has to be partially frozen otherwise the machine sucks up the blood. I also mark the bags with date of packaging and type of cut of the meat.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Deerthug

[Early]

I like to put wrapped packs of similar meat:  steak, stew, burger, etc. in airtight plastic (see through) tubs and then stack these in the freezer.  Helps to organize the freezer and keep the meat longer.

[NFA-ADK]

Question:  If the butcher does not mark the meat with the proper information who gets the ticket?  Who is  responsible for that information. 

[ncountry]

The last bunch of years I have taken deer to a neighboring meat cutter..vacuum packed and stored with the original tag..Not aware that they have to be individually labeled..

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

The last bunch of years I have taken deer to a neighboring meat cutter..vacuum packed and stored with the original tag..Not aware that they have to be individually labeled..

 

+1

[ants]

the guy who cuts mine up uses freezer paper and is pretty good at labeling the packs (wax pencil, not magic marker that you can taste when it bleeds through the paper)

I separate the cuts/packs and put them in big paper shopping bags and fold the bags closed. It prevents freezer burn for a long time.

[wooly]

I put my meat on styrafoam meat trays and wrapped in cellaphain the same way meat is packaged at the supermarket.

Then I toss each pack into a gallon size zip-loc freezer bags, let the air out, and mark the kill date and whatever cut it is.

Then I just brown bag it all and chuck it in the chest freezer with the carcass tag.

[bubba]

Not sure it is the law anymore.  Old habit from years back where it was the law.  I just kept doing it.  Also used to be it all had to be used up by april 1st, but no more.  Did not mean to cause a bunch of crap.  

[DCHunts]

Not sure it is the law anymore.  Old habit from years back where it was the law.  I just kept doing it.  Also used to be it all had to be used up by april 1st, but no more.  Did not mean to cause a bunch of crap.  

 

That really used to be a rule, that it had to be used up before April? That is crazy....lol

NY State at its finest

[ncountry]

Love the new vacuum sealers . Meat easily lasts into the summer when we  switch over to fish ...lol

[bubba]

Yup but you could get a permit to keep it longer from a dec officer.  But remember in the days of these rules, you got one buck tag for the season, so you would get one deer for the season and season was done in late November.  Not hard to eat up one deer in six months by April.  I just emailed a dec officer buddy to see about any new regs just for my curiousity

[DCHunts]

Yah that's just odd that they would tell you when you had to consume it by. That seems like a bit much. What was the intended purpose of that rule?

[ncountry]

I am guessing anything after April was considered fresh, therefore illegal .

[bubba]

No as said there was only one deer.  if you had a freezer full it was to prevent poaching.  Realistically it was a silly law.  I hear that in the old days they would look up by report tags and come and check your freezer after april 1.  What I am saying is people would poach deer put the tag number on it and have meat until whenever and say the one deer you shot in the fall that weighed 550 pounds lol.  

[DCHunts]

I guess in some bass ackwards way it makes sense...still seems like a bit much. But hey just look at the Un-safe act I guess NY has always had some weird laws. And i'm merely using it as a reference, don't mean to hijack.

[bubba]

no problem i totally agree

[thphm]

I have had some over a year old wraped in freezer wrap and put in zip lock bags, no burn and tasted great.

[CFab011]

If you do get a little freezer burn, do you use it to make stew or is it no good at that point? I've had some packages from last year look suspicious lately and just choked it down and smiled. Thoughts?

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[cdmckane]

My butcher wraps in plastic, then in freezer paper.  I do my best to use up last year's deer before breaking into the new stuff.  Not sure that'll be an issue next year given that I've only got one so far this year. 

 

The tag only needs to stay with the meat while it's being transported.  My butcher tapes it to one of the packages of steaks, and that's the one we usually open up first. 

 

I recently found a package of inner loin from 2010 in the bottom of my freezer.  I was going to cook it up, but it had a funny look to it (don't know if I could explain it if I tried), and pulled apart real easy before it was even cooked.  It smelled fine, but I just wasn't sure of it, so I tossed it.  IDK if it was freezer burned or what was wrong with it, but I figured that I wouldn't want to feed it to my daughter, so I shouldn't feed it to my wife.

[bluecoupe]

Vacuum sealed with Tilia. Marked with the year, cut, sex and into a commercial style freezer that I have running at -25dF

 

I've had venison get lost in there and found it after three years. Thawed in the fridge and fried it up. Tasted just like the day I brought it home.  Proper vacuum sealing and storage temps and you're good to go.

[dbHunterNY]

i'm not aware of any rules like those mentioned.  I process my own deer.  Once I cut it up I use different stuff.  for ground venison I use sleeves, spinning them tight to get air out.  then everything else gets vacuum sealed in bags with a food saver vacuum sealer.  I then label everything by with the date and cut (sirloin, backstrap, round, tenderloin, etc.).  that's it.  no tag number or sex.  most of the time i'll know by the date what was shot.  all of it goes into a chest freezer in the basement.  I grew up with commercial equipment including learning how to use commercial plastic wrap and freezer paper the right way.  I still feel the vacuum bags keep it much better than any other method.  everything gets eaten within a year or so.   seems to be still very fresh.

[FX62]

I wrap cuts in saran wrap keeping it between pieces as I wrap and get all air out as possible. I then wrap in freezer paper and tape seam with packing tape dispensor(doesn't stick to gloves). Label package : venison, type of cut, "D" for doe and "B" for buck, and date with a sharpie that doesn't bleed through freezer paper. I keep the tags separate for reference if inspected. Ground venison goes in qt freezer bags 1lb each and patted flat to get air out and stores better in freezer. They are labeled same way. I've had good luck up to 2yrs storing this way but most of the time its gone before then.

[FX62]

I have found a big reason for keeping things frozen longer and better is a NON frost free freezer. The frost free type seems to "freezer burn" more. JMO

Edited December 1, 2013 by FX62

[WNYBuckHunter]

I seal mine in vaccum bags and label with what it is, the date and sex of the deer. My tags all stay on a magnetic clip on the outside of the freezer.