Keeping Deer Meat?

[jaydawg]

7 day’s MINIMUM for me…surely you have your answer now jNick and should feel comfortable…lots of knowledge n experience in GON

 

[Core Lokt]

It'll be just fine. Keep the water drained off and plenty of ice.

 

[antharper]

Once you eat some of this one you’ll age them all that long . I normally go a week .

 

[jNick]

Thanks for the advice y’all! We’ll be waiting ‘til Saturday to process. We’re out here now trying to get another.

 

[rosewood]

I bought one of the yeti knockoff coolers at Walmart, Lifetime brand. Like a 50 qt or so. It has a water hose fitting on the drain. I took a short piece of hose, a water hose washer with the strainer (to keep ants out) and screw it on. Run hose out garage door. Keep fresh ice on it every 2-3 days. Have a grate in the bottom sitting on top of 2 of those large blue ice packs, keeps meat out of water. I leave the lid shut tightly to keep cool, drains fine. Works great. Have done up to 14 days. Never any issue.

Rosewood

 

[Dutch]

7 days in the cooler for me. you are doing it right, keep it iced down and draining. Meat will be fine.

Fyi...after you bone it out, take your grind, put it in plastic bags (I use grocery bags and put back in cooler on leftover ice, overnight. Chilled meat grinds better than meat that has been sitting out.

Been doing it this way for 30 years, never a issue.

 

[175rltw]

This was my first year to try ice cooler vs hanging in bags. I won’t be trying it again. I prefer dry aged in bags or on wracks in a reefer
The meat tastes great and is nice and tender but it was messier and more of a hassle to cut and package by a mile

Out west I usually process and pack in a motel before the drive home unless it’s not been long enough. In which case the bagged meat goes into a cooler with dry ice and I cut and pack when I get home.


Until recently I had a reefer it in my shop / garage that I used for aging meat but it met its demise at the hands of time and I have yet to Facebook up a replacement

 

[kayaksteve]

This was my first year to try ice cooler vs hanging in bags. I won’t be trying it again. I prefer dry aged in bags or on wracks in a reefer
The meat tastes great and is nice and tender but it was messier and more of a hassle to cut and package by a mile

Out west I usually process and pack in a motel before the drive home unless it’s not been long enough. In which case the bagged meat goes into a cooler with dry ice and I cut and pack when I get home.


Until recently I had a reefer it in my shop / garage that I used for aging meat but it met its demise at the hands of time and I have yet to Facebook up a replacement

I agree there’s no doubt that hanging is the best option but a lot of times that’s not an option so the cooler is the next best that I’ve come up with

 

[jNick]

Well, we received our meat grinder two days ago and processed the deer that my wife harvested last Saturday after 7 days of aging in ice. Let me tell you that you all that said once you try it you’ll never go back are right! My buddy and I couldn’t get over the texture and tenderness of the meat after aging a full week.

It only took about two hours from start to finish and the machine already paid for itself. Everything turned out great and my son had a blast helping. I pretty much showed him how and let him take over. One of the reasons I wanted to do this was for him to help, so that was huge.

As with anything we do after the first time we have all sorts of ways to improve next time and have a smoker in the works for sausage and such.

Now off to bed so that we can get another one to work on tomorrow!