Deer Meat Question

[lildorris00]

So...i killed a deer and it took about a month for me to get the meat back...."lost" phone number etc but I was able to get the meat. At this time, it has been frozen for a few weeks. The processor does not vacuum seal the meat so there is already some ice on the meat. Would I (should I) thaw the meat out, dab it off to dry it, and try to vacuum seal it myself? Will this do more damage than good?

 

[Gator89]

No, put it in the freezer as is.

Meat warpped in heavy freezer paper will keep several months, I have ate it after a couple of years.

Thawing and re-freezing is not good. You can thaw it and make smoked sausage then refreeze it.

 

[Buckman18]

You can vacuum seal it now. Not a problem. Seal it frozen. Thaw it and seal it and refreeze it. Won’t hurt a thing.

 

[Gator89]

Is It OK to Refreeze Meat?

Sometimes—but not always. Read on for more!

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Can you refreeze meat after thawing?​

According to the USDA, meat should be thawed in the refrigerator and never at room temperature. If you didn't thaw your meat in the fridge, you should toss it and not refreeze it. If you did thaw it in the fridge, then you can refreeze the meat as long as it hasn't been sitting in the fridge for too long after it thawed (the longer the thawed meat sits, the longer bacteria has to form on it). If the meat has thawed and has been sitting in your fridge longer than 36 hours, we don't recommend refreezing it.

Why is it bad to freeze meat twice?​

If the meat is raw, then follow the guidelines above. If the meat is already cooked, you will lose a lot of the texture and flavor if you thaw and refreeze it again, so we do not recommend refreezing cooked meat. You should also not freeze (or refreeze) any meats that have been sitting at room temperature for longer than 2 hours or at a 90˚ or higher for more than 1 hour.

 

[antharper]

I wouldn’t worry about it

 

[Whit90]

IMO… Assuming it was wrapped in butcher paper, it’s probably fine. I have frozen, thawed, ground, re-froze, and thawed meat a bunch of times with no issues. Flavor and texture has always been just as you know hold expect it to be, and nothing less.

 

[Beagler]

I worked as a meat cutter for over 30 years, as others have said put it in the freezer and don’t worry about it. As far as thawing meat out and refreezing, that’s a bunch of rubbish that’s done everyday in stores one way or another.

 

[bfriendly]

I’ve got another question-I got some venison from someone and it is in these packs. Some of the packs have a yellow tie and the others have a red one. I cooked one of each last night thinking it was sausage. I made and ate manwich with the red lied one, but I don’t think it was sausage, just grind! The other one also seemed to be just grind. I’d like to make jerky out of it, but not if it has fat in it. It was really good, fried up like pure grind with very little grease …….nothing was marked, just different colored ties. What say you?

 

[Batjack]

I worked as a meat cutter for over 30 years, as others have said put it in the freezer and don’t worry about it. As far as thawing meat out and refreezing, that’s a bunch of rubbish that’s done everyday in stores one way or another.

Yeah, what is it the FDA says... meat or fish can be frozen and thawed 4 times and still be called "fresh" on the shelf?

 

[Gbr5pb]

I’ve got another question-I got some venison from someone and it is in these packs. Some of the packs have a yellow tie and the others have a red one. I cooked one of each last night thinking it was sausage. I made and ate manwich with the red lied one, but I don’t think it was sausage, just grind! The other one also seemed to be just grind. I’d like to make jerky out of it, but not if it has fat in it. It was really good, fried up like pure grind with very little grease …….nothing was marked, just different colored ties. What say you?
View attachment 1198003View attachment 1198004

I got blue tape ties

 

[Browning Slayer]

Is It OK to Refreeze Meat?

Sometimes—but not always. Read on for more!

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Can you refreeze meat after thawing?​

According to the USDA, meat should be thawed in the refrigerator and never at room temperature. If you didn't thaw your meat in the fridge, you should toss it and not refreeze it. If you did thaw it in the fridge, then you can refreeze the meat as long as it hasn't been sitting in the fridge for too long after it thawed (the longer the thawed meat sits, the longer bacteria has to form on it). If the meat has thawed and has been sitting in your fridge longer than 36 hours, we don't recommend refreezing it.

Why is it bad to freeze meat twice?​

If the meat is raw, then follow the guidelines above. If the meat is already cooked, you will lose a lot of the texture and flavor if you thaw and refreeze it again, so we do not recommend refreezing cooked meat. You should also not freeze (or refreeze) any meats that have been sitting at room temperature for longer than 2 hours or at a 90˚ or higher for more than 1 hour.

If you don’t thaw your meat in a fridge you should toss it out? Just more reason to not listen to the USDA. No one should ever trust sources that end with .Gov

 

[Gator89]

If you don’t thaw your meat in a fridge you should toss it out? Just more reason to not listen to the USDA. No one should ever trust sources that end with .Gov

The link said if you don't thaw meat in the fridge, you should cook it, but not to refreeze it.

That is exactly what my mother taught me, once meat is thawed it should be cooked, not refrozen.

 

[Gator89]

I worked as a meat cutter for over 30 years, as others have said put it in the freezer and don’t worry about it. As far as thawing meat out and refreezing, that’s a bunch of rubbish that’s done everyday in stores one way or another.

What temperature is the meat allowed to reach?

For how long?

 

[lildorris00]

I’ve got another question-I got some venison from someone and it is in these packs. Some of the packs have a yellow tie and the others have a red one. I cooked one of each last night thinking it was sausage. I made and ate manwich with the red lied one, but I don’t think it was sausage, just grind! The other one also seemed to be just grind. I’d like to make jerky out of it, but not if it has fat in it. It was really good, fried up like pure grind with very little grease …….nothing was marked, just different colored ties. What say you?
View attachment 1198003View attachment 1198004

If it is not marked then I would assume all of those are grind but you may want to call whoever gave it to you (or the processor) and ask.

 

[godogs57]

You can vacuum seal it now. Not a problem. Seal it frozen. Thaw it and seal it and refreeze it. Won’t hurt a thing.

Eggzackly. Sure, PROPERLY wrapped meat should last a good while. Your meat wasn’t, as you have ice forming on the meat. Unwrap it, vacuum seal it while still frozen and you’re golden.

 

[Waddams]

i have non vacuum sealed ground and cubed from last season that thaws and cooks just fine. I've taken freezer burned meat out, shaved a bit off, then cooked it up just fine too.

personally I think freezing meat is much more forgiving than lots of people say.

 

[fishman1957]

I've been in the meat business over 40 years the one thing you have to always think about when freezing anything it will never get fresher in the freezer, it will freeze in the condition it's in

 

[WOODIE13]

Can it

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Butcher paper has been keeping deer meat long before vacuum systems came around. Easily keeps it for over a year if wrapped properly.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

Butcher paper has been keeping deer meat long before vacuum systems came around. Easily keeps it for over a year if wrapped properly.

Yep, I wrap all my deer steaks in butcher paper. Some make it 2 years before we eat it. It is never freezer burned and tastes great.