5 year old chop meat

[Short Track]

I ate 5 year old Venison chop meat I found in the bottom of my freezer. I'm still alive

I know industry standard is 1 year, but nothing really wrong with it, except I cut off the freezer burnt part.

No way I can finish an Elk, or Moose, or even a few deer in 1 year. How long do you guys store meat ?

 

[Drenalin]

I'm pretty close to empty by the time season rolls around, but it's not unusual to have some linger for around the two year mark. I usually trim away any freezer burn and give it the sniff test before cooking, so far so good.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I try to ride it all out so that the freezer is empty by the time I'm putting new stuff in it. I've discovered, and eaten, some seriously old stuff at times and it's always been fine. I had some steaks that were pushing 6 years once, couldn't tell them any different. They were properly wrapped though.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Why you eating burned meat?
thought you shot a elk ?

 

[SoloWilderness]

I have had properly packaged elk that was 4-5 years old just show little bits of burn where there was air or ice crystals inside. Trim it, season it up and your good. I usually clear the freezer every year and give stuff away to family that's older, they all say it tastes great and ask for more... But a few pieces can sneak by. These are usually commercially packaged cuts, I have found that anything over 2 years old that I vac sealed myself tends to show alot more burn, as I can't get the tight seal my butcher does...

 

[WCB]

A year is as long as stuff sticks around in my freezer...I know between my wife and myself we will have the opportunity to kill enough of whatever game we want that the freezer will be full after the fall and realistically could be a month into season.

Haven't shot a moose but if I did some of the meat would be given away and if meat lasted me longer than around a year I would be even more selective on the bucks I kill and wouldn't shoot does "for meat" since I wouldn't need any....No idea how meat sits in freezers for multiple years. Once a year I go through everything and rotate the older stuff towards the top, whatever it is< and it gets prioritized for meals.

 

[fishslap]

My wife and I can eat most of an elk and a deer in a year. We have a little overlap. We do prioritize eating the elk so I have had some mule deer that we didn’t finish for a few years. If packaged properly, I don’t think you’d notice the difference between month old and three year old meat.

 

[Short Track]

Why you eating burned meat?
thought you shot a elk ?

I love internet stalkers. Would you like my picture & telephone # too ?

 

[Pharmacist]

Can always feed it to the dog!

 

[Lawnboi]

Meat frozen without fat can last quite a while.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

No idea...I dont put dates on things in the freezer...just type of meat and cut. Never had any issues.

 

[Rich M]

It all depends on the freezer. A chest freezer that will allow frost to grow will keep meat a long time. I eat fish (vac sealed) that's over a year old and both venison (mostly ground in 1 qt ziplock freezer bags - not vac sealed) and beef that is over 2-3 yrs old regular. We butcher beef cows as able and aren't afraid to store it til we work thru the other meat.

 

[bc54]

I take 1yr as the "best by" date. Aside from freezer burn, never seen anything wrong with meat up to two years old. Round then I usually finish it up, so no experience with 2+ y.o. meat