Deer meat storage

[Howler80]

Any tips on storing deer meat for maybe almost a year, some old feller I know told never to wash it before freezing, rather wash it before cooking, taughts?
Thankyou

 

[Centralcoastca]

I don’t anything about washing it, but we will rinse off the skinned deer and then pat it dry if it needs it. Sometimes we just brush the hair off if it if it’s basically otherwise clean. Dry meat in my experience is best. After butchering it gets vac sealed and then eventually just cooked however it gets cooked, maybe some extra trimming but no washing. My family usually goes through a couple deer a year so it’s usually it around long, but I’ve had deer meat that was forgotten in the depths of my buddies freezer that was a few years old and processed the same way. it was fine though a little freezer burned on the edges. In my opinion the only reason to really wash it off is if it’s gut shot and needs it.

 

[Zappaman]

I freeze (all but burger) in zip locks WITH a liltle water left in the bag. Worked on 25,000 year old "fresh frozen" mastodons up in Alaska when gold miners were feasting on it 150 years ago

The water keeps the burn off MOST (95%+) of the meat and while mine never goes more than about a year-- and eats good!

YMMV...

 

[Centralcoastca]

I freeze (all but burger) in zip locks WITH a liltle water left in the bag. Worked on 25,000 year old "fresh frozen" mastodons up in Alaska when gold miners were feasting on it 150 years ago

The water keeps the burn off MOST (95%+) of the meat and while mine never goes more than about a year-- and eats good!

YMMV...

I know some people freeze fish in water, never tried it or with other meat, makes sense though, another way to keep air out.

 

[EdP]

Doube wrap in plastic wrap followed by paper and never had a problem even 3 or 4 years out.

 

[GrayGoose]

Double wrap here as well. Plastic wrap then freezer paper. Haven't had any issues with keeping meat like this up to a year and longer. Get a tight wrap with the plastic to squeeze out any air.
I dont wash the meat at any point in the process. Just pick off any hair or other debris as needed.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Once in awhile we have more venison than we need for our annual supply of burger. We clean, dehair, trim, and pack it in big vacuum sealed bags then freeze it. When it is defrosted a year later it was like it was frozen yesterday.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Saran Wrap, a big enough piece that it gets a good double wrap, then the same with butcher paper.

 

[cnelk]

Can it. Lasts longer than a year

 

[Bigfishman]

We never wash prior to sealing. We did purchase a chamber style sealer and use 4 mil bags and it is good over a year.

 

[rayporter]

for years we just wrapped in butcher paper and would sometimes find 3 or 4 year old meat hid in a corner. sometimes there would be freezer burn on the old stuff but it was not often.

now we just use zip locs with same results.

 

[huck]

I agree .Double wrap in plastic wrap in freezer paper ,we never wash but will trim if need be . Have never lost a package yet ,we have 5 chest freezers ,but I have turned some into jerky . And canning is great to maybe the best .

 

[Zappaman]

Make sure your freezer gets down to -10... that has been the biggest factor in long-term storage to me over the years. Had a deep freezer that always had brown meat after 6 months. I finally got a thermometer in it and it was only hitting zero. Sold it (with full disclosure) and replaced. No brown meat problem now.

 

[MTNBOYJD]

I did the plastic wrap and freezer paper for years, works well. I got an LEM MaxVac 500 and have good results.
You have to use good quality heavy bags or vacuum sealing isn't any better. Damage to the wrapper in the freezer is the biggest problem.

 

[Maki35]

I wrap& zip lock bag it and freeze.
If you can vacuum seal it, even better.

 

[Harvey_NW]

I typically don't rinse unless necessary, but I vacuum seal everything and try and leave about 3/4" gap between meat and the sides so it has an air channel. Then I stack the cuts in grocery bags and put them in the freezer. If you need to get to the back it really helps with not disrupting the packages and creating air space for freezer burn.

 

[hunterdanman]

We vac seal nice cuts and use ziplocks for ground and it works fine. You might get a bit of freezer burn if the bag gets punctured but I have never had to throw anything away even after a year or 2 if it got lost.