Does the ice water slush at the bottom of the cooler really matter?

[BBarnett13]

I line the floor of my coolers with interlocking plastic drain tile and leave the plug out. Use a pair of side cutters and cut to size. Keeps meat out of water and allows the water to drain freely.

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[EdP]

I also have a rack/drain system for my cooler. It is made from 2" foam insulation board with channels cut and so serves 3 functions: 1) Keep meat up out of water, 2) Allow water to be drained off, 3) Additional insulation.

 

[WoodBow]

It doesn't matter. Try it both ways and see for yourself. I don't drain my coolers. Meat is all excellent.

 

[Rich M]

We use ice down here and cover the whole thing, it is all wet - drain cooler daily and add more ice. Do it for about 10 days and then process. Meat is fine. I do same for beef when processing cow.

I had more issues keeping meat in an empty fridge - stayed cool but got slimy. No thanks.

 

[WCB]

Am curious if those folks that feel it is a great idea to soak wild game for days on end in ice water, do they also do the same thing with their domestic meat such as beef, pork, turkey, chicken, catfish, etc?

Takes zero effort to remove a drain plug, use plastic bottles with frozen tap water, dry ice, etc for transport home.

Fish I do all the time. Hell when we go to the cabin and are having a fish fry as we clean fish we throw the fillets into an old metal refrigerator drawer full of water. Some of the fish sits in there 2 maybe 3 days before it is cooked (of course in the fridge. We pull it out once a day drain and refill the water. Done the same with catfish.....Do the same with ducks, geese, grouse, etc. Soak it for a couple days and change out the water. Then either eat it or freeze it. However, I am not one to soak Beef or Venison etc.

To the OP...does it matter not completely sure. I have had meat get partially submerged for a day or so and never noticed an issue. To prevent this though We have the large flat/square ice packs that come from those ready to cook meals like Hello Fresh or Every Plate. Put each one in 1 gallon zip locks. WAY better than gallon ice jugs that take up stupid amounts of room. No leaks to date, lay flat, can use them like a partition to divide items, or even layer in with the meat not just top and bottom.

 

[Mikido]

Do y’all generally keep the meat in the game bags or removed?

 

[hiker270]

I do remove the game bags since they absorb water, always drain water. I also have a plastic rack on the bottom of my cooler to keep meat out of water.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I keep the bags on until I get home, then I remove the bags and reorganize the quarters and trimmings to be sure they're on top of a layer of ice and try to layer ice between them. I believe long term in the cooler the bags give bacteria a surface to settle in on, but mostly they've done their job and aren't really necessary anymore.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Do y’all generally keep the meat in the game bags or removed?

Frozen one gallon plastic jugs and meat in construction plastic bags has held for up to 3 weeks in my coolers for decades now. Dry and cold is the way.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Physics tells you the temp of the water will stay constant until the last piece of ice melts. For long term I have never drained the water.

Whether or not your meat is in the water is up to you. Having lived remotely for long periods of time we always saved the water to prolong the cold.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Physics tells you the temp of the water will stay constant until the last piece of ice melts. For long term I have never drained the water.

Whether or not your meat is in the water is up to you. Having lived remotely for long periods of time we always saved the water to prolong the cold.

Prolonging the water inside of plastic jugs works really well and you don’t have wet meat. Simple. Effective.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

I do both, never had any issues.

Typically when we drop 20-30 giant canada geese they are breasted out, legs and thighs removed. Everything goes into a large cooler full of ice and about 1 cup of pickling salt. By that point im sick of dealing with em so they sit overnight. Then are processed for storage within the next day or two.

Was taught to salt soak to remove as much blood as possible. How much validity there is to it, not certain. Do know it makes it easier to clean up shot holes and remaining skin/fat bits.

Deer I'm processing the day of if possible. Don't have the space or equip needed to dry age, and frankly don't see the point.

 

[DangerRanger]

No, I don’t believe it matters at all. Many of my deer get left in a cooler for a few days with ice added and draining.

 

[gtriple]

It 100% does not matter. Best venison I've ever had was accidentally wet aged for 10 days (thought a bag was waterproof that wasn't). It was the rutty old buck in my profile pic. I swear the loins were the best game meat I've had.

 

[gtriple]

I also have a rack/drain system for my cooler. It is made from 2" foam insulation board with channels cut and so serves 3 functions: 1) Keep meat up out of water, 2) Allow water to be drained off, 3) Additional insulation.

I do like that recommendation if you want to keep meat dry.

 

[TXCO]

I freeze gallon water jugs so the water stays in the jug as they start to melt. It works pretty well and saves a lot of money compared to buying ice at the gas station every trip.

I do the same. Works great


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[Novashooter]

I don't worry about it, but I'm not aging meat either. I don't drain my coolers, it seems to me it melts a bit as everything cools down, then it settles down. If you drain it, the ice melts faster. I often dump ice right on top of meat too, although I try my best not to have stuff sitting in the liquid water. Of course I also wash my coolers well with soap before I leave too.

@AZ_Hunter_2000, I try not to leave my game animals on ice for days on end, although sometimes it works out that way. To answer your second question, yes, I often marinade meat. Usually not turkey, but catfish, an overnight soak in salty water can give it a nice flavor.

 

[Jimss]

Dry ice sure is nice....but expensive. No worries about having wet or dis-colored meat and it lasts a heck of a long time. Bacteria is a problem when wet...especially warm. Is it worth the risk having wet meat?

Also, most trips I also bring home capes. I can guarantee taxidermists would agree that wet capes are a taxidermist and capes worse nightmare! You are only asking for problems once capes get wet. Not only blood soaking into and being distributed throughout a cape but bacteria problems.

 

[Novashooter]

Dry ice sure is nice....but expensive. No worries about having wet or dis-colored meat and it lasts a heck of a long time. Bacteria is a problem when wet...especially warm. Is it worth the risk having wet meat?

Also, most trips I also bring home capes. I can guarantee taxidermists would agree that wet capes are a taxidermist and capes worse nightmare! You are only asking for problems once capes get wet. Not only blood soaking into and being distributed throughout a cape but bacteria problems.

I've thought about dry ice, but logistically it doesn't seem a great option. You can't buy the stuff in every town anymore. Unless you buy it before you leave for a trip you can't guarantee you can get it at all without going way out of your way. It might make sense if you are well away from home, but if you are doing a weekend trip, spending $50+ on ice that might not even get used seems foolish to me.

Wet meat is not a risk. I don't know a lot about keeping capes for taxidermy and such. I just air them out until cool, and they seem to dry out enough its not a problem. This would be different if it were 70+.

 

[nidahobrushswimmer]

Done several elk in ice chests for multiple days. I just drain once a day or two and make sure no quarters are resting directly against each other or cooler surfaces. Had perfect meat every time so far.