meat in the cooler

[Superkodiak38]

I’ve never understood soaking meat in water. It’s just a bad way to handle the meat.

Ever eat a wild boar hog ? Salt water slush is the best way to handle that meat. It won't hurt deer either, I have a friend who fed all his kids without buying meat at the store and that's how he did it. Minus the salt for venison, the salt makes the slurry colder and helps with flavor on wild hogs.

 

[rayporter]

here is how it works out for me.

cooler full of ice setting for 2 days then shoot deer. guess where the meat goes? on top.
or

go hunt, shoot deer. put deer in cooler and go get ice. guess where the ice goes- on top of the meat.

when it is over 90 you do what you have to do.

 

[Studd muffin]

I’ve never understood soaking meat in water. It’s just a bad way to handle the meat.

Why is soaking the meat with ice and water a bad way to handle meat? My family and pretty much everyone I know add meat and ice to an ice chest, then over a week continue to add ice and drain some water out. This soaks all of the blood out of the meat.

I am just curious as to why it is bad? Is it unsanitary or something?

 

[EasilyExcited]

That's close on cooler space. A small rag horn filled my 105 and 65. Also frozen water bottles work well and dont have to worry about draining water

 

[zacattack]

It’s very unsanitary. Any bacteria or spoilage organisms (molds and such) that are on any part of the meat can come into contact with the rest of the meat through the water. Cold temperatures don’t kill bacteria, they are just stopped from reproducing.

If you don’t like the gamey flavor cut out as much fat as possible from the meat. Fat contains most of the flavor in meat, when compared to the actual muscle itself. Every noticed how white meat chicken is very bland? Yep no fat in it.

The red color that you are removing is also most likely not actually blood, it’s myoglobin which is responsible for the red coloration of muscle/meat not blood.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I like to put block ice in the bottom first then lay the meat on top. I keep it in game bags until I process it at home.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kong]

Sorry I know alot of Hawaii guys do the salt and ice draining the water for wild pig over a few days. My question wouldn't cooking/smoking kill those organisms?

It’s very unsanitary. Any bacteria or spoilage organisms (molds and such) that are on any part of the meat can come into contact with the rest of the meat through the water. Cold temperatures don’t kill bacteria, they are just stopped from reproducing.

If you don’t like the gamey flavor cut out as much fat as possible from the meat. Fat contains most of the flavor in meat, when compared to the actual muscle itself. Every noticed how white meat chicken is very bland? Yep no fat in it.

The red color that you are removing is also most likely not actually blood, it’s myoglobin which is responsible for the red coloration of muscle/meat not blood.

 

[JO.]

Any big game meat we always wash off the hair or anything that is on the meat and then put a layer of ice and salt then add meat and ice on top till full. I normally set a block under one end of the cooler and leave the drain partially open and add ice daily for about a week. This pulls most of the blood out and to me makes for better tasting meat. It would be best to hang in a walk in cooler for a week or two if available but this is my next preferred method.

As far as contaminating the meat, any bacteria that is in the meat will be killed if cooked properly anyway. I would still rather eat meat prepared as mentioned above than buy burger or other meat from any larger grocery store.