Transporting Meat in Cooler

[roadrunner]

I freeze 20oz and 1 litre bottles full of water. I take 2-3 48 quart coolers full of these on hunts. I use a 3rd, much larger cooler, for my meat. I place a few at the bottom of the large cooler, add a layer of meat/quarters, then more bottles, etc. Once the meat is cooled down from the first group of bottles, I remove them as many will be partially or all the way melted. I then repack with the second cooler of bottles and hold the meat for days. It keeps the meat dry and cold. I have kept a quartered elk this way for 8 days in 40-70 degree temps.

In very warm temps, I also keep gallon zip lock bags in the event I need to put more ice on meat. I firmly believe that keeping water off the meat results in better meat at the dinner table.

This. Remember, heat energy flows from high to low, so the ice is absorbing the heat from the meat. This is why a hot stove burns you. The more you can layer ice and meat, the better off it is because you draw meat core temp out from two outside surfaces.

As you drain loose fluid (water), you remove cooling material. Keeping it contained keeps the cooling ability in place. Once the total "system" is in equilibrium, it will maintain that temp, which will be somewhere in the the 40's until you get home.

 

[roadrunner]

So you guys using frozen jugs/bottles...you're hauling them from home?

Yes. Double line the internal walls of your cooler with the styrofoam insulation you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes and, in essence, build yourself a Yeti cooler for pennies on the dollar.

When it's time to throw meat in, remove the bottom and side layers of styrofoam and keep the top piece for added top insulation.

 

[bsnedeker]

I freeze 20oz and 1 litre bottles full of water. I take 2-3 48 quart coolers full of these on hunts. I use a 3rd, much larger cooler, for my meat. I place a few at the bottom of the large cooler, add a layer of meat/quarters, then more bottles, etc. Once the meat is cooled down from the first group of bottles, I remove them as many will be partially or all the way melted. I then repack with the second cooler of bottles and hold the meat for days. It keeps the meat dry and cold. I have kept a quartered elk this way for 8 days in 40-70 degree temps.

In very warm temps, I also keep gallon zip lock bags in the event I need to put more ice on meat. I firmly believe that keeping water off the meat results in better meat at the dinner table.

Dumb question, but how full do you fill the bottles? I've been using frozen gallon jugs for years but I like the idea of the smaller bottles to fill in the gaps better. Are you doing 2/3rds or do those little bottles allow for a bit more?

 

[orionsbrother]

Anyone have any links to racks to put in the bottom of coolers to keep meat out of water? I looked on Amazon but only found tiny racks that don't look like they would elevate the meat enough.

Here’s a simple trick. Repurpose or buy some egg crate diffuser panels for fluorescent lights. Cut to the size of the bottom of your cooler. Zip tie a few small wooden dowel rods to the bottom of the egg crate running lengthwise. I use four for a large cooler.

It helps aid the draining of water. I think those diffusers are about 5/16” thick. With the small dowels and zip ties, you only lose about 1/2”-5/8” of depth in the cooler.

The diffusers are more rigid than the Kitchen metal drying racks and won’t sag.

In hot weather, I pack my meat bags more sparingly so the meat can be spread out flatter and layer with ice to chill the meat faster, I open the plug and set a rock or branch under the opposite end of the cooler to speed draining.

I add ice to the top of the cooler as it is lost.

Once the meat is chilled completely, repack with ice or add dry ice on top of remaining ice, close the plug and travel. If you’re traveling a distance, you can open the plug and drain whatever small amount of water ends up under the egg crate, but it probably won’t be necessary if you use dry ice. Especially if you cover the cooler and it isn’t exposed to direct sun.

 

[Ron.C]

lots of good tricks to preserve ice and meat. If I'm on a longer trip I like to have one of my big marine coolers full with 10# blocks of ice and it doesn't get opened. Andy dead air space on top gets filled with my old ranger blanket.

If I have no choice and have to put warm meat on ice , its a good idea to leave the lid cracked a bit to let condensation and heat to escape. When I have to do this, I tent that cooler with my old ranger blanket. I've done this with elk and bears.

In my experience, your ice will go farther this way than closing it in and not letting the heat escape.

 

[RCB]

Last year, I threw pronghorn quarters in the cooler, then opened up large bags of ice and dumped directly on the meat. It certainly cooled down the meat quickly. The waterlogged meat did not look very appetizing, but it didn't taste any worse than other game I've had.

A few months later I shot a deer. This time I kept the ice in the bags and just laid the quarters on top of it. This way they were mostly in contact with the ice (at least on one side; might want to flip it periodically if you have a long drive), but wouldn't be enveloped by water as the ice melted (my driver was only 4-5 hours home). The meat looked better but I can't say that either was obviously superior in taste or texture.

I think I'll keep going that route just because it looks better, but I could see someone going the other way.

 

[Pyro5312]

DIY or outfitter? I’m heading that way in April. Trying to figure out what to hunt and with who.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guided with Lopaka Aloha Adventures. Hunt with dogs and pig taken with a knife. One of the best adventures I ever experienced. Highly recommended

 

[07yzryder]

butchered my first muley this year, was 80 out at the time. Did the gutless method and took the quarters back to camp to hang and let a "crust" form, youll know what i mean when it hangs for a bit. I should mention camp was in the shade and next to a very cold water creek.

later that day (8-10 hours) i put the meat into the cooler with a bunch of frozen 1 gallon water jugs in it. No worry about water, slight condensation but not enough to matter. Just make sure you pour a little water out and leave the lid/off when freezing.

I had quite a few people complain they hated muley cause it was gamey. Every one of these people said this one was different, had 0 gamey taste and was actually some of hte best meat they had.

What matter is a quick clean kill, and getting it cooling down (not necessarily iced down) quickly. Ive read some who were hunting for a while and just hung their meat over a cold creek to keep it cool.

 

[Camslameron]

I just know this... When I go to the meat market, they almost never pull that ribeye rack out of a cooler of water to butcher...

I just skin them asap, let them hang long enough that the meat isn't HOT, like when the meat gets that semi shiny film and it's room temp, it's good. I have been packing the quarters in contractor trash bags, twisting them up and then doubling the bag over and tying it up. It's not water proof, so you can't just let it sit in a slurry. Block ice is awesome, but regardless of what kind of ice you can get your hands on, just keep the water drained out.

At's how I dew it anyway.

 

[long hunter]

2019 ntelope hunt put pre frozen shrink wrappd meat (from the processor) in a igloo 64 qt. cooler, 4 blocks of dry ice place a sheet of cardboard between the ice and meat, two blocks dry ice in bottom of cooler cardboard on top of ice and then the meat same on top of meat cardboard, then dry ice. and used gorilla duct tape around the edge of the lid, 3 day trip home which included a day hunting pheasents in south dakota, meat was froze solid when we got home, even if you process your own try too find some dry ice, yes it will freeze the meat but even with thawing out too further cut and wrap once home it will not hurt it too re-freeze it.

 

[Ike Carlson]

I layer ice, meat, ice, meat, ice. Add more ice as needed and leave the drain open. I have left deer like this over a week. No grey meat and it was awesome. It will melt ice for a day and then will use less once the meat is cold. Just keep it topped off with ice.

We built a walk in cooler last year and it is a game changer, but the "cooler full of ice" is right there with it. The only downside to ice is having enough ice and coolers. Check on them once a day and add ice as needed.
The walk in is "hang it and leave it alone" friendly. I have left deer and pigs in there for 3-4 weeks with no problem. It costs about the same to run as the ice for the coolers. The coolers are a great way to get your meat home to the walk in too. Just put cardboard down in the walk in to catch drips.

 

[will2258]

I am making the switch this year from exclusively using a processor to doing my own processing. I live in Missouri and hunt whitetails here, and I go out west once or twice a year for a DIY hunt. This year I am going to Wyoming in September for an antelope hunt and Montana in November for a mule deer hunt.

This may seem silly, but my question revolves around transporting meat in a cooler. I expect this to be more of an issue on the goat hunt as it will be warmer. I have searched high and low, and I have found so many inconsistencies on what folks do…

“Put the meat directly on ice”
“Never let the meat touch ice”
“Let the meat sit in water to let the blood out”
“Never let the meat touch weather”
“Keep the cooler plug open”
“Only open the plug once a day to drain or it will cause bacteria growth”
“Cool the meat before throwing in the cooler”
“Throw the meat directly in the cooler”
“Use frozen gallon jugs”
“Gallon jugs do not allow for the top of the meat to get cold”
“Use dry ice”
“Dry ice will burn the meat”
“Keep the meat in game bags”
“Put the meat in trash bags”
“Take the meat out of game bags so it can breathe better”

I plan to take an 85 quart cooler for the antelope meat. The antelope meat could be in the cooler for up to 4 days. I plan to skin and quarter the animal as quickly as possible. This is where I am not sure what to do next…. Do I need to cool the meat before putting it in the cooler? If so, how do I cool it? What ice method works best (wet, dry, bottles)? Should I put the meat in game bags or trash bags or something else?

I would really appreciate hearing what has worked best for you. I would even appreciate hearing what has not worked for you. I love antelope meat, and I owe it to the animal to not screw this up. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!

Had the same questions and never got a clear answer, thanks for starting the thread!

 

[G19X]

Everyone has their own way and i'm sure most methods work fine. I got to meet author/restaurant owner Jessie Griffiths and he later told me he never puts meat directly on ice ever. Meat in trash bags, on ice.

 

[EdP]

I put meat in clear plastic bags made for food, not trash, then put them in the cooler with ice. Most trash bags these days are treated with a chemical to prevent bacteria growth and bad smell in your house. I don't want to be eating that chemical. With a bit of searching you can find the bags on-line. I got my bags from these folks: https://www.uline.com/Grp_3/Flat-Poly-Bags

 

[Steve from GA]

I put meat in clear plastic bags made for food, not trash, then put them in the cooler with ice. Most trash bags these days are treated with a chemical to prevent bacteria growth and bad smell in your house. I don't want to be eating that chemical. With a bit of searching you can find the bags on-line. I got my bags from these folks: https://www.uline.com/Grp_3/Flat-Poly-Bags

Same here. After my elk meat is cooled down and dry, I put it in big ass food-grade clear plastic bags, push as much air out as I can, twist the opening end tight, twist tie that, and then the meat goes in coolers with bags of ice packed around it. Works like a charm.