Using an old fridge

[Bigfeet]

Started processing my own meat last year. I was considering finding an old fridge to keep any early season meat in to cool and age before processing. As it turns out, a friend of mine had such a fridge and dropped it off. When I opened it I discovered it was pretty ripe - some rust, mold and gunk inside from having been unplugged for a while, and not cleaned. I cleaned it thoroughly (took hours), with soap and bleach, and turned it on. Runs fine but there is a slight musty smell. My wife is concerned that mold spores, in the crevices of the fridge, could contaminate our meat and affect the taste.

The fridge will be on when we put meat in - so it will be used just as a cooler. Any thoughts if there is a need to be concerned?

 

[bourbon]

Put a bunch of wadded up newspaper in there and a few bowls of baking soda. The newspaper usually works great at absorbing odors. I wouldnt be concerned about mold.

Also for proper dry aging you need a constant 36 - 39 degrees for best results. This can be difficult for most fridges.

 

[Ray]

I was once given a one that was a couples garage soda fridge. It would not keep fresh vegetables longer than three days. After several years of cleaning and cleaning and checking it out I found that there was an rotting organic layer of pop and beer within the air venting system. $25 at the dump and I was much happier.

Another buddy bought a used fridge that had a bad compressor. It would not get down to temp or freeze if the ambient air was over 50. It only worked as a fridge outside in the cooler part of the year. Inside the house it was a food heater.

If you really want to have a meat aging system get a chest freezer and a digital temperature controller. The digital controller controls the on/off of the freezer and allows for better temp control above freezing. The home brewing of lager beer requires this type of system. You can get a Johnson controls plug and play or build your own using dozens of on-line instruction sources.

 

[bourbon]

I agree with using the temp controller. They can be found at most places online that sell keg supplies.

I actually prefer the upright freezers though as you can put 2x4s in and attach hooks for hanging quarters, etc.

Check craigslist for freezers. Sometimes you can find a great unit for cheap.