Actually I have 2 questions

1. How long can game meat be left in the refrigerator (cleaned/skinned of course) before it can safely be grinded /frozen and consumed?

The second question is the following. I have a couple of friends who shoot game (a lot of game because the whole family hunts) they quarter it and freeze it. Then a couple of days theythaw it out process it and re-freeze it. I was always told that this is a very unsafe practice. What is correct? Thanx

POP - I will relate a story just for the moral of the story. A lady I know will take a goose ( dead ) and hang it with wire on the porch . When the gooses head detaches from the goose she says its ready to eat . I must admit that I had some goose she cocked and it was very good. That was before I knew how she prepared it "BLAAAAAAAA". I would suggest common sense rather than what you hear and read. I would only keep wild game "refrigerated" for the same time it would take to age beef. You can always do tests and find out what ways make you sick .

Take care

Back To The Stove
Turtle

Hey Pop,

We always bone out our venison, freeze the "grinding meat" in Gallon Ziplocs. Then we thaw it all out, grind up the lot, and refreeze the ground meat in small (1-2 pound) portions. Been doing this for many years, and still around to talk about it.

I think BBTurtle is describing the "French method" of aging gamebirds, as discussed in the L.L. Bean wild game cookbook. If you're intersted, PM me and I'll get you a copy. Not for the faint hearted!...

As far as how long refrigerated before freezing/cooking, I don't like leaving it for more than 3-4 days, and that is in "heavy" brine. Saltwater will kill bacteria (and anything else, for that matter).

If I'm wrong - I sure would like someone to tell me why.

Regards, Bill

Bill M -
You are right on target. Definitely not for the faint of hart and for that matter I DO NOT recommend it either . I also agree with the 3 to four days max. This can be done with no brine if and only if you have a meat locker.
Thanks

Back To The Stove
Turtle

Good Question Pop.
There is not a health risk in refreezing meat.The real problem is more quality related.When the moisture in the meat cells freeze,it expands and ruptures the cell walls as it turns to ice crystals.
The longer it takes to freeze,the bigger the ice crystals.Thats why very rapid freezing is better.

When you thaw this once frozen meat it will release some moisture because the meat cell walls are ruptured.If you refreeze it yet again then thaw it a second time the meat will be very dry because the cells are ruptured a second time and can not hold their moisture as well.
Ground meat moisture loss will be somewhat higher than whole muscle because the cells were ruptured by grinding them.Thats why some people add bread crumbs to the burger because bread crumbs will absorb this released moisture and lock it in the burger making it juicy.

[ 10-15-2003, 06:19: Message edited by: turnerhunter ]

The secret to meat preservation is sanitary
butchering and rapid cooling.

We hang our beef at 0-1 degree centigrade for 10 days-2 weeks before cutting.

Beef can hang for 4 weeks at 0 degrees centigrade with 85-95 degrees relative humidity
without additional care.Vacumn sealed carcasses may hang for 2 months,unfrozen,before they reach the butcher shop.A beef carcass needs at least 48 hours to chill.

Quite often deer are field dressed a few hours-a couple of days before you even get them home.
I usually get them into a freezer in a couple of days.

WC

Pop,

Wildcat Crazy is correct about hanging beef or deer carcasses, but this of course depends upon having somewhere suitable to hang them. A walk in chiller is best, but if the weather is suitable you need at least a hygenic fly /vermin proof "larder" even if its only a net one...

Generally, your nose tells you when things have been hung too long...a slight "strong" smell is not a problem and does not transfer to the butcher/cooked cuts nor does hanging automatically mean that the meat is going to be overly "gamey" either.

There was a very good thread on carcass care on one of the forums you might like to do a search for it..

regards,

Pete

Being raised in the arid southwest and having hunted Africa many times, meat quickly skinned and hanged in the shade will cool overnigt and then form a black crust...It will keep, even in rather hot weather if kept in the shade..We had a dirt celler at our ranch and it was fairly cool but outside the heat soared to 120 degrees, that meat kept very well in the celler even in the summer....It was covered with Cheesecloth and we cut meat off as needed..trimmed off the rhine and it was always good clean meat...

In the cooler climate of Idaho where I now live I hang it out for 24 hours to about 3 days then butcher it..but one can butcher deer the same day of the kill and freeze it without a problem. I have killed young goats and ate them immediately and they were great...

The point being that meat properly handled can be preserved even in hot climes...meat in a fridge I wouldn't want to eat after about 3 or 4 days max..It will spoil in a fridge...If you freeze and re freeze meat it really gets dry and the flavor gets pretty rank with game meat.