GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Wild Game Preparation and Recipes Gate => Topic started by: StuartHunts on September 14, 2016, 12:03:17 PM
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Hey everyone,
How do you store your kills long term?
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Ziploc bag, in the freezer.
For longer term, cover game meat with water and freeze.
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Ziploc bag, in the freezer.
For longer term, cover game meat with water and freeze.
I have never heard of covering something with water and freezing for long term storage. I thought that was the sort of thing you wanted to avoid? lol I'm imagining a squirrel-cicle.
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PACK IN CARDBOARD BOXES!
THE KEY to freezing anything is to protect the food from the wrath of the defrost cycle. It is the daily surface defrost that causes freezer burn.
I vacuum pack game delicacies. Fish I gently inhale* excess air out of the twist tie baggie with a straw before freezing. Clams, Squid, veggies I usually cover with brine.
*the usual word is not permitted
THEN I put all the food packages I create in it small cardboard boxes. Some amazon boxes work great. Even if I use storage containers I stack them in cardboard boxes too. (They also pack nice and repack.) A turkey for Christmas bought at Thanksgiving is wrapped in paper bags a couple layers.
This seems wasteful but when it is all done there is little wasted space. Partial boxes hold still air from escaping when the freezer is accessed and their contents can be rotated and refilled.
Whatever method you choose, Put your packages in those cardboard boxes. I can't say it enough.
Blueberries three years look like a week old.
Whatever your choice, the big enemy is the defrost cycle. Cardboard insulates the food from the defrost. This also helps a manual defrost freezer too. it keeps frost buildup to a minimum.
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Vacuum sealer.
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I also freeze mine in water. If their isn't any air getting to the meat it won't freezer burn. I have thawed squirrel after a year in water and it's still fine. Small ice cream tubs work good cause they stack, but freezer bags work fine. Just make sure it's 100% covered.
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Ziploc bag, in the freezer.
For longer term, cover game meat with water and freeze.
I have never heard of covering something with water and freezing for long term storage. I thought that was the sort of thing you wanted to avoid? lol I'm imagining a squirrel-cicle.
I do it as well, it cuts down the freezer burn.
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I vacuum seal most of my fish and game, but freezing in water does in fact preserve meat extremely well and I've used that technique as well.
Jeff
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Flour and fry, other wise cover in water and freeze.
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I vacuum seal most of my fish and game, but freezing in water does in fact preserve meat extremely well and I've used that technique as well.
Jeff
Thinking about it, it makes sense. All of those preserved things stuck in Glaciers, and all!
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I've never covered mine in water in the bag. If fact the only kind of meat I've heard of that done with is fish. However, when processing venison I let the meat soak in ice water for 2-3 days. I do not drain the meat. When its done soaking I simply debone it (if I didn't debone it in the woods), process it into the cuts I want, then freeze in zippy bags. Perhaps the ice bath I give it causes it to hydrate enough to protect it. I've had venison keep for up to two years. The only issue I've had come up is that the old venison (2+ years) needs to be eaten quickly after it thaws. After a few days in the fridge after defrosting, it will sometimes go bad.
This past spring I started using a vaccum sealer. No word yet on how long it may extend shelf life.
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Double wrapped. Zipper Zip-Loc type bag or vacuum sealed, then wrapped with freezer paper will protect from freezer burn for an extended period of time. We've used this system for years on fish, venison, hog, etc. with great success. Press and seal freezer bags haven't always protected the meat as well.
Hey everyone,
How do you store your kills long term?
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For me storage depends on what animal & whether its been dressed or not.
For example, fresh killed iguanas complete with claws & combs go in a cardboard box, lizards that have already been prepped for the pot go in a ziplock bag. Those combs & claws are usually razor sharp, & they'll shred any bag made of anything short of canvas or nylon. Same deal goes for possum & armadillo.
For larger animals like caimans & such I usually skin & dress out properly & section the cuts I want into labeled zip-lock bags for storage in a cardboard box in the chest freezer.
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Butcher paper.
(http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv101/5amoset/stuff/79A71D85-6F43-459F-98A6-1F1F320796BF.jpg)
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I vacuume pack and freeze my game for later use