How do you store your kills? Throwdown!

[buckbull]

We always soaked rabbits and squirrels in salt water for a day. Dad said it draws out the blood which might be the gamey taste folks are referring too.

I vacuum seal everything. The only issue I have had with vacuum sealing is that sometimes you end up with some sharp pieces of jerky that poke through the bag. A folded up paper towel between the jerky and bag eliminates the tearing.

When I first started using the vacuum sealer I saved the bags for reuse. What a waste of time. Out of 10 bags maybe 2 or 3 didn't have holes. Maybe the heavy duty bags are worth the extra money if you can use them more than once. I also bought a bunch of vacuum containers (foodsaver brand) on clearance at Walmart that I'm going to use for jerky to see how it goes.

Someone mentioned the pain in the butt of storing vacuumed items in an upright freezer. It certainly is. I broke down and bought a bunch of freezer baskets on Amazon for my upright to solve the problem. Just search "wire freezer baskets". They weren't cheap but I figure I will always have an upright freezer (do not like chest freezers) and the baskets will last my children's children's lifetime.

 

[StuartHunts]

We always soaked rabbits and squirrels in salt water for a day. Dad said it draws out the blood which might be the gamey taste folks are referring too.

I vacuum seal everything. The only issue I have had with vacuum sealing is that sometimes you end up with some sharp pieces of jerky that poke through the bag. A folded up paper towel between the jerky and bag eliminates the tearing.

When I first started using the vacuum sealer I saved the bags for reuse. What a waste of time. Out of 10 bags maybe 2 or 3 didn't have holes. Maybe the heavy duty bags are worth the extra money if you can use them more than once. I also bought a bunch of vacuum containers (foodsaver brand) on clearance at Walmart that I'm going to use for jerky to see how it goes.

Someone mentioned the pain in the butt of storing vacuumed items in an upright freezer. It certainly is. I broke down and bought a bunch of freezer baskets on Amazon for my upright to solve the problem. Just search "wire freezer baskets". They weren't cheap but I figure I will always have an upright freezer (do not like chest freezers) and the baskets will last my children's children's lifetime.

I save bags too, but it depends on what you are sealing. If there is a chance there is a hole in it I don't do it. I don't seal jerky though, so I don't have the same issues

Instead of a wire freezer basket, I use cardboard boxes! I label the box and it stacks very neatly. I use the boxes I get from amazon for uniformity. Much neater.

I took a lot of time to write a buyer's guide for Vacuum Sealers and also started a discount club for vacuum bags and rolls. Check it out here. Sign up for the discount club here

 

[Sawfish]

This fall, I was pulling out some of last years meat to cook for a party, and found a package of Blacktail Back Strap with a 2012 date on it that had slipped through the cracks. In the interest of science, I decided to cook it, and compare to last years bounty. After thawing, I trimmed off a paper thin layer of meat all around, and lightly coated it with Montreal Steak Seasoning with a dash of Appleton's rum. It was tender and delicious. If meat is well sealed and has not been freezer burned, it is still good. This meat was sealed in HD freezer material with a Foodsaver Gamesaver, and frozen in a chest type freezer. Meat frozen in an upright frost free freezer will not last nearly as long.

 

[Alaskabound2016]

Maybe I do not see why there would be a difference. I am new to hunting and storing meats, I always thought an upright frost free freezer was ideal to store meat (going to be buying one real soon)? Seems more practical and much easier to deal with. Can someone shed some light on why a chest freezer would keep meat better than an upright freezer?

Thanks!

 

[JimP]

A frost free freezer will tend to dry out what ever is in it unless it is sealed by a vacuum sealer.

Also my take on a upright freezer is that every time that you open the door most of the cold ail will roll out onto the floor where a chest type freezer the cold air will stay in it. It is just a matter of physics, cold air stays lower while hot air rises.

But a choice of freezer type is usually determined by the space that you have where you plan on placing it. But I do believe that a chest type frost less or not is superior to a upright.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have both types of freezers, an older upright and a 10' chest. I keep all the game & fish in the chest and my wife keeps the store bought stuff in the upright. I saved the wire drawers out of our old dishwasher and use the in the chest freezer, works great along with the regular freezer baskets.

I started soaking my game meat in buttermilk overnight in the refrig before I cook it. It removes lots of blood out of the tissue and tenderizes it too. Backstrap cut about 2" thick soaked o/n then wrapped in bacon, add a little pepper and ground garlic. BBQ over super hot coals about 2 to 3 mins per side....melts in you mouth!

Just finished my antelope and deer today. Ground and mixed 20# of chorizo, 30# of breakfast sausage and 60# of burger. I have a commercial grinder I bought about 20 years ago at an auction that will do several hundred pounds an hour. I also have a ss mixing container for mixing the spices and the pork I add to the sausage & burger. Done for this year.

 

[Alaskabound2016]

Valid points that make sense. Thanks again fellas!

 

[JimP]

The one bad thing about a chest type freezer is that items will get put on the bottom of it and forgotten forever.

To eliminate this problem I use baskets, boxes, or large clear plastic bags to keep the meat in as it is being used, but I still end up with a roast or steak from 10 years ago that I find on the bottom of it.

 

[billdoe708]

I use milk crates in mine. Keeps everything separated well. I put one on top with a bit of everything in it. Keeps me from finding the girlfriend with just her feet sticking out from trying to reach something.

 

[tdcour]

What does everyone do with their burger? Two questions, how do you store it (tubes I'm guessing)? What do you mix with your burger? My wife didn't grow up eating wild game and has a hard time eating it from time to time. We have been mixing beef with ours, but that gets expensive at 25% beef for all our ground. Ya'll do pork, nothing, just fat?

 

[JimP]

For deer burger I will add a pound of Jimmy Deans Sage sausage to 9 lbs of burger. I believe that it gives it a better taste, I personally don't like just plain deer burger even if it is mixed up into a meatloaf or anything else. Most of my ground deer ends up as brats, summer sausage, or jerky.

For elk I'll pick up beef fat from the butcher shop or find a real fat pork roast to grind up with it.

I'll package both in 1 lb tube packages that you can get from a butcher supply store. I have also found a unique way to fill them if you don't fill them as you grind the meat. Get a plastic cup that will fit into the bag and then cut off the closed end. This way you have a handy funnel that will keep the tag end of the bags nice and clean. I'll also use that same plastic cup to fill my vacuum bags to keep the sealing end clean and grease free.

 

[Gr8bawana]

What does everyone do with their burger? Two questions, how do you store it (tubes I'm guessing)? What do you mix with your burger? My wife didn't grow up eating wild game and has a hard time eating it from time to time. We have been mixing beef with ours, but that gets expensive at 25% beef for all our ground. Ya'll do pork, nothing, just fat?

When I make burger I use bacon ends and pieces. I use 3lbs for about 12lbs of meat. Since the bacon has quite a bit of meat in it I figure I end up with about an 80/20 ratio, I really hate dry burger. The burger gets a very slight bacon flavor which is always good.
As for storing it, it depends on how much I make. If I make enough to last several months I use my vacuum sealer so I know it will never get freezer burn. We usually use burger fast enough that I just use plain old gallon freezer bags.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I use bacon ends & pieces in my breakfast sausage. 20% with 20% pork shoulder roast, 60%, by weight+ sage sausage seasoning.

 

[ivorytip]

Double-bagged in Zip-Loc freezer bags. Quick and easy.

this work pretty good? lasts about a year?

 

[Slugz]

Interesting post! I love hearing the different ways/styles/flavors. We plastic wrap all , ground, steaks, roasts then wrap in butcher paper. They don't last (we eat em) longer than 14 months so I don't need the long term storage option.