Hey everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to keep deer meat good longer? Has anyone ever used vacuum sealing for their hunting/fishing meat? Let me know. Thx!
Freezing Deer Meat
- Thread starter Bill Quimby
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Yes the vacuum sealers you get from wally world work great and the material you use with it has little air pockets in it to prevent freezer burn so yeas it will keep for a longer period . If you want to keep it for a SHTF situation and you have no power jerk it! and store it in a small burlap bag or pouch so it can breath and it will keep for a very long time.
Hey ken, I've made a good bit of deer jerky, but have wondered how long it will last? What's the longest you've kept it? I didn't think about it having to breathe, I just vacuumed bagged some small amounts and throw it in the pantry, oh I also froze some of the packs. I think I kept some in the pantry for about 6weeks and it was fine.
well the thing about vaccum bagging or any type of non pourous bag doesnt allow it to breath in which case it can build moisture . the key to making a long lasting jerky is to remove the fat ! because fat will taint more quickly then the rest of the meat . that being said remove all or most fat dehydrate to the point in which you can take a peace and bend it and it will crack but not completely break that is just about rite cus you dont want it over dried either , cus then its not as good! then a burlap or pretty much any cloth type bag is best for storing because it lets it breath and keeps it dry . if you take jerky with you on a hike or trip you want to use this same method wrap it up in cloth or put it in a cloth bag . The fronttiersman of the old days carried there jerky in this manor and it would last months somestimes longer . another good thing to do if you dont have blood pressure issues is adding alot of salt to your marinade when you soak your meat before the initial dehydrating because salt is a preservative this is how we are able to hang hams and other meats in smoke houses or other dry areas and leave them there for months or a years time and they will not spoil.
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I've been vacuum packing my venison for about 7 years. If you get all the air out and can keep a seal on the bag it can keep for years in a deep freeze. The only problem I've had was with some bags that lost their seal. I triple seal the bag now.
You don't wan't any air at all when packing fresh meat. It is exposure to air and evaporation (technically it's called sublimation) that causes freezer burn.
You don't wan't any air at all when packing fresh meat. It is exposure to air and evaporation (technically it's called sublimation) that causes freezer burn.
Another method is to wrap the meat in the thin plastic cling wrap for fodd and then wrap in paper. I did some venison several years ago like that. Longest pack I kept was 3 years old and it like fresh.
I always wrapped mine in Freezer Wrap paper (Waxed almost plastic on the inside, paper on the outside) and never had a problem. Just make sure you roll it on the diagonal, fold the ends over tight and use good tape. Of course it never lasted until the next year, because I ate it all.
Good to know! I'm going to test the vacuum sealing on my deer and see how it goes. Thanks to everyone!
PS.
Buy yourself a scale and weigh your meat before you place it in the bags.
Get the Foodsaver vac sealer and genuine FoodSaver bags.
Custom make the bags to the size that you require to store your food.
Do not make them more then 1/8 of an inch bigger then necessary.
The more air you keep out, the longer the food will last.
Plain old deer meat will last one year in a decent freezer, maybe a little less if it is a frost free freezer.
Deer sausage with pork will keep one year, but is best if ate within 6 months.
Deer sausage with beef fat will keep up to one year.
Jerky is a waste of meat!
The only way to make good jerky is to remove all the silver skin.
Even a 150 lbs whitetail deer will only net you about 8 pounds of decent jerky.
BACK STRAPS CAN BE FILLET AND PUT IN MASON JARS AND COLD PACKED - PUT IN A BOILER, SUBMERSED IN BOILING HOT WATER FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS WITH NO WATER ADDED, JUST TWO TABLESPOONS OF SALT IN THE JAR, AND MAYBE A PIECE OF BEEF OR PORK.
One set of back straps will make around 3 qt. jars of canned meat from a large deer.
Although a deer is viewed by some as a walking grocery store, there really isn't a lot of meat on a deer. Maybe about 45 lbs off a 150lbs live weight whitetail. The rest is all head and hide and hoofs and bone.
The bone does add to the flavor of the meat when you are cooking it, but if you want to get the maximum amount of meat in the freezer, you should debone it before freezing it.
Buy yourself a scale and weigh your meat before you place it in the bags.
Get the Foodsaver vac sealer and genuine FoodSaver bags.
Custom make the bags to the size that you require to store your food.
Do not make them more then 1/8 of an inch bigger then necessary.
The more air you keep out, the longer the food will last.
Plain old deer meat will last one year in a decent freezer, maybe a little less if it is a frost free freezer.
Deer sausage with pork will keep one year, but is best if ate within 6 months.
Deer sausage with beef fat will keep up to one year.
Jerky is a waste of meat!
The only way to make good jerky is to remove all the silver skin.
Even a 150 lbs whitetail deer will only net you about 8 pounds of decent jerky.
BACK STRAPS CAN BE FILLET AND PUT IN MASON JARS AND COLD PACKED - PUT IN A BOILER, SUBMERSED IN BOILING HOT WATER FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS WITH NO WATER ADDED, JUST TWO TABLESPOONS OF SALT IN THE JAR, AND MAYBE A PIECE OF BEEF OR PORK.
One set of back straps will make around 3 qt. jars of canned meat from a large deer.
Although a deer is viewed by some as a walking grocery store, there really isn't a lot of meat on a deer. Maybe about 45 lbs off a 150lbs live weight whitetail. The rest is all head and hide and hoofs and bone.
The bone does add to the flavor of the meat when you are cooking it, but if you want to get the maximum amount of meat in the freezer, you should debone it before freezing it.
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I had found some elk meat that was lost in my freezer for five years. It had been wrapped in the saran wrap and then butcher paper. I was skeptical, but thawed it out anyway, thinking if it wasn't edible, I'd give it to the dogs. Cooked it on up and it was down right delicious.
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