How to keep your meat cool during a hunt in the warm months

Nick asked:
Hello doing a Sep elk hunt temp could be high 70 and low 30.
I have heard if it is very hot you should put your meat in a cold creek? What are your thoughts. Its a back pack elk hunt 7-10 miles from the truck. I was going to take your game bags. I was going to pull out the bone. the hang in a shaded area while I take meat back to truck. just wondering if it is a hot day and hanging in shade or should I put in creek if it will be 18-36 hours before it gets to the cooler in the truck.
thanks,
Nick



 Hello Nick and thanks for the great question.

Dealing with warm meat in warm conditions is always going to be a tough issue, I understand what you're saying about putting the meat in a stream to cool it down but you also run the high risk of contamination of all the meat with contaminated water. As you know in elk country the animals often times roll and urinate in the creeks and streams causing Giardia which can lead to severe illness and even death. I would take my chances with the Koola Buck Antimicrobial game bags and spray. If you really believe it could be 16-18 hours until you can get the animal out I would debone the animal to allow as much body heat as possible to dissipate from the large quarters of meat, I would try not to overload my meat bags to allow the heat to come out and I would use the game bags and spray. Soaking meat in a water source that you're not 100% sure if safe to drink is a tough call. I understand you don't want to loose meat but soaking it in a contaminated stream may not be the best answer either. Keep it up off the ground in the shade and keep spraying it with the Antimicrobial spray. If you could build a meat cash/hut above the surface of the water so the coolness of the water helps dissipate the heat and then cover it wish shade limbs that would help but soaking in the water isn't  a good idea. That would be my recommendation Nick.

Good Luck this fall and be sure to let us know how everything works out for you.

Brad Lockwood

Looking for a new Vacuum Sealer

Kathie C from Columbia, NC asked:

Looking for a nice vacuum sealer. Any advice?


Hello Kathie,

I do have some solid advice in that department. I have used the Weston 2300 series vacuum machine for years and it's a true commercial machine! I love it, lots of power and it keeps on going and going with no issues at all. I have also used the Weston Realtree model many times as well in the kitchen for packaging leftovers, marinating steaks and packaging bulk foods. I love all the canister attachments that are available for the Realtree model.

Really, when making your selection, it will depend on how much work you're going to do. If you are going to seal a couple hundred packages a year, I would go for the Pro-series machine. If you are just looking for kitchen use, I would get the Realtree model from Weston. They are both great machines! 

Thanks for the question Kathie.

Brad Lockwood

Should I Leave Processing of Wild Hogs to the Professionals?

Grant from Dallas, TX wrote in:

Hi Brad,

Saw two of your three seminars at the NRA Annual Meetings in Nashville. Great work and thanks for putting those on.

I live in Texas and try to shoot as many wild hogs as I can fit into my freezer.

When I get the meat back from the processor it has been frozen solid as a rock. Friends of mine say this "flash freezing" helps kill any parasites that might be in the meat. Is that true? If so, should I leave processing of wild hogs to the professionals or is it ok to age them in my refrigerator and store the pieces in vacuum bags in my freezer?

Hello Grant,

Flash freezing will kill some parasites but the better method is cooking the pork properly. Cook your pork well and you will be just fine.

You can age your pork just like beef and deer with no worries, Simply be sure to cook it well, bloody pork is no good, much different than beef. I prefer to process my own game under all conditions no matter what the animal is. 

The only one I trust with my food is me. That way I'm sure it wasn't cut on the same dirty cutting block with 10 other animals. That way I know the grinder was cleaned properly before my meat was put in. And that way I know it didn't sit out in the warm cutting room while everyone takes lunch breaks. Yep.... I prefer to do it myself! 

I love my garden, my canned deer meat, my own smoked hams, my own bacon. I need a green house in my back yard so I can have my own fresh tomatoes and lettuces year round! Maybe some chickens for fresh eggs. Now I'm getting overboard! However I do feel much better when my food comes from my own hands!

I hope you enjoyed the seminar and I hope to see you next year!

Brad

Can I get my meat to continue to age in the freezer?

David from Elk Ridge, MD wrote in:

Hi Brad,
We just took 4 deer (does) and are going back out on a 4 day hunt. We skinned & quartered them and hung them in a fridge (temp is about 36/38 degrees). Can they hang in there for at least 5 - 6 days? No meat is touching. I also heard that if you hang a deer (weather permitting) for a day or two, then freeze the meat, it will age in the freezer. How true is that?

Thanks for the question David!

Aging is one of my favorite topics! For proper aging you should allow your meats to hang and age 3 days for every 100lbs of carcass weight. If you have beef that weighs 700lbs, you would age the animal 21 days to ensure proper aging.

Some choose less and some choose a little more. Finer steakhouses choose 21 days. If you follow the same formula on wild game meats (the average deer carcass is going to weigh between 100 - 125lbs), 3 days per 100lbs of carcass weight would mean 3-5 days of aging at a temperature between 34F and 41F. If you go much below 34F, you will begin to freeze the animal carcass and the aging process cannot take place.

In order for proper aging to occur, the good bacteria that is contained in all muscle tissue must be allowed to break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the muscle tissues. If the carcass is frozen, so is the bacteria that is supposed to be breaking down the muscle fibers, so the aging process cannot take place.

During the aging process, the evaporation of body or carcass moisture also takes place. This cannot happen if the animal carcass is frozen, so once again, proper aging cannot take place.

You are on the correct path by aging in the cooler that you have, with no meat touching - plus your temperature is correct!

Congratulations on stacking up all the deer! Good hunting!
 
"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood

Transporting Wild Game Meat in Plastic Bags

Bruce from Phoenix, Arizona wrote in:

While watching your de-boning video, we noticed that after packing the meat in deer bags, you do not also cover them with plastic bags before you start transporting the meat.
Is there a reason for this? We were concerned about dust.


Thanks for the question Bruce.

Putting warm meat into plastic bags is not a good practice. After the body heat has evaporated and dissipated from the meat it's okay, but I would refrain from putting it in plastic while the carcass is still warm. Warm meat in plastic bags will sour very quickly.

I know what you mean about the dust. The cotton bags will catch a lot of it and the rest can be trimmed off during final processing. It's much better to lose a little than potentially lose it all.

Good luck this fall!


"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood  

Freezer Paper

Whitney from Abilene, TX asked

I just started butchering my own meats and as such, I've bought some Weston Freezer Paper. Can you explain to me just how this is supposed to keep my meat fresh? Should I do anything to the meat before I wrap it up in this paper? How long do you think it will keep my meat fresh in the freezer? Should I be using something else instead? Thanks!


Whitney,

Thank you for a great question not often asked! I have used freezer paper for many, many years... That is, before the modern vacuum packaging machines came along. Don't get me wrong: freezer paper works very well - you simply have a few additional steps.

When using only freezer paper, I package for short term usage within a 2-4 month time frame. To extend and ensure quality, I will often pre-wrap the product with plastic wrap to help push the air out and create a double barrier. When you use freezer paper, be sure to tuck the ends in tight to the product and be certain to push out all the air you can, as air is what causes off-flavors and freezer burn on your products.

With a vac machine, you pull all the air out and the bags are very thick (assuming you use the right brand), so keeping meats frozen with no issues is easy for 8-12 months. I recommend using the Weston Pro 2300 Vacuum Sealer with Weston Vac Bags.

Good luck and thanks for the great question!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood

Freezing Smoked Meats

Tim from Paxton, IL wrote:

Hello Brad,

Love the show and really enjoy the hunts. I made some summer sausage using a Sausage Kit. Followed the directions as close as possible.

My question is: Now that I've smoked/cooked the sausages, is there any harm in freezing them? I bought a vacuum sealer and have plenty of bags.

Thanks for the advice and keep on cook'n.

Tim


Tim,

Thanks so much for the question, and yes you can freeze your summer sausage! The only issue with freezing smoked products is the cure. Smoked products tend to have much shorter freezer storage times than fresh meats. I never keep smoked products in a frozen state for over 3 months.

Try to eat fast my friend and thanks for the question!!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV