Cold Rooms / Processing

looch

looch

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For those that process their own meat, what are you using for hanging / cold storage?

It looks like my parents are at an age where they are thinking about selling the house. Along with all of the other, much more important concerns, I am losing my game processing facility. The area under the front, concrete balcony (6' x 24') is insulated and refrigerated with a commercial compressor and during hunting season we would lower the temperature to 34F and hang the carcasses for up to 14 days.

How are you guys doing it?
 
I just don’t hang meat. Usually quartered in the field and butchered once home or into a cooler for the night and butchered in the morning
 
I bought a small chest freezer and an external thermostat that converts the freezer into a fridge. I age deer sections (fur on) for about 10 -14 days in that »fridge « ... then butcher. When that’s done I remove the external thermostat and - bingo - I have a freezer for my deer meat. Great solution for early season kills.
 
We have a freezer that isn't used anymore and if need be, we'll take the hide off and quarter a deer and put it in there wil were ready to process. We've never actually had to use it though as it's usually cold enough we can hang the deer in the shed, I use it as an excuse to not have to move the freezer.
 
I use the cool bot system. There is other systems like it that’s cheaper and works the same. I have a 4x8 ft at home and a 8x8 at cabin.
Iam sure some of the commercial fridges that could be used as one also. Can find this cheap at some auctions
 
FishHog said:
I just don’t hang meat. Usually quartered in the field and butchered once home or into a cooler for the night and butchered in the morning
Click to expand...

Yep. Pretty much this. At worst, it gets boned out and stored in the fridge in big steel bowls.

If it's not cold enough to hang outside, chances are that I am not going to shoot anything.

In Northern Alberta, it was usually an issue of finding a place to thaw the carcass enough to cut it, rather than keeping it cold.

Before I went in to Alberta, (WAY before CWD was a big issue) we had a couple decent local cutters who did not charge much, so they got the business.
 
FishHog said:
I just don’t hang meat. Usually quartered in the field and butchered once home or into a cooler for the night and butchered in the morning
Click to expand...

Same here. After a bunch of side by side comparisons over the years there is practically no difference between 1-3 year old deer that’s hung overnight vs 5+ days. Older ones get turned into pepperettes and ground meat so I can’t really comment on the older deer.


As for shooting them, I usually wait until late November and December to start hunting deer to avoid warm temps all together. I hate the heat and I’m anal about meat and fish temps…
 
If it’s warm enough to require a cooler then I’m breaking the animal down in the field to aid in speed of cooling. A bear or deer fits into a fridge or freezer just fine when broken down.

On a northern ont warm weather moose hunt we had the name/number of a local butcher a couple hours south who had a walk in but didn’t accept animals beyond a certain time of evening. We brought a chest freezer and generator that was left in the enclosed trailer just in case.
 
I hang in my shed if weather permits. When it's too hot out, I usually process the following day and keep the meat on ice in the meantime.

All meat is processed in my heated garage which is where all my meat processing stuff is. I usually only bring in one quarter at a time and use ice trays under my meat tubs to keep everything cooled as I go.
 
well I don't do much hunting early season so thawing the deer to cut it up in the shop is normally what I do

I don't do any ageing of deer, there really is no reason to. Last year my buddy hung his deer in my shop for 10 days, I keep the shop heated to 6-8 C so its perfect for hanging and warm enough for butchering.

If I do shoot something early season it will normally be me going out on day trips for day hunts so it goes into the shop immediately, skinned and cut up within 48 hours, meat goes in big stainless bowls and into the fridges to cool.
 
My father was a butcher, and I had the privilege of using his walk in cooler and equipment ( and knowledge) for many years. Now my brother has the equipment, and carries on the tradition. I get to borrow when I need it. The trouble with game meat and ageing is all the variables. Under ideal conditions, with a skilled butcher and good meat that is handled properly, and cooked by someone who actually knows what they're doing, aging is every bit as important as with tame meat like beef. But - game that's in rut, or has been chased, or is not in prime condition, ageing will not make it much better. Game that's been contaminated while field dressing with dirty fingers or knives, or gut shot, or soiled while dragging it out of the bush can actually get worse with ageing. Game that has been frozen soon after death will never really benefit from ageing. The enzymes and chemicals in the meat that make it tender don't react the same after frozen meat is thawed. So I still believe "proper" handling and ageing of a "proper" animal makes a big difference, but circumstances conspire against many hunters and they come to the erroneous conclusion that it makes no difference. My experience and opinion is different.
 
I have an upright commercial chiller
It runs constantly at 2c

Be very very careful hanging meat in one.
Make sure that the meat is completely bone dry. If you don’t do this
The meat will sour and even grow a mould.

The other option is to ask a butcher shop to hang it in their cooler
 
I have used the coolbot system. It works exceptionally well. A carefully handled and aged carcass is a beautiful thing. When you can cut a medium rare steak with a fork, and your company looks at you stunned, and exclaims,"you mean that's wild meat?!". That takes care... and time
 
I know a local hunter who hangs a deer with the skin on and the back door of the garage open and the front door open just enough to create a breeze. been doing this for many years.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.

We all do it a little differently - whether it's tradition, cultural, topographic, or weather dependent. I have no dog in a fight about the "right" or "wrong" way to do it. What we have always done, and has worked well for us may not agree with your method - and it is absolutely fine by me that your way works for you.

- Our seasons are short. Deer rifle season is 2 weeks/3 weekends and starts at the beginning of November. I've hunted in a t-shirt during this time and 15 degree days are the norm (although 2' of snow has happened more than once). Having an artificially cooled space is of primary importance.
- We leave the hide on until it's time to butcher. Our reasons are that it protects the meat while in the field and reduces the loss caused by aging.
- Once home, head and forelegs are removed, carcasses are washed with a weak solution of bleach, thoroughly rinsed, and dried.
- The whole carcass (in the case of deer - quarters for moose and similar sized game) is hung in the coldroom until the second Saturday after the kill. We have never done a true empirical test as that would mean partially butchering the same animal, freezing some and aging the rest. But, it has been our subjective experience that meat, properly cared for from field to table, is more tender and flavourful when aged.
- It is then skinned, processed/butchered, and vacuum sealed.

Given that I am losing these facilities (and 'Looky, regretfully buying the house is not an option) I am appreciative of learning about everyone else's methods. Again, thanks.
 
FishHog said:
I just don’t hang meat. Usually quartered in the field and butchered once home or into a cooler for the night and butchered in the morning
Click to expand...

This. I get it cool for 24 and cut it up. Hanging is a personal thing. Not required in my opinion ( Meat cutters in my ellipses too).
 
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