Storing deer meat?

[RT]

Ive got a deer that Im going to debone....its going to be at least 2weeks before I can grind it for fresh sausage that I will make with it!

My question is, if I debone it and I freeze it, then once Im ready to make fresh sausage thaw it, then re freeze the sausage?

Is that safe?

 

[trevj]

Yeah.

Thaw it enough to be able to grind it and you will have a much cleaner grind, with less mashing of the meat too.

Minimize the amount of time it sits at room temp. Ideal circumstances will have the meat all so cold that it's uncomfortable to have your hands in it to mix.

The big problem from a food safety perspective, is not knowing how long the meat has been at temperatures conducive to growing the bacteria that will cause you harm.

Keep an eye upon it, it'll be good!

Cheers
Trev

 

[pointandshoot]

yes. the whole "once thawed it can't be frozen again" is just an old wives tail. what you have to pay attention to is how long its been thawed for. for instance, if you thaw a roast to cook and its been thawed for 3 days and you end up putting it back in the freezer, the next time that roast comes out it already has 3 days on it...its not like the clock resets back to zero, so it wouldn't be to good to have it out for another 3-4 days.

if your making sausage with the whole deer and it hasn't already been hanging for a week or so you'll be fine....some people would even say that if your temps are low enough you could probably just leave it hanging for the 2 weeks.

 

[sheephunter]

A lot of times it actually grinds better when it partially frozen.....don't completely thaw before grinding.

 

[RT]

Its been hanging now for 7 days....