Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Create Account now to join.
  • Login:

Welcome to the NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.

Alpine Night Vision NZ


User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 17
Like Tree13Likes

Thread: Can you age meat after freezing?

  1. #1
    Member kimjon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Waikato
    Posts
    1,635

    Can you age meat after freezing?

    I've shot a handful of deer recently, and only hung them for about 24hrs.

    I don't have a chiller at my new house, so just hung them in the garage overnight and butchered them the following day as I was worried about the heat tainting the meat. There were too many to put in the fridge to age...so I stuck it straight into the freezer in vacuum sealed bags.

    Question: will meat age if I thaw it out a few days prior to wanting to cook it, and leave it in the fridge?

    Cheers
    Kj

  2. #2
    If your not fast your last Shootm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Mighty Manawatu
    Posts
    3,108
    Sounds like your next project right there, making a chiller
    kimjon and Beaker like this.

    I Have Sexdaily. I mean Dyslexia! Fcuk!

  3. #3
    SiB
    SiB is offline
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Invercargill
    Posts
    1,921
    Marinade it in olive oil, soy sauce and whole grain mustard for a couple of days prior to cooking. The only way I do my back steaks.

    Try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
    kimjon and 308 like this.

  4. #4
    Member Chur Bay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
    1,690
    I do. I take my vacuum packed meat out of the freezer and chuck in in the fridge for a week to 10 days. Comes out good.
    Pop Shot and gadgetman like this.

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Waikato
    Posts
    2,119
    I personally wouldn't age it quite as long.
    Freeze thawing softens it up a bit anyway (never quite as nice as chilled unfrozen meat aged for 10 days).
    We've all thawed meat and left it several days and it doesn't seem to do it any harm.
    Once its been freeze thawed fluids leak out so you can't hang it out in the open to dry age like you can fresh meat.
    Due to the breakdown from freeze thaw I would treat it more like mince and if it was very clean when it went in it would be OK but if contaminated by dirt, blood, unwashed hands, hair, dog lickings, dried fly blow, dairy products, old fridge food etc I'd be cautious how long I stored it at fridge temp ie more like 2 o 3 days only rather than the full 7-10.
    kimjon likes this.

  6. #6
    Member Boaraxa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Southland
    Posts
    2,496
    A good trick this time of year if you have whole animals hanging is to put frozen bottles of water in the chest cavity cools the four courter down real quick especially pork it can go off in 1 hot day.
    A chiller would be the ultimate iv been thinking of putting one together as I kill my own muttons this time of year as well , flies can be a prob ...hasn't been to big a issue this year yet though summer hasn't started here !!
    kimjon likes this.

  7. #7
    Almost literate. veitnamcam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Nelson
    Posts
    25,013
    As above I have done a few extra days in the fridge after thawing....not sure it actually improved it much/any tho.

    If vac packed be carefull of the blood in bag after thawing...as always it is the blood that goes off first.
    kimjon likes this.
    "Hunting and fishing" fucking over licenced firearms owners since ages ago.

    308Win One chambering to rule them all.

  8. #8
    P38
    P38 is offline
    Member P38's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Hastings
    Posts
    5,692
    Yes

    I thaw my venison in the fridge and leave it for 5or so days before cooking.

    Cheers
    Pete
    kimjon likes this.
    Arguing with an Engineer is like Wrestling a Pig in Mud.

    After awhile you realise the Pig loves it.

  9. #9
    Member kimjon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Waikato
    Posts
    1,635
    Thanks for all the replies, I learnt a lot from all of you.

    Cheers
    Kj

  10. #10
    Member Willie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    hamilton
    Posts
    588
    Quote Originally Posted by Boaraxa View Post
    A good trick this time of year if you have whole animals hanging is to put frozen bottles of water in the chest cavity cools the four courter down real quick especially pork it can go off in 1 hot day.
    A chiller would be the ultimate iv been thinking of putting one together as I kill my own muttons this time of year as well , flies can be a prob ...hasn't been to big a issue this year yet though summer hasn't started here !!
    To make the bottles stay frozen longer add salt to the water!
    308 likes this.
    Sarcasm: lowest from of wit, highest form of intelligence.

  11. #11
    Member nelpop's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Papamoa
    Posts
    185
    Cut it up and put it in the freezer. Leave it there for about 3 months before you use it. Ive done this for years and it works for me. Tender as.

  12. #12
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Posts
    4,361
    I believe the freezing process ( crystallisation of all the water molecules) remove some of the toughness of the meat. So it does not improve the taste but it definitely tenderise the chewy bits.
    I personally eat fresh all I can during the first 10 days following the kill, anything I know I won't eat goes to the freezer straight away after the second day of hanging.

  13. #13
    VTR
    VTR is offline
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Geraldine
    Posts
    61
    In a nutsell yes it will be fine, and it will age to a point. The bacto count will certainly be higher but still in acceptable tolerances.

  14. #14
    Banned
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Port Chalmers
    Posts
    753
    Freezingit for a period of time will do pretty mucht eh same thing as hanging in my experience, you just have to wait three months before you eat it...same as tenderizing it with a mallet, (because the freezing process destroys the cell structure. This is my theory on it.)
    Last edited by Carlsen Highway; 27-01-2017 at 05:27 PM.
    Tahr likes this.

  15. #15
    Almost literate. veitnamcam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Nelson
    Posts
    25,013
    Quote Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway View Post
    Freezingit for a period of time will do pretty mucht eh same thing as hanging in my experience, you just have to wait three months before you eat it...same as tenderizing it with a mallet, (because the freezing process destroys the cell structure. This is my theory on it.)
    Why 3months? If your theory is correct once the meat is down at temp (maybe two days max) it is fully frozen and aint getting anymore frozen.
    "Hunting and fishing" fucking over licenced firearms owners since ages ago.

    308Win One chambering to rule them all.

 

 

Similar Threads

  1. Another piece of meat
    By linyera in forum Hunting
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 08-04-2016, 12:17 PM
  2. How long do you age venison before freezing?
    By johnino in forum Hunting
    Replies: 35
    Last Post: 20-08-2015, 10:18 PM
  3. How would you process this lot of meat
    By PerazziSC3 in forum Hunting
    Replies: 32
    Last Post: 11-11-2014, 05:04 PM
  4. What do you use for bagging meat before freezing ?
    By ANTSMAN in forum Game Cooking and Recipes
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 19-12-2013, 06:19 AM
  5. First I took all the meat
    By linyera in forum Hunting
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-02-2013, 07:06 AM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Welcome to NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums! We see you're new here, or arn't logged in. Create an account, and Login for full access including our FREE BUY and SELL section Register NOW!!