My two hunting partners have given me some venison from the 2014 season (processed mid November 2014) that they are simply not going to be able to eat. I don't want it to go to waste (most of it is venison/pork sausage), but also want to make sure it is still "good to go" after 16 months in the freezer.
If you trust that it has stayed below 34 degrees F and primarily been frozen (if thawed only briefly and then refrozen) it will be fine. Food keeps indefinitely in the freezer but loses some quality due to moisture loss. The fat in the sausage should protect from that. Leaner meats don't store as well.
I can't figure out how to attach a link with my phone. If you google US food and drug administration frozen meat you will find good info. Health Canada probably has stuff too but I saw good info on the us sight first.
HD
Food keeps indefinitely in the freezer but loses some quality due to moisture loss. The fat in the sausage should protect from that. Leaner meats don't store as well
That's actually reversed...the problem with fat is that it will go rancid in a freezer. So the fatter the meat the quicker it spoils.
If you vacuum seal venison, being a lean meat, it will actually last 2 years and come out almost as good as the day it went into the bag. However, I have had venison sausages (more fat introduced) that took on a funky flavour in a shorter period of time.
Pork and bear are two fats that seem to go rancid pretty quick in the freezer. While I do grind meat, we do not make sausage with foreign meat added.
if I trim large lumps of fat then I don't worry about 2-3 year old venison. The age of the animal and quickness (speed) of death makes most difference.Some meat is worthy of an open fire, other stuff needs a crockpot
That's actually reversed...the problem with fat is that it will go rancid in a freezer. So the fatter the meat the quicker it spoils.
If you vacuum seal venison, being a lean meat, it will actually last 2 years and come out almost as good as the day it went into the bag. However, I have had venison sausages (more fat introduced) that took on a funky flavour in a shorter period of time.
Agree with Mike on this. Generally rancid fat is the cause of loss of frozen meat.
Huntingdad is correct if you're worrying about moisture loss - fat can't dry out. Lean meat can. But unless meat is very poorly wrapped, moisture loss is not the killer, rancid fat is.
I try to eat my venision (or give it away) within 6 months. ...and here's a tip for giving venison away for all you guys who wind up with year-old venison in the freezer. Give it away when it's fresh, not when it's a year old. It will be much more appreciated. It took me a long time to figure this out, but after deer season, if there's more meat in the freezer than I can use, I get rid of it then.
As long as it's been frozen it will be safe to eat. It may suffer a little quality wise depending on how it's packaged and how much fat is in it, but probably not enough to be noticeable. Just trim away any freezer burn and get cooking.
I posted a thread a couple of years ago about 8 or 9 year old moose meat that my uncle found in the bottom of his freezer. I thawed it out enough to trim off the freezer burn and ground it into burger. There wasn't any noticeable taste difference.
"where a man feels at home, outside of where he's born, is where he's meant to go" - Ernest Hemingway
I make some venison jerky, this is a great way to use up your roasts . There are lots of recipes on this site . Also a bag disappears quickly at the hunt camp , or any place that friends gather. Currently working on a bowl of venison meat loaf, my wife doesn't care for venison. But being a good girl she cooks it for me.old 243
I find that is the meat has been properly vacuum packed, it will last substantially longer. I always vacuum pack my venison even if it has been wrapped in butcher paper as sometimes a piece of meat can get lost when it drifts down to the bottom of the freezer.
Case it point a couple of months ago, I found a venison loin roast for 2012 and 2013. The first one we ate was fine and so was the second one that we ate earlier this week. Both were wrapped in butcher paper and both were vacuumed packed.
I agree with Mike and Werner, rancid fat and drying out (freezer burn) are your greatest concerns. Open a pack and check the colour and smell of the meat and you'll know right away. If it's not too bad, you can grind it in with some other meat and make sausage.
If it's not discoloured and doesn't smell, then you've scored. I would then vacuum pack any of the meat you do not intend to use right away as that will extend it's life. You can vac pack it when it's frozen, although I prefer to do it before freezing.
Roe+
A bad day hunting or fishing is better than a good day at work.
Venison question
Originally Posted by huntingdad
Reply With Quote
