When to keep or when to toss frozen meat?

[blacktailbob]

Just wondering how long will you keep game animals after freezing. Recently read about a member that found 2 yr. old venison steaks buried in his freezer and excited about cooking them up.

I always thought eat fish within 6-8 months and beef, deer and hogs to one year. And I do vacuum seal my packages of both.

So what are y'alls thoughts on this? Oh, and includes birds if you have experience.
Thx

[bluemelonchitlin]

One year should be the maximum.

[durp]

Fwiw I just had 4 year old Buffalo stakes last week and they were just fine and I'm still alive to type this so...

[Pine]

Vac packed lasts way longer.

[George Vernon]

USDA guidelines say vacuum packed beef and pork can last 2 years in the freezer.  I think venison would be similar.

[arrow30]

as long as its not freezer burnt, maybe 2 yrs. if it has air in the package it will burn. and ruins the flavor. if i can trim it off and still have enough to cook i will. otherwise the dog gets it.
    i vacum seal venison, freeze fish in water.

                   ( i think i have some ,3 yrs in freezer.)

[GCook]

I've had some 18 months old and couldn't tell the difference. Seldom lasts that long though.

[Zeebob]

Not long ago I made 20lbs of lunch meat and 20lbs of kielbasa out of wild hog and venison I packaged in 2018. I had to trim a few edges, otherwise the meat was fine.  We wrap our meat in Saran Wrap and then again in good quality freezer wrap.  I try not to waste any meat.

Z

[Wild Bill MCP 808]

Agree with Zeebob above, wrap your meat in saran wrap press all the air out then vacuum pack or freezer paper you will get easy longer freezer times.

[Al Dente]

Freezer burn is the determinate factor for me.  I vacuum seal everything, even meat from the grocery store if not vac packed already.  I have eaten and still have vac sealed meat that is several years old, and it was all fine.  Any air will destroy meat and give it freezer burn, well before a year's time has passed.

[Bow Bender]

In my experience 2 years is not too long for vacuum sealed deer, elk, or antelope. I process all of my own wild game and have found that it is very important to remove all of the fat and sinew before packaging.  The fat on game animals  doesn't freeze well and over time will turn rancid causing the meat to acquire that old taste.  Commercial wild game processors can't afford to take the time necessary to remove the fat and sinew.When I get a new animal I will go through the freezer and remove enough of the oldest meat to make room for new. The bull elk that I got last fall yielded 240 lb of packaged meat. That takes up a lot of room. A cow elk can yield over 150 lb of meat. We can now take up to 3 elk a year but only one of those can be a bull. and we have the opportunity to take multiple deer. The meat that I remove from the freezer gets turned into jerky or given to friends that want some.

[Al Dente]

Excellent point Bow Bender about the fat of cervids.  It indeed goes rancid, and the removal of fat should be done during processing.  I butcher my own, and not only do I remove all visible fat, all of my meat is boneless, with never a blade cutting through bone and smearing the tallow across the meat.  Deer fat is not palatable, like beef fat, and it gives a waxy feel in the mouth.  And the tallow will certainly give an "off" flavor to the meat.

[Mint]

The most critical component is "where is the frozen meat kept?" If it is in a frostless freezer I wouldn't care if it's double vacuum packed it has a life of about a year. Why? Because a frostless freezer constantly warms up to get rid of any frost buildup hence your meat is constantly partially thawing and then refreezing. If you have a freezer that IS NOT frostless then I have had venison frozen four years and not a problem at all. In fact I did a test with my friends when I found a piece of a doe backstrap that had fallen behind a container I had keep my frozen snacksticks in. I cooked that piece up with a another backstrap piece of a doe I shot that year and none of my friends could tell the difference.

[ed lash]

The condition is the most important to me. A bunch of freezer burn is bad news. Now having said that, we try really hard to use this meat. I feel horrible throwing any game meat away. I feel like I’m letting God down after He’s provided for me and given me recreation. Drives me crazy

[F. Dobbs]

A really good pack can last over 5 years.  I know because I've done it.