Chest Fridge to Freezer for warm weather deer processing

[freedom2012]

My first time hunting so early thanks to moving to NH since bow season starts Sept. 15th.

I am concerned if I fill a tag early, it will be to warm to hang outside for any length of time and butchering a warm deer is no fun either. So I want a large Chest Freezer that I can set the temp just above freezing, say 34 degrees. Then I can at the least drop the field dressed deer (or quartered and stacked depending on the size) into it and go to work the next day or that day (if a morning hunt) and let it come down to temp without freezing it so I can skin and butcher it properly. Then I want to drop the temp to typical freezer temp and store the meat.

Anyone know of a product like this? It seems most available are one or the other or you need to change the thermostat to convert it.

If not, how do you deal with your warm weather deer? Appreciate any feedback.

 

[Realtor MA]

Build a walk-in.

ETA The best way to age a deer is by hanging it for several days in a cooler.

 

[bdb]

You can be pretty much guaranteed it will be too warm to hang a deer. I have yet to kill a deer in archery season that I could leave longer than over night and had to get it on ice then next AM. Personally I don't think you would do OK messing with a chest freezer like that, but I really haven't tried it. All I use is 1 150 qt marine cooler. Relatively cheap and will last you a very long time. This is what I have been doing and it works very well for me.

1. Shoot deer.
2. Gut and drag deer to truck
3. Hang deer in shed and skin immediately when I get home
4. Once skinned, quarter immediately
5. Remove backstraps, tenderloins, rib meat and neck meat, basically anything salvagable. Hack off the lower legs below the elbow and below the hocks
6. Line bottom of cooler with 2 liter pop bottles frozen with water (I won't use ice, I hate my meat getting wet or soaking in water)
7. Put in meat chunks. Put in more frozen 2 liter bottles to top off the cooler.
8. Close lid and leave as long as you want "age" your meat. For me it's usually 4 days. I might need to move out bottles and put more in depending on temps.

I always keep 20 of 30 of them in a chest freezer. I use them in my camping coolers too for the same reason, I don't want my food soaking in melting ice water.

Once ready to butcher I do use the chest freezer. I bone out the quarters separating into the various muscle groups. I then place the slabs in the chest freezer on wax paper until they start to firm up a little. Then I cut steaks. It's much easier than with warm squishy meat. Nice clean evenly cut steaks!

With the cooler you won't need to mess with the chest freezer, it can stay cold all the time for meat storage and frozen water bottles.

Anyway this is how I deal with it and most of my deer are killed in early archery season which is generally plenty warm. I am pretty picky about meat care. Cooled faster is always better quality meat.

YMMV, oh and good luck this season, 12 days to go

 

[bdb]

Here you go, $80 at Walmart and the biggest buck in MA will fit in along with plenty of cooling (quartered up of course).

Igloo Quick and Cool 150-Quart Cooler - Walmart.com

I would love to build a walk in cooler, that would be awesome. I have researched it several times and have come very close to adding an "addition" to the side of my shed but I could just never seem to justify it. Also thought of having a dedicated outside standup refrigerator as well. in the end, I have the big cooler and it doesn't take up space so it just gets used.

 

[freedom2012]

Here you go, $80 at Walmart and the biggest buck in MA will fit in along with plenty of cooling (quartered up of course).

Igloo Quick and Cool 150-Quart Cooler - Walmart.com

I would love to build a walk in cooler, that would be awesome. I have researched it several times and have come very close to adding an "addition" to the side of my shed but I could just never seem to justify it. Also thought of having a dedicated outside standup refrigerator as well. in the end, I have the big cooler and it doesn't take up space so it just gets used.

I actually have that cooler, so I guess I am ahead of the game. Thanks for posting your method. That would be a backup plan for me if I can't find what I am looking for. However, I would need to drink about 15 gallons of soda over the next couple weeks to have enough bottles

 

[bdb]

I actually have that cooler, so I guess I am ahead of the game. Thanks for posting your method. That would be a backup plan for me if I can't find what I am looking for. However, I would need to drink about 15 gallons of soda over the next couple weeks to have enough bottles

Take a walk around the neighborhood on recycle day . Ever since my daughter was born my wife has been hooked on bubbly water so I have a ton of them. I had the same issues in CA as deer season is much warmer than here. I would say a stand up fridge, especially if you can find one that is full sized and no freezer on top may be a pretty good option. The meat would be able to be spread out around it and cooled consistently. Then you can keep the chest freezer for freezing. Especially if you get deer 2 you wouldn't be able to use the chest freezer to cool it unless you has meat storage in another freezer.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

I keep quart and gallon jugs of water in the freezer for the early season kills.

I put the deer on a tarp and put a gal jug in the cavity, and a jug goes between the back legs and a couple of jugs on the tarp on the top of the back of the deer.

I then wrap it up like a big burrito and put it on the floor of the garage out of the sun.

There is always ice left in the jugs at lunch time the next day, the deer is nice and cold, and the melt water stays in the jug. I have never lost a deer that way.

No peeking though. You let the cold air out.

Bob

 

[Cerfur]

If your a hard core deer guy the fella who said build a walk in may sound crazy... However there is a product that modifies a AC that allows it not to shut down and will take a small room in the corner of your garage or shed built out of plywood and insulated down to 38 degrees one of then fellas I drive deer with did this to his shed... Bought a huge window unit and the shed stays cool.. Only problem if it gets below 50 degrees outside the compressor doesn't work in the AC so you gotta move the whole contraption to the garage room..... Then the ac will heat your garage for auto work...WIN....

 

[HorizontalHunter]

If your a hard core deer guy the fella who said build a walk in may sound crazy... However there is a product that modifies a AC that allows it not to shut down and will take a small room in the corner of your garage or shed built out of plywood and insulated down to 38 degrees one of then fellas I drive deer with did this to his shed... Bought a huge window unit and the shed stays cool.. Only problem if it gets below 50 degrees outside the compressor doesn't work in the AC so you gotta move the whole contraption to the garage room..... Then the ac will heat your garage for auto work...WIN....

Are you talking about the coolbot?

For me the ice jugs and a tarp get the job done.

Bob

 

[bdb]

Here's another option for ya. I tend to hunt before work and after work and save weekend time for the family if at all possible. We have a shower at work so I pack my work clothes in the truck. I bring a blue tarp and if successful, I lay the deer on a bed of ice, pack the body cavity and cover it with ice then pull the tarp over the whole thing and no one in the office is the wiser to my cargo . Costs me about $40 in ice but well worth it to get the hunting time in and be able to cool the meat and not miss work time. It helps to have a spot away from other cars that slopes towards a sewer drain as well

 

[BFG]

If you want to control the temp of a chest freezer above normal freezer temp use this.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...on-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html

This is used in home brewing beer a lot.

Tapatalk Galaxy S4

 

[Cerfur]

Are you talking about the coolbot?

For me the ice jugs and a tarp get the job done.

Bob

I don't know the product he uses.. However I looked Up the cool bot and that appears to do the same thing.. likely what he uses

 

[Katie-B]

If you have a small chest freezer,keep a few milk jugs or freezer blocks in it.When you place a field dressed deer in it to chill.Pull the plug and it will keep for a few days.
If you do not have a freezer,locate a Tuna fish buyer.They have tuna coffins/shipping boxes.It is a waxed box with a plastic liner.The large size is 72"x18" and keeps ice for a few days.If you are close to a skating rink there is a pile of free ice out back!

 

[Chistech]

I have made a few posts about this very same scenario. I grew up in a family butchering business. In most cases during the archery season the nights will run in the 50's or so. Most livestock or animals body temperature run around the 101d mark. Body temperature must be allowed to come out at a even speed down close to air temp before refrigeration. This means a drop of 50 degrees throughout the whole carcass before refrigeration. I totally agree on removing the hide as soon as possible and letting the carcass cool but in the natural air until it reaches the ambient air temp. There is a reason for the slow cooling. It allows the the internal heat around the bones to come out. Putting the carcass in a cooler or freezer too soon can sometimes capture the heat inside the muscle especially around the bone areas. This is often referred to a phase called a "heated round". This will cause the meat to sour. Leaving the hide on and not skinning immediately will also cause more enzyme action which give more "gamy" flavor or slight souring. Even when ice is used inside the carcass the cooling process to ambient with the hide on does not allow proper cooling. A deer hide is designed to keep heat in and that is what it does by leaving it on. The internal skin or membrane in the body cavity also does the same, it helps contain the heat in the animal's core. I have had many doubt what I've written here on another thread but these are procedures followed by slaughter houses across the country. Here is my procedure slightly different than some.
1. Kill the deer
2. bring the deer home and skin it first
3. gut the deer, split the breast bone
4. wash the deer good with cold water from the hose
5. let the deer hang, drip off, and cool to ambient (I put a fan blowing on the hanging carcass) usually overnight
6. quarter the deer, wrap in good freezer wrap and freeze in a chest freezer for about two weeks to a month
7. remove the quarters and cut them up on my band saw.
8. wrap all the cuts in quality freezer wrap paper
9. let all pieces to be boned and ground to warm up enough to bone out
10. grind and process all remaining meats
11. refreeze everything in the same freezer

 

[Cerfur]

I have made a few posts about this very same scenario. I grew up in a family butchering business. In most cases during the archery season the nights will run in the 50's or so. Most livestock or animals body temperature run around the 101d mark. Body temperature must be allowed to come out at a even speed down close to air temp before refrigeration. This means a drop of 50 degrees throughout the whole carcass before refrigeration. I totally agree on removing the hide as soon as possible and letting the carcass cool but in the natural air until it reaches the ambient air temp. There is a reason for the slow cooling. It allows the the internal heat around the bones to come out. Putting the carcass in a cooler or freezer too soon can sometimes capture the heat inside the muscle especially around the bone areas. This is often referred to a phase called a "heated round". This will cause the meat to sour. Leaving the hide on and not skinning immediately will also cause more enzyme action which give more "gamy" flavor or slight souring. Even when ice is used inside the carcass the cooling process to ambient with the hide on does not allow proper cooling. A deer hide is designed to keep heat in and that is what it does by leaving it on. The internal skin or membrane in the body cavity also does the same, it helps contain the heat in the animal's core. I have had many doubt what I've written here on another thread but these are procedures followed by slaughter houses across the country. Here is my procedure slightly different than some.
1. Kill the deer
2. bring the deer home and skin it first
3. gut the deer, split the breast bone
4. wash the deer good with cold water from the hose
5. let the deer hang, drip off, and cool to ambient (I put a fan blowing on the hanging carcass) usually overnight
6. quarter the deer, wrap in good freezer wrap and freeze in a chest freezer for about two weeks to a month
7. remove the quarters and cut them up on my band saw.
8. wrap all the cuts in quality freezer wrap paper
9. let all pieces to be boned and ground to warm up enough to bone out
10. grind and process all remaining meats
11. refreeze everything in the same freezer

As a cooking school grad I do remember some about butchering... But honestly my meat goes to a game processor.. I have two questions.. First off what is your reasoning behind not gutting the deer right away? That's very counter intuitive from normal procedure and what I learned in butchering class.. And 2 the freeze the meat in quarters and then defrost process and refreeze? I do know a shit ton about dry ageing and wet ageing of beef.. (I have never aged venison) I have never heard of this practice.. Not at all saying your wrong! I do know there is more then one way to skin a cat Just looking for more info

 

[colt_fan]

I've read of people taking the shavings outside of an ice skating rink and lining the floor of their garage/shed. Then hanging the deer over the pile.

 

[arms&arrows]

For the guys who put the ice bags inside the deer or lay the deer on ice do you worry about the condensation and the meat getting wet? Wouldn't this breed bacteria in a short amount of time?

I killed a deer the CT opener last year. I immediately skinned and quartered it. I put the quarters in indented trash bags and put the trash bags on ice in the cooler.

 

[bdb]

I typically don't worry about inside the cavity getting wet. I am going to hose it out anyway. I know lots of guys who bone out the meat and place it in a cooler of ice water for days draining off the bloody water, adding fresh water and more ice. They swear it makes the meat better. Personally I don't do that. With the hide on and gutted I don't worry about ice and water. Once skinned and cavity washed out, I make sure the meat is dry until I butcher and wrap it. One thing lots of people say is never use plastic bags it keeps the heat in. Not sure if it would be an issue if the whole bag was then submerged in ice water. Never tried it.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Here is what I recommend. Get a big Coleman 5 day cooler from Wally world. Quarter the deer and stuff it in the cooler with ice. Tip the cooler up a bit and open the drain port and leave it open so water never accumulates in the cooler. Or a slight hill works fine for this too. Let it sit that way. Refresh the ice once a day.

 

[arms&arrows]

Here is what I recommend. Get a big Coleman 5 day cooler from Wally world. Quarter the deer and stuff it in the cooler with ice. Tip the cooler up a bit and open the drain port and leave it open so water never accumulates in the cooler. Or a slight hill works fine for this too. Let it sit that way. Refresh the ice once a day.

Do you put the quarters in or on anything, or is it in direct contact with the ice?

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Do you put the quarters in or on anything, or is it in direct contact with the ice?

I've never hunted before. This will be my first year too. But this is what I've seen done by others I know. They just threw it all into the cooler. Didn't worry about bagging the game or keeping water off the meat. Just made sure it didn't accumulate and marinate in bloody water. Its' personal preference I guess.

Someone else here mentioned frozen water bottles so there is no water contact with the meat. That's not a bad idea. I think I'm going to try that.

 

[Chistech]

As a cooking school grad I do remember some about butchering... But honestly my meat goes to a game processor.. I have two questions.. First off what is your reasoning behind not gutting the deer right away? That's very counter intuitive from normal procedure and what I learned in butchering class.. And 2 the freeze the meat in quarters and then defrost process and refreeze? I do know a shit ton about dry ageing and wet ageing of beef.. (I have never aged venison) I have never heard of this practice.. Not at all saying your wrong! I do know there is more then one way to skin a cat Just looking for more info

Both great questions.

1. I don't usually hunt too far from home and can get my deer back to my house in a 1/2 to an hr. Unless it's a severe gut shot I prefer to gut my deer after I've skinned it much the same as my years in the slaughterhouse. Deer don't gas as badly as a cow, horse, or any other large animal and there is plenty of time to get the animal home to gut it there. In other words, deer guts and intestines are as much of an issue as your normal domesticated animals because of their diet. In the case of wild rabbits, years ago my uncle would shoot them and not even gut them for weeks leaving them hanging in his scallop shack over on Nantucket. The meat never spoiled. Of course deer are not like that. In the case of the blood, it will congeal anyway as most of bow hunters let our deer lay after the shot for at least 45mins so gutting in the woods isn't going to let the deer bleed any better. Shooting one with a gun and it dying immediately then I would say gutting it in the woods could be an advantage in getting the blood out. Gutting in the woods just makes it harder as there is no hoist and no gravity to help you out. Deer will also get dirtier when gut in the woods. I use a cart when moving my killed deer so the extra weight of the guts is not a problem when getting it out of the woods. When dragging by hand then yes, the guts will make it heavier. Having water in a hose to wash immediately is a major advantage too.

2. Aging: Deer meat doesn't age well as it dries out way too fast (with just two-three days of hanging). Aging only produces very dry venison especially if you like to eat it as steaks. Deer fat also when dry tends to keep more of the gaminess taste to the meat. If you quarter it after the overnight cooling and then freeze the meat's natural moisture will stay in it. The 2-4 week freeze helps kill bacteria that might be present while keeping the meat moist. I then cut the quarters on a saw while still pretty frozen and don't let it thaw out much before putting it back in the freezer. Deer meat when soft is very stringy and will catch/pull on the saw blade when cutting chops/steaks. It's much safer to have the meat frozen when using the saw. I only let the meat that I'm grinding to thaw out enough to work with. Most that meat ends up in my smoked sausage which ends up getting cooked and smoked anyway. The colder the ground meat is the better it is when making sausage. I then vac pack the sausage to refreeze.

 

[bdb]

Interesting info Chisech, thanks for writing it up. Always good to hear from the pros. For me, I have no band saw so I don't really have a freeze it first option to use. Do you leave the backstraps in and freeze and then cut on the saw for loin chops?

I will always gut in the woods since I always have to drag and I am solo 95% of the time. Although it sure would be easier on a hoist than solo on the ground with a head lamp in the dark! Plus I don't want drag an extra 40 pounds of guts up hill Sure it gets some dirt leaves and twigs in the cavity but like you I am less than 1 hour from my shed and a hose. Head hide and bones go in a trash bag but the guts can get messy and be a pain if you don't have an easy disposal option at home so to me that is another factor.

 

[Cerfur]

Both great questions.

1. I don't usually hunt too far from home and can get my deer back to my house in a 1/2 to an hr. Unless it's a severe gut shot I prefer to gut my deer after I've skinned it much the same as my years in the slaughterhouse. Deer don't gas as badly as a cow, horse, or any other large animal and there is plenty of time to get the animal home to gut it there. In other words, deer guts and intestines are as much of an issue as your normal domesticated animals because of their diet. In the case of wild rabbits, years ago my uncle would shoot them and not even gut them for weeks leaving them hanging in his scallop shack over on Nantucket. The meat never spoiled. Of course deer are not like that. In the case of the blood, it will congeal anyway as most of bow hunters let our deer lay after the shot for at least 45mins so gutting in the woods isn't going to let the deer bleed any better. Shooting one with a gun and it dying immediately then I would say gutting it in the woods could be an advantage in getting the blood out. Gutting in the woods just makes it harder as there is no hoist and no gravity to help you out. Deer will also get dirtier when gut in the woods. I use a cart when moving my killed deer so the extra weight of the guts is not a problem when getting it out of the woods. When dragging by hand then yes, the guts will make it heavier. Having water in a hose to wash immediately is a major advantage too.

2. Aging: Deer meat doesn't age well as it dries out way too fast (with just two-three days of hanging). Aging only produces very dry venison especially if you like to eat it as steaks. Deer fat also when dry tends to keep more of the gaminess taste to the meat. If you quarter it after the overnight cooling and then freeze the meat's natural moisture will stay in it. The 2-4 week freeze helps kill bacteria that might be present while keeping the meat moist. I then cut the quarters on a saw while still pretty frozen and don't let it thaw out much before putting it back in the freezer. Deer meat when soft is very stringy and will catch/pull on the saw blade when cutting chops/steaks. It's much safer to have the meat frozen when using the saw. I only let the meat that I'm grinding to thaw out enough to work with. Most that meat ends up in my smoked sausage which ends up getting cooked and smoked anyway. The colder the ground meat is the better it is when making sausage. I then vac pack the sausage to refreeze.

Solid my only question I grew up in Dartmouth and now live in Westport! You want to process my deer the year ;-)

 

[aeromarine]

Great discussion! And great that everyone is thinking about and discussing this ahead of the season!! A lot of early season game meat goes bad because hunters fail to make the proper preparations. It drives me crazy to see early September bear hunters out in the woods on 85-90 degree days. You know there is no way that meat is ever likely to make it to the dinner table. What a waste!

 

[Chistech]

Interesting info Chisech, thanks for writing it up. Always good to hear from the pros. For me, I have no band saw so I don't really have a freeze it first option to use. Do you leave the backstraps in and freeze and then cut on the saw for loin chops?

I will always gut in the woods since I always have to drag and I am solo 95% of the time. Although it sure would be easier on a hoist than solo on the ground with a head lamp in the dark! Plus I don't want drag an extra 40 pounds of guts up hill Sure it gets some dirt leaves and twigs in the cavity but like you I am less than 1 hour from my shed and a hose. Head hide and bones go in a trash bag but the guts can get messy and be a pain if you don't have an easy disposal option at home so to me that is another factor.

I do leave the backstraps in as the chops. I understand that people do it differently and different ways don't mean those ways are wrong. I have just tried different ways through the years to make venison more palatable for more then just the men. The freeze method and saw cutting basically everything has proven to make the moistest, tenderest venison. It is also the easiest way of cutting up a deer versus boning steaks out for boneless cuts. When the steaks are cut on the saw and pretty stiff they are easy to wrap also.

On the gutting, I totally understand about doing in the woods. Lots of guys drag their deer and they can get heavy. Like I said I have a two wheel cart that makes it easy for me to get my deer out. Lots of guys hunt in groups or have ATV's too so getting out a un-gutted deer can be easy for some. For me it's just easier to do it all home. I take the guts to a farmer who has a coyote problem and he uses it for bait to lure them in. The hoist in my garage is a electric chain hoist and its on a trolley so working on it is real convenient. I am working on making a puller system for pulling the hides easier. Good luck this season!

 

[Chistech]

Solid my only question I grew up in Dartmouth and now live in Westport! You want to process my deer the year ;-)

I can probably help you out. My own freezer is only big enough for my own deer. If you have your own I can help you process it and even teach you a few things to make gutting and stuff easier. Give me a call. If you grew up in Dartmouth then you must know of Brito's Meats and Provisions which was on Chase road. That's me.

978-337-4617 My work cell. Best to call 6-9pm.
Ted

 

[Chistech]

Thought I'd post a few pics of what my skinning process looks like and what a carcass looks like skinned out. If you look close you will see the flanks intact and a smooth carcass with no dangling pieces of meat or tissue. This is how we skinned animals in the slaughter house. Pictures show how I leave the feet attached to the skin which gives you "handles" to help pull the skin off. I open the animal's hide on the floor before hoisting. Once up in the air I finish skinning the animal then gut it. Some of these deer were gutted in the field before skinning. The carcass pictures show some of the animal has been trimmed out. The second picture with me in it shows the buck before skinning and gutting. Third picture is of a buck shot in shotgun that was gutted before skinning. Either way the deer can be skinned pretty easily. Clean up is just harder. Most women do not appreciate eating hair, mud, pieces of leaves, and twigs so I gut at home when I can.