If you first consider it, storing meat outdoors within the winter sounds nice. On paper, it’s free refrigeration, which may are available very helpful throughout a catastrophe or regular occasions. All that chilly air mom nature gives enables you to hold a deer, or related massive animal chilly seemingly indefinitely.
But while you actually dig into the real-world expertise of storing meat outside in winter, the nuts-and-bolts particulars get slightly tough.
I’ve spent many years butchering animals within the fall, together with wild recreation like deer, and hogs from an area farmer who used to promote me an entire hog for $100 on the day after Thanksgiving. In these experiences, I’ve realized a number of issues about tips on how to retailer meat outside in winter, and I believed I’d move them alongside to you.
Temperature Vary Is Key
When storing meat outdoors in winter it’s important to fear in regards to the pure freeze-thaw impact that may occur because the temperature swings from day to nighttime. You additionally must be involved about deep chilly temperatures, which may degrade the standard of the meat greater than you would possibly suppose!
Ideally, you wish to hold the meat at temperatures between 28°F to 32°F. This ensures the meat stays frozen, with out the excessive threat of freezer burn.
Technically the “Hazard Zone” for micro organism doesn’t begin till 40°F. But the meat will nonetheless begin to thaw on the floor if the daytime temperature will get over 32. When it freezes once more at night time, new ice crystals will type, which may injury the meat fibers.
If this occurs too many occasions, you shortly find yourself with disgustingly freezer-burned meat. So dangerous in truth that you simply’ll even discover it for those who stew the meat.
On the opposite finish of the spectrum meat that will get too chilly, can dry out on the floor, and undergo from freezer burn within the deeper recesses of the primal reduce.
Keep away from Solar Publicity
Even within the depths of winter, the solar’s rays can have an effect on the floor of the meat. Even a minimal quantity of infrared gentle kissing the floor of the meat can thaw a microscopic layer of ice crystals.
When night time comes once more the moisture on the floor of the meat freezes once more. These new ice crystals then trigger microscopic punctures, resulting in speedy freezer burn.
When you would possibly be capable to get away with hanging a aspect or entire carcass for a day or three earlier than fully butchering, you shouldn’t simply go away meat uncovered to daylight for any longer. You may as well strive this technique utilized by our forefathers and nonetheless works with out fail to today.
Shield the Meat
Defending meat outside within the winter is available in many various types. This begins with defending it from animals. I don’t simply imply coyotes, bears, wolves, and vultures. Even pesky squirrels and raccoons will come to test it out. You don’t need them making a large number of it.
The odor of protein on the wind may even draw rodents to your property. Even for those who take measures to maintain mice and rats from getting at uncovered meat, they’ll nonetheless be drawn to your house and outbuildings. So, you don’t need lax out of doors storage of meat resulting in a rodent infestation!
Associated: If You Have Been Storing Meat This Method, Cease Doing It Instantly
Defending the meat additionally means protecting it protected from freezer burn. In meals science phrases, that is what occurs when microscopic ice crystals develop within the meat fibers, rising bigger and puncturing the fibers. This releases the pure juices, drying out the meat and decreasing its nutrient worth.
One of the best ways to guard meat from freezer burn is to hoover seal it after which freeze it as quick as potential. If you have already got a type of fancy electrical meals sealers, you’re forward of the sport. Nonetheless, I might additionally hold a hand-pump-style meals sealer in your stock, which is able to allow you to vacuum seal the meat in luggage if the grid goes down. You’ll be able to at all times strive one among these ingenious strategies to refrigerate meat with out electrical energy.
Upon getting the meat correctly sealed, you must then hold it in sealable containers. I like heavy-duty totes with strengthened corners for straightforward stacking. They’re opaque to maintain gentle off the meat whereas being robust sufficient to maintain rodents from chewing their method in.
Rotate the Frozen Meat
In an extended winter or a season while you would possibly butcher a number of animals, you additionally must be aware to verify the saved meat for indicators of freezer burn. This would possibly embody rotating older packages of meat as you add freshly frozen ones to the storage bin.
When correctly vacuum sealed and quickly frozen, you’ll be able to count on a package deal of meat to final in out of doors storage for 4 to six months. A bigger portion, resembling a ham, would possibly begin to get freezer burn on the outside after 4 months. But you’ll be able to often reduce that away to seek out plentiful good meat beneath.
Often Requested Questions
Can I exploit snowbanks for storing meat outside in winter?
If you happen to don’t have any kind of insulating construction, you’ll be able to hold meat packed deep inside a snowbank. It’s a very good, improvised technique, because the snow has insulating qualities to it that can hold the meat within the ultimate 28 to 32-degree temperature vary.
Simply be sure it’s in rodent-proof containers. Voles, mice, and lots of different rodents create subnivean zones beneath the snow and would possibly discover an uncovered stash of meat in a snowpack vault.
Can I exploit butcher paper if I don’t have a vacuum sealer?
Butcher paper is a viable means for storing parts of meat for out of doors winter storage. Nonetheless, the shelf-life earlier than freezer burn units in might be roughly half or worse than if it was vacuum sealed. You even have to ensure the parts of butcher-paper-wrapped meat are in heavy-duty storage containers, as animals will be capable to odor the meat by the folds within the paper.
What if my meat by chance thaws whereas saved outside?
If the winter climate takes a heat flip and the meat you will have saved outside partially thaws for a number of hours, it received’t essentially spoil. Nonetheless, will probably be at excessive threat of freezer burning once more and needs to be used as quickly as potential. If the meat fully thaws or spends greater than an hour or two within the “Hazard Zone” over 40 levels. I might use it or discard it.
Can I exploit frozen meat to make jerky?
Meat that’s been saved outside in winter and thawed can nonetheless be used to make jerky. Simply be sure it’s absolutely thawed, and also you observe all the opposite guidelines for protected jerky making. You need to strive this fool-proof recipe. It is a sound possibility in case your meat by chance thaws throughout a winter heat spell or you will have further meat nonetheless saved outside when spring begins looming on the calendar.
Greatest Practices for Storing Meat Outdoor in Winter
The setup I developed over time was to show a portion of my unheated pole barn right into a protected, clear, chilly storage space. I lined the partitions with foam panel sheeting which gave it some insulation worth to reasonable the temperature. So, whereas the skin winter air temp may nonetheless have an effect on it, the temperature vary typically stayed between 28 to 32 levels.
After butchering the animal, I might portion the meat into serving sizes. For instance, this would possibly imply slicing the rib primal into particular person chops or protecting linked sausages to a few per bag. These smaller parts permit the meat to freeze sooner, which reduces the danger of long-term freezer burn issues.
Then I might label every bag with a everlasting marker, together with the date, and put it in my freezer, on a metallic sheet pan with the freezer fan operating. The purpose is to freeze the meat as quick as potential, which is able to restrict the preliminary measurement of ice crystals that type within the meat fibers, Thus, decreasing the danger of freezer burn.
As soon as absolutely frozen, I’d transfer them to sealable tote bins. With a list of what’s in every bin written on a chunk of paper on the aspect of the tote in addition to beneath the lid.
The tote bins may then be stacked on high of one another to maximise the space for storing within the barn. I did my greatest to stack them within the order I used to be probably to make use of them. With sausages and steaks on the high, and large previous hams and double-thick chops for particular events on the backside.
Whereas additionally ensuring to rotate the contents of the tote bins. Ensuring that the freshest objects have been getting used after the older ones. Whereas rotating, I’d examine the older vacuum-sealed luggage for any indicators of freezer burn. If I discovered an issue, the canine would get a particular deal with!
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