You can stock up venison meat to last you for a year.
Safely stored, venison can last for a very long time. Venison is the versatile meat from large animals with antlers. This includes elk, deer, caribou, bison and antelope. Venison is lower in cholesterol and higher in protein than beef, lamb and veal. Many hunters who hunt for the larger game use every bit of the animal from the skin to the bones. Usually hunted in the warm months, properly stored venison can be used in stews, sausages, as patties like hamburgers, for jerky, chops, roasts and steaks. The key to avoiding bacterial contamination is correct storage procedures.
Instructions
1. Place a thermometer in any refrigerators or freezers used for storing venison. Make sure that freezers are between 0 degrees to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Refrigerators should be showing 38 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer.
2. Freeze cooked meat on top of any raw meat you may freeze so that the blood does not drip into the already cooked meat.
3. Separate cooked dishes into airtight shallow containers. Place cooked food in the refrigerator for no more than 2 hours, then freeze.
4. Make sure that air can circulate in the freezer. If there is not good air circulation, you will have warm spots and possible defrosting in the freezer.
5. Defrost all meat, venison or otherwise, in the refrigerator. As a rule, allow 1 day for every 5 to 6 pounds of meat you are defrosting. Cook as soon as possible once defrosted.
6. Use the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for storing defrosting poultry, fish and any meat. Clean any spillage immediately and check storage drawers beneath the bottom shelf to make sure no blood dripped into them.
7. Label and date frozen meat so that you can tell at a glance which meat should be used first. Use zip-type, heavy-duty freezer bags or wrap larger cuts in freezer-proof plastic sheets and use freezer tape to secure.
8. Use oldest cuts first. If properly frozen, roasts and steaks can last up to 12 months. It is best to grind meat after removing from the freezer because ground meat only stores well for 2 to 3 months at 0 degrees F. Stew or cubed meat also should be used within 3 months.
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