RE: Freezing...Thawing.....Refreezing Venison
I butcher my own deer. I reduce the deer into prime cuts in the field then pack it out. It then goes into a fridge for a day or two. I then complete the butchering , the meat cuts better when it is totaly chilled out. I package the prime cuts and freeze until use. I bulk wrap and freeze the chunks that will go into burger or sausage. After the season is over I take out all the bulk packages and thaw them just enough to be able to break them or cut them apart then they go thru my grinder. The meat grinds better if partialy frozen. I then either add fat and regrind for burger or add spices and regrind for sausage, repackage/stuff etc. and refreeze. Never had a problem. If you let the meat thaw completly bacteria can start to grow. The whole key is to thaw as little as possible, keep the meat as cold as possible and process quickly. The less time the meat is thawed the less chance you have for bacteria to grow.