frozen venison
 

Dear Gentlemen,I was cleaning out my freezer chest and found five-one pound bags of frozen venison I harvested on 27 nov2004.I do believe it has not thawed.Do you feel it would still be fit for human consumption or should I feed it to the dogs?How long will venison keep?Best Regards,N.V.

RE: frozen venison
 

Nicky, first of all, welcome to the forum!
I never eat deer meat that has been in my freezer for over a year, my advice is to throw it out........

RE: frozen venison
 

let it thaw out if it smells bad feed it to the dogs if it osnt make some chili,all depends did you vaccum seal it does it have, frezzer burn,if it looks fine i would try it ,i never have to much problem finding venizon that old in the frezzer its all gone by the next season[8D]

RE: frozen venison
 

Thanks yall for the replies!I opened the bags and they were burned[:'(],so I'm gonna make my dogs happy!This was my first deer,I wish I had known the meat was down there.That's what happens w/ a chest freezer.The wife starts piling groceries in and before long I forget what's in the bottom...maybe I need a separate freezer for my wild game,Oh,Yeah!Thanks again, gentlemen,I do look forward to talking to yall again.Best Regards,N.V.

RE: frozen venison
 

Definitely get a vacuum sealer. I eat deer 2 years old sometimes and its fine if it's sealed properly.

RE: frozen venison
 

I don't have a vac sealer , but I always oil down the outside of the meat to exclude air and wrap it in plastic wrap with a foil outer cover and the meat comes out just fine for at least 1.5 -2 years . Freezer burn is the enemy , keep the air off of the meat and it lasts a lot longer .

RE: frozen venison
 

yea it probably has freezer burn

RE: frozen venison
 

what a shame.......
all I do to prevent freezer burn is:

EAT EAT EAT!!!
Im pretty good at that.

RE: frozen venison
 

I double wrap my venison in plastic wrap then in brown paper. I also leave all cuts in roast form to cut to steak as needed, if there is any freezer burn its easier to trim a roast. I have been in the same situation where you thought you ate all from the previous years and then find it...... the oldest was 2.5yrs old. Trimmed up the roast and then cut to steaks..... nobody can tell the difference. Dog gets trimmed meat only. Waste not want not, and its also illegal to allow wild meat to spoil in MB, hard to prove but I try to follow.

RE: frozen venison
 

i double wrap my venison in brown butchers paper (freezer type) and use a good packing tape and my meat has never gone bad or been freezer burnt. Mind you I don't usually have much left by the end of summer. Legally in my province we are not supposed to have any after June each year.

RE: frozen venison
 

If the venison has not thawed you have absolutely nothing to worry about whatso ever. Only if it smells would I throw it out. Meat will stay good for a long time if its wrapped correctly and kept frozen. Im still eating soem vension from back in 2002 that is perfectly fine. Being a former butcherI know my meat.....double wrap, and keep frozen untill the day you wantto use it.

RE: frozen venison
 

I remember reading in some reputable publication that beef takes many years to spoil if kept frozen. And even then, you wouldn't get sick, it just wouldn't taste very good. I would imagine the same would apply to most other meats like venison.

RE: frozen venison
 

As long as it stays completely frozen, the only thing you have to worry about is freezer burn, and what your state game laws say about it.

In PA you "have to" use up your venison by the start of the next years season.

But as far a eating it, If it's not burnt then it theoretically is good for a long time. (remember,they have tested Mastadon meat deep frozen in the artic for tens of thousands of years and found it perfectly edible)

RE: frozen venison
 

I usually try and eat it up within a year and if it is getting close to a year I give it to my neighbors.They love it!
Elkshed