Do you want to keep the fresh venison in the freezer but you are not sure about how long it will sustain? additionally, are contemplating whether the deer meat will go bad or not and whether it will give a pungent/decaying smell or not while freezing?
How long does deer meat or venison last in the freezer?
For the best quality of deer meat, one must not keep venison for a longer period of time in the freezer. However, by meticulously following proper techniques, you can make ground or cured venison last for 3 months and venison steaks and roasts for 9 months for the best quality.
Deer meat or venison will last longer in the freezer based on the freezing or storing techniques followed. Accordingly, deer meat will last long for eight to nine months if you are trying to ensure the taste.
However, the taste will be compromised if deer meat is frozen for such a long time. Deer meat can even last long for 3 to 4 years at 0°F but the freshness will be tempered.
Does deer meat go bad in the freezer?
Deer meat will not go bad in the freezer depending on the butchering process, appropriate storing process, and so on. In addition, deer meat will only go bad if you store the meat by not removing the fats, not removing the air, and extra water.
Additionally, if you leave the meat in the freezer for too long after thawing, the venison will go bad.
How can you tell if frozen deer meat is bad?
It is very important to know whether the deer meat that you have frozen is safe to eat or not. Using the right techniques and using your senses properly can help you to detect the good deer meat from bad ones.
Look:
One of the easiest ways to detect whether your frozen deer meat has gone bad is by looking at the looks of the venison.
Frozen deer meat should be nice and deep red in its look and anything beyond that should be an indication of the idea that the frozen deer meat has gone bad.
Moreover, if you notice that the deer meat is brown then it is a firm indication that it has gone bad.
Smell:
You will be able to identify if frozen deer meat has gone bad by the smell of it.
In addition, an awful decaying smell and sewage-like odor will come off of the deer meat and this odor will be a pretty strong indicator of rotten meat. There will also be a gamey odor coming from the venison.
Slimly to the Touch:
If frozen deer meat has gone bad, you will be able to tell by the sense of touch because when you will touch spoiled or decayed meat, chances are the dear meat will be slimy and wet to the touch.
Storing Duration:
The duration between the butchering process and the freezing process should be less. The less the duration is, the fresher the deer meat will be. Moreover, you also need to notice the duration of the storing time.
Accordingly, if the duration time of deer meat, ground venison, venison steak, and venison roasts get past accordingly three days, three months, six to nine months, then chances are the deer meat that you stored is spoiled.
Can you eat 2, 4, or 5-years old frozen venison?
Technically, you can eat two, four, and even five years old venison only if the conditions are filled.
Moreover, if you constantly have kept the deer meat frozen at zero degrees Fahrenheit without any deviation in between and if you did not put the thawed deer meat back in the freezer for too long, then it is perfectly ok to eat 2, 4, or 5 years old frozen venison.
How long will deer meat last at 50 degrees & 60 degrees of weather?
Deer meat will not last long at 50 degrees and 60 degrees of weather as the fifty and sixty degrees of weather are still not the preferable one for storing the deer meat for a long time.
However, the time duration is 1 or 2 days of longevity in fifty and sixty degrees of weather after that, the venison will start to deteriorate.
How long can deer meat last on ice?
If you are only storing deer meat on ice, chances are the deer meat will only last up to a week but in the case of younger deer, the time will be less meaning it will be two to three days.
However, the storage process for making the deer meat last long in ice should be proper and appropriate and you should definitely put layers of ice at the bottom and then place the venison on top of that.
In addition, you need to make sure to place ice after each layer of meat and there should also be a drainage system to get rid of the melted ice water.
How to properly store deer meat in the freezer?
It is not fairly possible to use all the venison at once therefore, you need to properly store it for future use. However, it is not always easy to store venison and one must be knowledgeable about the proper and effective ways of storing it to avoid any spoilage.
Removing Fats:
If you want to freeze deer meat or venison in the freezer, you have to remove the extra bones from the deer meat thus, it will be very convenient for you to freeze in the freezer.
One of the most important things to do while freezing deer meat in the freezer is to remove all the fats attached to it. By removing all the fat, the longevity will be increased.
Vacuum Sealer Bags:
Although vacuum sealer bags can be pricier, nevertheless, vacuum sealer bags can surely provide the best way for storing deer meat in the freezer.
In addition, vacuum sealer bags store deer meat by sucking all the air out of the bag which in turn helps to keep the deer meat stored for almost three to five years.
Moreover, vacuum sealer bags are the best because it does not let the deer meat go stale and storing deer meat in only plastic containers or the plastic bag will cause the meat to rot quickly due to the exposure of air or oxygen.
In addition, you have to freeze the venison at about zero degrees Fahrenheit or the temperature can be below that to provide venison the preferable temperature to freeze.
Zipper Plastic Bags:
It is not always possible to buy expensive vacuum sealer bags. Accordingly, one of the easiest and inexpensive ways of storing your deer meat is by putting it in zipper bags. Zip-style bags are easy to find and can store deer meat for up to six or seven months.
However, to make sure of the quality and to further the longevity, you can use a hand pump to suck out all the air from the bag, and thus you can make sure of the quality of deer meat.
Providing zero degrees Fahrenheit and storing it in the freezer for 3 months with that temperature results in a better quality of deer meat.
Furthermore, zip-style plastic bags can also help you to make sure that the deer meat does not get freezer burn.
How long does deer meat last after thawed?
The more quickly you make use of venison, the more convenient it will for you as deer meat will not last long after it is thawed.
In addition, if you want to keep thawed meat back in the fridge, then you must be careful not to let thawed meat come in contact with other meat as thawed meat can contaminate the other meat.
Moreover, you must keep thawed deer meat at the bottom of the freezer so that the water can not touch other meat. However, it is better to cook deer meat immediately after thawing.
Is it OK to thaw and refreeze deer meat?
It is comparatively ok to thaw deer meat and refreeze it however, it is not mandatory to do so. Additionally, it will only be appropriate to refreeze deer meat for two to three days.
In addition, it will be better to refreeze thawed meat at forty degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you need to store thawed deer meat separately in the freezer because the water will cause other meat to spoil and rot.
Moreover, bacteria can also creep onto deer meat if you refreeze the meat longer than the recommended duration.
Final thoughts:
To sum up, nothing can beat the fresh taste of venison therefore, it is recommended to use the venison as soon as possible. However, if it is not possible, then with the right technique and process, you can store venison for up to 9 months to 1 year depending on the various way of curing the meat.