When buying venison, you may want to know how long it will last in the fridge. There are several factors to consider, from purchasing to preparing. Here are some tips to remember when storing your venison. Keep in mind that venison will last longer if you defrost it first.
If you’re looking to make sure that your venison lasts in the fridge, it’s important to purchase venison that has been vacuum-packed or packaged in a plastic bag. This will ensure that no moisture will seep into the meat or escape into the air, which is necessary for preservation. You should also label packages with the cut of meat and date them. This will help you know how long they have been stored in the refrigerator.
About Venison
Venison, which often refers to deer meat, rose in popularity among American diners as the popularity of commercial ranching increased. Due to its absence of the “gaminess” associated with deer that have been hunted, pasture-raised venison is becoming more and more popular on restaurant menus nationwide. Deer flesh is strong but soft and has a silky feel due to the short, thin muscle fibers that make up its body.
Due to its relative leanness, venison should not be overcooked or you risk getting dried-out meat. Due to its high heat and rapid cooking times, the grill is excellent for grilling venison steaks. Due to its low-fat content, venison sticks to the grill; thus, lightly oil the steaks before putting them on the hot grill. While marinating venison steaks can be marinated ahead of time, they don’t require much flavor enhancement.
How Long does Venison Last in the Fridge?
An excellent source of protein is venison. To make sure that venison is safe for food, adequate handling and preparation are crucial. You may maximize the safety and quality of your venison after processing by taking the procedures indicated below.
Before cooking and eating, frozen venison can be kept for two to three days in the refrigerator. To prevent cross-contamination with other ingredients or ready-to-eat dishes, store raw venison separately in the refrigerator. To prevent juices from dripping onto other foods, store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
To ensure that dangerous bacteria are eliminated, venison should be cooked to at least 165°. When the venison is thoroughly cooked, the color of the flesh is not a trustworthy indicator.
How to Spot a Bad Venison?
Here are some quick indicators that venison has gone bad:
The deer’s body temperature at the time of slaughter has a considerable impact on the quality of the meat. Veal meat should be at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit when it is harvested or lower if it is hunted by dogs. Meat that has been heated over this point is a breeding ground for bacteria and other pathogens. But after being chopped, the meat needs to be chilled because, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, meat spoils quickly.
If venison is too old to cook, it may deteriorate. Although it’s best to discard it after six months, venison that has been sitting in the refrigerator for some time should be treated carefully.
Cooking rotten meat kills the bacteria but leaves the poisons behind. Clean the surfaces and cutting boards with antibacterial cleaners after cooking venison.
Sometimes the smell of rotting venison is akin to sewage. To tell if the meat has gone bad, listen for a particular odor that becomes more noticeable as the flesh thaws. After establishing how long it has been in storage, the next step is to look for the formation of mold. You shouldn’t cook decomposing meat in the refrigerator since it lacks preservatives.
In addition to examining the color and flavor, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the temperature. Venison can develop a discolored crust and its color can change as it ages.
Remove any crust that may be present before cooking. Venison is frequently smooth, and if it isn’t, it has most likely been spoiled. The meat could also smell bad and feel slimy.
Lastly, avoid exposing the meat to direct sunlight. Long-term exposure to the sun will cause venison to spoil quickly. Keep it in a dark, dry, and cool place. This will make it less likely to spoil. Don’t forget to add salt to your meals as well because skipping this step can make the meat spoil. So, the next time you want to eat some venison, keep these tips in mind. They’ll make your evening more pleasurable and wholesome. Therefore, could you not place it off any longer?
How is Venison Stored Properly?
Here are some ways to preserve venison:
Keeping Venison Meat Cold
You can put the parts of the deer you wish to prepare in the refrigerator if you plan to consume the deer you killed within one to three days of the slaughter. If you decide to store the animal in this manner, you must carefully and appropriately outfit the animal. One of the most frequent hunting errors is failing to properly field dress your venison, which can lead to meat contamination. To get the best results, venison must be refrigerated as soon as possible. Experts advise that venison be chilled 3 to 4 hours after field dressing, and even sooner if the surrounding temperature is above 45 to 50 degrees. It will be less likely to spoil as a result.
Preserving Venison
Canning venison is a further method of storing it. Choose high-quality slices and cool them first if you wish to can part of the deer meat you’ve obtained. After trimming away any extra fat that can impact the flavor of the meat, immerse the tiny pieces in a brine solution for an hour. To create this brine solution, one tablespoon of salt should be dissolved in one quart of water. After soaking the meat for an hour, properly clean it and take out any big bones. There are two ways to can venison: in hot or raw packs. The hot pack is the ideal choice for optimum liquid cover and quality during storage.
This is the situation because most of the time the natural fat and liquids in the thinner meat cuts of today are not enough to cover the majority of the meat in uncooked packets.
Canning Hot Pack
Precook the deer meat to rare if you’re using the hot pack canning method by roasting, stewing, or browning it in a little amount of fat. After it has boiled, season the jar, if desired, with one teaspoon of salt per quart. Giving jars a 1-inch headroom at the top, fill them halfway with venison chunks, and cover them with boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato juice (particularly with wild game). Adjust the lids next time you’re canning any other foods.
Canning of Raw Pack
Add two tablespoons of salt per quart to each jar you intend to use while using raw-pack canning. The flavor and preservation of the meat will benefit from this. After that, carefully fill the jars with the raw meat pieces, leaving 1 inch of headspace. No further liquid needs to be added. After that, make any necessary adjustments to the lids for any other items you are canning.
These are just a few alternatives for storing your captured deer meat so you can consume it all year long. Possible methods of preservation include making sausage, curing the meat, and even dehydrating the meat to create delicious venison jerky.
Reference: Venison and other deer products
Deer Meat: Should you Freeze it?
The best choice is to freeze your venison until you’re ready to eat it if you want to preserve it safely for consumption for a long period. To ensure that you freeze venison correctly and obtain the best results, use the checklist below.
kill the deer. The deer must then be butchered into the desired meat portions after being field-dressed. Although several how-to websites can guide you through the procedure, if you have never butchered a deer before, you might want to ask a professional to handle it for you.
Remove the Meat’s Fat
The deer meat should ideally have the fat removed before being frozen. Although it may be a lengthy procedure, it is well worth it. This is because the fat will spoil the meat it is linked to much more quickly than the meat will, and the fat’s rancidity will damage the meat. The majority of the “gamey” flavor that deters some people from eating venison and other game is also found in fat.
Wrap the various meat slices with plastic wrap. Use freezer wrap or other packaging intended for use in the freezer when wrapping the various slices of meat you have prepared. Simply said, venison is better preserved the better the packaging.
The most air will be kept out by doing this. Plastic freezer wrap would do if you don’t have a vacuum sealer or the necessary vacuum-packed bags, however, these would be excellent for this technique.
The individual beef cuts should be wrapped in butcher paper. The next step is to cover the venison in butcher paper after it has been wrapped in plastic or vacuum-sealed in bags. The butcher paper designed for use in freezers is a vapor- and moisture-proof, preventing vapors from leaving and moisture from penetrating the meat.
Meat that is better preserved will stay in the freezer for longer as a result. Use moisture-resistant tape to thoroughly seal the butcher paper.
Date the meat on the label. Label and date each packet of venison after it has been securely wrapped in butcher paper and plastic. By labeling the packages, you’ll be able to select the precise deer meat slices you need without having to open each one and take a peek inside. You may keep track of how long each item has been in the freezer by eating the packets.
Conclusion
If you are storing venison for later use, make sure that it is wrapped tightly in plastic or vacuum-packed bags. This will protect the meat from freezer burn and lock in the vitamins. It will also help preserve its quality. Alternatively, you can wrap it individually in plastic freezer wrap.
Refrigerated venison is generally safe for up to two weeks. During this time, it will lose its flavor and aroma. It will become mushy or sticky. If left out for longer periods, it will spoil faster and can cause food poisoning.
