redkneck Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 I've never been fond of re-freezing meat. As a matter of fact, I never do it. A friend of mine at work saves 2-3 deer by freezing just after cleaning and then he thaws and grinds/stuffs them and freezes again. He makes a good point, it's a pain in the butt to do a small deer at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUNTINGMAN Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 I'm with you here on this one man,I've allways heard it's not good to thaw out meat and then refreez it again. I have to say I have never done this but I'm sure lots of people do,surely can't be to good with bacteria in the meat or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Well I'm really wondering now because I got this little 80lb doe in a cooler and I got to do something with her (not that I dont know how to cut her up ) But it is a pain to set up and grind such a small amount. Would sure be more convenient to do like my buddy and wait til you got another deer or two and just make a day of it. I wouldn't worry so much about bacteria, as much as the texture of the meat from being frozen twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 We keep em in coolers with ice until we are ready John. Not a big deal to grind one to me, however doing two at the same time is a little easier with cleanup. Don't think we have ever completely froze deer meat and then thawed it out and worked it and then refroze it. Have heard that meat almost to frozen is easier to work with though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snipe Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 I have done this on several occasions... I would not worry about the texture.. You will be fine.. This is From the USDA Food Safety And Inspection Service Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp#top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxStarr Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Doing it a little at at time would be such a freaking pain so we freeze trimmings from hogs and deer until we want to process it. Then we partially thaw it, cut it into chunks, and grind it—it cuts and grinds easier. We mix deer with pork for sausage and use deer (with some beef fat) for ground meat. We have an old commercial grinder so we almost always do 50 pounds of meat or more at a time (takes about 2-3 hours from cutting the meat into chunks and finishing cleaning the grinder). So far we have not had any problems with any of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.