Wife & I disagree deer in ice chest ...opinions?

[DaveC]

How exactly does that work - the meat will bleed out into the bags they’re in until it is completely cooled. Do you drain the “meat bags” periodically?

They pulled the meat out of the bags at the processor- they were dry- no standing blood or dripping blood that I saw- but then again I didn't run over to investigate.
I'll take a closer look next time.
But thinking offhand- when I'm quartering a deer the only time I encounter much blood is in the area of trauma damage (killing wound) the rest isn't oozing blood with every cut. Some blood yes, but not much. I'm thinking since the heart is no longer pumping it throughout, whatever dribbled out on the way back to camp and landed on the cleaning slab was the bulk of what's left over to deal with.

[Smart]

It’s just ice how in the hades can it “go bad”
Throw it in the back of the truck and haul azz.
Gosh we got a lot of softies on here!

It’s not the **** individual ice cubes. It’s the cooler that’s the nasty part and can be the health issue. Especially after 10 days of a bloody slush in it and being moved around splashing the sides and them drying up. That’s not always under ice. Not to mention the next 2-3 days trying to kill something and then adding another 10 days of “ice cube slush aging” after that.

[Smart]

Wife & I disagree deer in ice chest ...opinions?

pretty sure there is not any digestive system in my ice chest.

One piece of poop hits the inside of the hind quarter or cutting of the esophagus doesn’t get washed out 100% from the meat …. Or you just spray wash it to another part of the carcass and you have introduced the possibility of bacteria ….unbeknownst to your naked eye.

The ice is too cheap to risk it … and 10 days is longer than I like to ice it anyway.

[Benno]

It’s not the **** individual ice cubes. It’s the cooler that’s the nasty part and can be the health issue. Especially after 10 days of a bloody slush in it and being moved around splashing the sides and them drying up. That’s not always under ice. Not to mention the next 2-3 days trying to kill something and then adding another 10 days of “ice cube slush aging” after that.

So what if he kept the original deer in the cooler for 3 to 4 weeks?

[Huntindad]

So what if he kept the original deer in the cooler for 3 to 4 weeks?

yeah, you have gone way out of bounds.

[Benno]

yeah, you have gone way out of bounds.

Why?

[Smart]

Wife & I disagree deer in ice chest ...opinions?

So what if he kept the original deer in the cooler for 3 to 4 weeks?

That’s beyond my pay grade. I’m a 7 day max guy.[emoji41]

[Muskles]

I'd vote new ice in case any bacteria got lose in there.

This is another case for the meat doesn't touch the ice method.

I've used the bleed out with drain open method for the last ~30 years.

This year in camp I went with the meat doesn't touch the deer option after helping a guy quarter up a buck and put the meat in new garbage bags.
I asked why?
A. he worked for a processor in high school and preferred the meat that hadn't been bled out.
I gave it a shot the next day on the one I put on ice.

The remaining ice in the cooler after dropping meat off was nice and clean.

Maybe that's the cheap answer- use your ice that's left over & bag the meat to make sure no cootie cross contamination from previous deer.

Garbage bags aren't like freezer bags. They're not FDA approved for food storage. You do you though. I formulate plastic color concentrates and wouldn't use that.

[DaveC]

Garbage bags aren't like freezer bags. They're not FDA approved for food storage. You do you though. I formulate plastic color concentrates and wouldn't use that.

No sir, I'm here to learn.

So I'm looking for FDA approved freezer bags- check.
Do they make such an item big enough to put a quarter in?

I see another member wrapping his in plastic wrap, maybe plastic wrap first then garbage bag?

Heck maybe I'll just go back to ice-n-drain.

I need to eat some of the new stuff before next trip and see if I can taste a difference.

[TxDispatcher]

yeah, you have gone way out of bounds.

😂

I’m in the “ice is cheap” crowd. No need to worry about it, clean the cooler, fill it with ice on the way to the woods, and be done with it

[diamond10x]

Top it off and get out of town. Wife ain’t gonna know the difference.

It’s amazing humans have survived for thousands of years reading a bunch of these responses.

[ThisLadyHunts]

With 10 days, there is no doubt I would be dumping out your bacterial slush, spray the cooler down with bleach spray,rinse it out and buy new. Ice is cheap......doctor bills are not.

I agree. Not all bacteria are killed at freezing temperatures, they simply lie dormant. Not only that, but mold can actually grow in spite of freezing temps.

Throw out the old ice, clean your ice chest out with a 50/50 mix of bleach and water, let dry thoroughly, then fill with new ice.

[db@100]

I've been in a lot of processing facilities and I have never seen any that soak the meat in ice water. If it is so good, why don't they do it?

[cva34]

With 10 days, there is no doubt I would be dumping out your bacterial slush, spray the cooler down with bleach spray,rinse it out and buy new. Ice is cheap......doctor bills are not.

Thats why they call you SMART!!!!!and keep Momma Happy...

[Dmcgee]

Wife & I disagree deer in ice chest ...opinions?

Heat up the ice and sterilize it dummy

And why does the pessimist in me think this is some kinda humble brag that u have a cooler that is big enough to hold a entire deer and holds ice for two weeks [emoji1787]

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