How long in the fridge?

Psyxologos

Well-Known Member
Hi all. I am after some advice with regards to how long venison can/needs to stay in the fridge once freshly shot. I do not have a chiller, or somewhere to hang a carcass at the right temperature (that time of the tear, anyway) so after shooting the animal, say in the morning, it was processed (different cuts etc) in the late afternoon/early evening and went in the fridge. My question is how long can/should it stay there before it goes in the freezer? Many thanks in advance.
 
Meat can mature/tenderise/hang before or after it is frozen. Bung in in the freezer and keep it in the fridge after you take out to eat for the time you find appropriate to your taste.
 
Thanks for that. It has been in the fridge for a week now, and I was hoping it can stay there for another week, until I can free some space. I guess my question is whether leaving it for a further seven days will spoil it or not. Any ideas? Thanks again.
 
Hi all. I am after some advice with regards to how long venison can/needs to stay in the fridge once freshly shot. I do not have a chiller, or somewhere to hang a carcass at the right temperature (that time of the tear, anyway) so after shooting the animal, say in the morning, it was processed (different cuts etc) in the late afternoon/early evening and went in the fridge. My question is how long can/should it stay there before it goes in the freezer? Many thanks in advance.

The rule of thumb I have gathered from reading here and elsewhere…forty degree days.

40˚C days.

That means you can keep it at 4˚C for ten days, 10˚C for four days, 1˚C for forty days and etc.

There is a device (that I think Bushwear sell) that is based on this equation. It monitors fluctuations of temperature and adjusts hanging/fridge time to suit.

The other thing I have read is that anything over 7˚C will accelerate the deterioration.

Alan

p.s. found the tenderum device...

Portable Timer Tenderum - Larder Equipment - Stalking, Hunting Shooting


p.p.s. Found some info on the Tenderum site...

What is the appropriate temperature during hanging?
During the first twelve hours the meat’s temperature should not fall below 10°C since the meat otherwise can be affected by cold contractions. Meat affected by cold contractions becomes hard, tough, and impossible to tenderise. After the first 12 hours, the temperature should be below 8ºC since bacteria harmful to humans can not multiply at these temperatures. A low temperature means that the animal needs to hang longer while a higher temperature leads to a quicker tenderisation. This means that by adapting the temperature of the game fridge the timing for when the meat is fully tenderised and ready to be processed can be controlled. The temperature in the game fridge can easily become uneven as the heavier cold air drops down toward the floor of the fridge. By installing a fan in the game fridge the air is mixed and the temperature is more evenly distributed.For how long should I hang the meat?
The meat should hang for at least 40 degree days where degree days are calculated by multiplying the average temperature by the number of hanging days. By using a Tenderisation Timer in the game fridge you get full control over the tenderisation process and also see how much time remains for the meat to become fully tenderised. The wall-mounted Tenderisation Timer also provides information on the conditions in the game fridge by displaying the temperature and humidity level.How do I know if the tenderisation level is acceptable?
A game fridge can sometimes have a humidity that is too high, especially when hanging animals with moist in their fur. With a wall-mounted Tenderisation Timer you get good control over the hanging conditions, both the temperature and the relative humidity. Humidity above 85% increases the risk of bacterial and fungal contaminations. A fan in the game fridge will increase the ventilation and also makes the temperature more evenly distributed within the game fridge.
 
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I'd say it depends on a number of factors, shot placement, how well gralloched i.e. the condition of the animal when it went in the fridge, how well the fridge works, how you like your venison etc. Providing the meat was clean and the fridge keeps it at a suitable temperature and humidity you could be fine for another week. Just keep an eye and nose on it.
 
You may find this useful. I do not have enough space for full sized chiller, so I butcher the carcass into the primal cuts I want, then wrap them in heavy duty tinfoil and vac pack them. They will keep for several weeks in the fridge like this, there will be no blood leakage as its contained. I then either freeze the cuts whole or take them out of the vac pack and portion them up, re vac and freeze. I find this works well for me and gives you good matured venison that melts in the mouth. Hope this helps
 
It can stay in the fridge for ages. Matured beef can have been in a chiller room for several weeks.

The only thing about the fridge in my view is it can tend to dehydrate meat. Talking of which, you could always make a dehydrator and make some biltong!
 
You may find this useful. I do not have enough space for full sized chiller, so I butcher the carcass into the primal cuts I want, then wrap them in heavy duty tinfoil and vac pack them. They will keep for several weeks in the fridge like this, there will be no blood leakage as its contained. I then either freeze the cuts whole or take them out of the vac pack and portion them up, re vac and freeze. I find this works well for me and gives you good matured venison that melts in the mouth. Hope this helps

Similar but different approach here. I've only done this with two deer so I'm still perfecting the process.
I hang overnight at whatever ambient temperature my cellar happens to be, then skin and do the basic butchery the next day. I remove the shoulders, flanks, neck and dice them, then give them a day in the kitchen fridge in a couple of big tupperware boxes. The striploins and fillet I remove and lay out on a tray on the top shelf of a second normal sized fridge to mature and "set" The hind legs can then hang whole from the shelf and just fit in (these were young fallow bucks).
The diced bits I portion up some to use for casserole/stewing and the rest I chop in an ordinary food processor to make lovely mince. Then they go in the freezer.
The "best bits" from the other fridge I give a few days before sorting them out and freezing.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I managed to fit everything in the freezer, so it is all good now. The meat was nicely tenderized, I thought, after nine days in the fridge.
 
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