Hanging meat in game bags.

[Gollywomper]

Is there any issue in hanging boned out meat in game bags for a week or so? Cold temps below 35? Wasn’t sure if air circulation would be an issue since it tends to ball up in the bottom of a bag.

 

[Blank]

This is another of those "It depends" answers. Check it every day, and your nose will tell you if its still OK. We like to only hang quarters, and get boned meat into coolers and on ice as soon as possible. The key is to get it cold as soon as you can, and also dried out, to preserve it from spoiling. Just because the air temp is dropping doesn't mean those cold temps are getting to the center of that meat ball. Game bags are better than plastic, but still don't breathe all that well. Meat will spoil in plastic trash bags in as little as two days. I would prefer to lay it out, get it dried and as cold as possible, and make sure I put it in smaller bags, rather than big heavy clumps of meat.

 

[Gollywomper]

Wyoming in late November to be exact. Lows in the low teens or single digits should be plenty cold. Just not sure about a sack of meat squished at the bottom. Will separate as best as possible.

 

[2lumpy]

Yer fridge runs about 40F. Turkeys keep for few days in there.

 

[Blank]

I'm assuming bear storage required, is why you're hanging so long? Just make smaller packages/bags and they will freeze solid. Then no problem at all

Actually, refrigerators are usually set to 36-42 degrees, and run quite a bit warmer, due to opening the door frequently. The real key in a fridge is maintaining the 65-80 % humidity which is optimal, for meat storage. Another reason the dry-aging meat is a specialty!!

 

[PRCnut]

I learned a trick from Dwight S. Years ago for early archery seasons! Buy the cheap cheese cloth bags and put in a small chunk of meat and then tie a knot, put in another chunk and tie a knot and keep doing this until you can’t fit or tie a knot anymore! It keeps the meat separated and cools faster. Hang it in the shade! Works awesome