Meat and freezers?

[Mouldy]

&nbsp;I hunt a lot and am looking for an efficient way to keep meat and its the only thing I can think of for the amount of meat I have. I love to cook and meat is important to my meals. I won't buy meat from grocery stores. When I harvest an animal&nbsp; know it has been naturally fed and I process it myself so I know its all my meat. <br>What do the meat eaters out there do for the hunger? Do you stick to dried meats, buy meat, or do you have a stand alone freezer?<br>

 

[akrvbob]

Hi Mouldy, I haven't been a hunter in a very long time, but I agree with you completely that the meat is drastically superior and a very good idea. I have a 12 volt, compressor, freezer/refrigerator made by Waeco/Dometic. It is thermostatically controlled for any temperature you choose down to below zero. Mine draws 3 amps and I can easily run it off my solar panels. They come in sizes from 18 quart up to 60 quart and would easily keep you meat frozen. I use mine set as a refrigerator so I just buy my meat from the grocery store. I do try to buy buffalo because it is much more natural, but it is so expensive I can only afford it marked down or on sale.<br><br>Are you living in a van now? I would love to know more about your hunting as a vandweller! Bob <br>

 

[Mouldy]

I bought an older bumper pull camper trailer this past summer and renovated it to live in it full time. I originally was going to leave in the fall but family health issues have delayed me until late Feb now. I hunt A LOT and one thing that bothers me is that if I get too much meat for my needs, where am I gonna store it? I could give it away, but I don't know many people in the area I plan on roaming around in as of now. Discarding the meat is not a possibility and hunting less would not be fun. Hence a freezer is needed.<br>If you don't mind me probing Bob, how much did you pay for your freezer and what size is it? I can't seem to find them used, and the ones I find new are about $700 and up <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> . I would like eventually to go solar with my trailer, but being jobless makes that impossible as of now. Along those lines, what about running a conventional 120v off of an inverter? <br><br>

 

[CP]

I know a guy that has 350 watts of solar cells and two golf cart batteries.&nbsp; He runs a very small walmart refrigerator with a inverter.&nbsp; During the summer it keeps the batteries charged and in the winter he has to run a small generator every week to keep the batteries charged.&nbsp; The solar cells are flat on top of his camper.<br>

 

[akrvbob]

My first thought for the excess meat is to contact local charities and see if they would accept the excess. In Alaska when a moose is run over, the meat is turned over to charites so maybe others accept meat as well. Solar will cost you some money up front. My fridge is quite small since I am alone, it is 25 quart and I paid $300 for it. You can get a 35 quart for $400. For $700 you can get a 60 quart I would guess. I'm not sure that would be enough for a deer though. I think small game or birds would be doable .&nbsp; But anything bigger than a deer is probably not. A 110 freezer on a inverter would even be much less efficent than a 12 volt and draw much more power. The only practical choice is lots of&nbsp; solar&nbsp; or a generator, or being hooked up to shore power. Sorry, they are all expensive. Bob<br>

 

[Tara]

Smoke and can. &nbsp;Get your deer when you're visiting someone with a kitchen where you can run a couple pressure cookers at a time. &nbsp;Then supplement with rabbit snares and fish and grouse. &nbsp;

 

[Mouldy]

Bob - It's ok, just trying to see my options and you are helping immensely! 60 quart would work well for what I do. As of now I keep backstraps, steaks, and a couple roasts for fresh meat. I then cut the rest up for burger and jerky. In the trailer, i would just do more jerky and dried meats, but 60 quarts would still give me plenty of room for fresh venison and probably even a few birds!<br><br>Tara - I think your right, for the first lag of my journey, until I can find solar money, I'm gonna have to do mostly without fresh meat until I can afford stuff...<br><br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

Here at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, we have a fellow who works 12 hour days and 7 days a week all summer, then aked all winter off and goes hunting. He lives in a 24-28 foot travel trailer. I aksed him what he does with his meat and he said he just puts it in his RV freezer. It is fairly large but by no means huge. But he mostly hunts birds, so there isn't a lot of meat. He does go after Elk, but I think he just gets it frozen and takes it home before he continues on his trip. If you have a home base, you could get a storage unit and leave a freezer in it and come back to it periodically. At any rate, there are others who do just what you want to do and make it work. Other than working so hard all summer, it is an extremely attractive life!! Bob<br>

 

[Mouldy]

Very cool. I have a brother in SoCal and I'd bet I could keep meat there, considering we elk hunt together. We have shipped meat before also ( i think it was through UPS) It was frozen solid here in MN when it left and by the time it got to SoCal, it was just about to thaw. That was with no ice in it either. Another option I guess. Could also pack it in dry ice to keep freezing to a max and weight to a minimum. <br>(not for keeping meat) - Has anyone used thermoelectric coolers before? The ones that keep the temp up to 40 degrees cooler inside. I have a small dorm fridge from college, but I don't plan on being hooked up to shore power much, and don't have the money for a 2 or 3 way right now either. I also have a Coleman 5 day cooler, had an idea of wrapping that&nbsp; in blankets with quart jug(s) of ice inside. Any thoughts on these?<br><br>

 

[Tara]

I never had any powered cooling but I had great luck lining cheap coolers with reflectix insulation.

 

[Tao Seeker]

I was just reading up on this, because I plan to learn bow hunting so I can hunt while certain animals are in season. I am relieved to hear that freezers can draw as little as 3amps... I was wondering how I would store meat myself.<br><br>I also looked up several videos a while back while planning a primitive camping trip about making jerky over an open fire. If you have a bright sun, it seems simple enough. Just keep the smoke on it to avoid flies and it's certain to not spoil before it's done. Not sure how consistent the process is when it's partly cloudy, since you can't have a totally sunny day everyday. Also, it depends where you live, I suppose. I live in western chicagoland - the worst place ever for consistent sunshine. In fact, based on charts I looked up, we're in the top 5 for worst solar power output in the country. If you live around here, you can count jerky out as a reliable way to preserve lots of meat. On top of that, hunting seasons start when it begins to get too cold for the process to even work.<br><br>However, it appealed to me as a free option for preserving meat, so I am trying to work it into my lifestyle wherever I can find room.<br><br>I think it will be a good laugh to explain to my friends who criticize my lifestyle choice that I'm eating steak all the time. Quality food isn't assembled in a factory, I tell them, if you kill an animal you have every kind of fresh choice cut money can buy for only the effort of hunting it, and you get to enjoy the hunting, too.<br>

 

[1oleman]

<P>This is very interesting reading.&nbsp; I just had to buy a new fridge as my RV type died.&nbsp; I got a 10 cubic ft Majic Chief at Home Depot for 389 out the door.&nbsp; Now I have a freezer which the old one didn't.&nbsp; I don't have inverter power and am hooked to shore power.&nbsp; When I get to travel I have a 6.5KVA generator set.&nbsp; I should be good.&nbsp; Ed</P>

 

[blars]

The big online meat shiping company uses styrofoam coolers (stronger and tighter sealing&nbsp; than the dollar store ones) and dry ice to ship with.&nbsp; <br>

 

[gadgetMe]

Mouldy,<br>I am the one Bob is referring to.<br>I go hunting starting in Sept. and stop hunting in January, having a friend or family that has a deep freezer would help alot, and if you want meat shipped to you, using a styrofoam cooler and dry ice will work very well, for longer trips an older travel trailer fridge that uses LP fuel and electrical power can be made into a freezer by setting the refrigerator to the coldest setting.<br><br>in my old 1985 fleetwood&nbsp; wilderness camper I travel to northern Iowa, Picked up 3 gallons of my favorite ice cream made there and a week later delivered it in Denver still frozen.<br><br>I used the fridge for the freezer and used an aftermarket 12volt fridge, that I picked up from wal-mart to keep other stuff cold. It worked out very well.<br><br>Also when I process the game I vacuum pack the meat and fish, keeping only the meat and discarding and bones to save space.<br><br>Putz<br>

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[Reddo]

We just ordered a 63-qt EdgeStar unit from www.compactappliances.com&nbsp; <br>It's on sale for $499 with FREE SHIPPING and if you enter code SAVER at checkout, they'll knock another $15 off.<br><br>It's not quite as efficient as the Engels refers, but costs half as much as they do.<br><br>We'll put this in the VW Vanagon for extended trips and for when we travel down to the States for stocking up on cheaper groceries. Nothing like bringing back 1/2 gallons of ice cream and not worrying about them melting on the 3-hour trip home!<br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

Lots of great tips in a great thread! The thermo electric coolers have a very high energy draw for very little cooling. I don't recommend them. I used a 5-day cooler for 3 years and was quite happy with it. I figured I was paying between $3-$6 dollars a week in ice, plus the expense of driving to town to buy it, not to mention all the food I ruined by floating in ice-water!! I decided a 12 volt compressor&nbsp; fridge would pay for itself in a year or two. I'm really glad i bought it! <br><br>I've heard of those Edgestars, and the price is terriffic! They are too new to know if they will be reliable, so report back to us Reddo on how you like it. <br><br>The price of solar is dropping really fast and you can&nbsp; put together a very good system for under $1,000. If you are in a place with enough wind, you can put together a 400-600 watt system for under $1000. Then you wouldn't have a problem with power for your fridge/freezer. The extra power would let you get a freezer, and allow you to hunt more. That would let you save a lot in your food costs, plus be eating much, much better meat. It would be fun too!!!!!<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"> Bob<br><br>

 

[sl1966]

With most of you converging in the southwestern desert and looking to hunt. Blacktail jackrabbits are perfect. In CA you can hunt them year round and they can average about 8-10pds of meat per hare. The meat is very good and yes, tastes like chicken. There's a vinegar water process to help take the gamey taste out of it. I'll have to dig it up if anyone wants it.<div><br></div><div>Was it you Bob who wrote an article here about using an extreme 5-7 day cooler with a block of ice to keep your meats cool? I recall someone saying that in the winters the ice actually can last a bit longer.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[twokniveskatie]

<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Tahoma" size="4">hey, i don't much mind gamey taste, but often cook for others who do. i'd love for you to share the vinegar tip! thanks!</font>

 

[sl1966]

Here you go TK-Katie<div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, 'DejaVu Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; ">The key to having a great tasting jackrabbit is to: (1) Clean the meat while trying not to puncture the intestines and thus getting their contents all over the meat, (2) Once the meat is cut into six pieces (two front legs, two back legs, upper back w/ribs, and lower back) you should sprinkle salt on the meat and then soak it for 4-6 hours in cold water with a cup of vinegar added, (3) Next rinse the meat thoroughly and take off all visible fat, fur, and shotgun pellets, (4) mark the contents and date of freezing on the outside of the bag, and freeze the meat in reclosable, freezer bags, and lastly, (5) parboil the meat for several minutes in water with a couple tablespoons of vinegar added and then cook it with your favorite rabbit or even chicken recipes. The reason for using a little vinegar during both the soaking and parboiling process is to rid the meat of any wild taste that is absorbed from the type of vegetation the jack was eating prior to being harvested. Now you have a lean and tender meat that will absorb the spices of any recipe you use to cook it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, 'DejaVu Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, 'DejaVu Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; "><a href="http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/rabbit-hunting/black-tailed-jackrabbit" target="_blank">http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/rabbit-hunting/black-tailed-jackrabbit</a></span></div>

 

[Mouldy]

Ok, since those thermoelectric ones aren't so effecient and i'm short of money, I will be using a 5 day cooler that I already have. Did you wrap your cooler in a blanket also Bob? I don't think it would help terribly much, but if I can keep that ice cost down I'll do it! I don't ever eat beef, so I personally think that tastes a little funny, compared to elk and deer.<br>