Saran Wrap V game bags

[Beendare]

I was hunting with a buddy recently that swears by Saran Wrap over game bags.

I have to say I've never heard of this. This guy knows his stuff and has been using it for years. He likes that the meat doesn't get that hard outer layer you have to trim. I've always thought the air needs to get to it....but thinking about it I dunno why. I think the only downside would be blood pooling but he says you can drain that.

I can see myself using the Saran Wrap then a game bag over on some pack outs.

Anyone else use it? Plusses/Minusses?

 

[realunlucky]

What would be the advantage of the wrap over say a regular trash bag. You'd still have to carry the wieght of the roll. Air flow cools what cools the meat when you block it with plastic?

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[duchntr]

The reason why wrapping hot meat is a terrible idea is, you are making a vapor barrier around a very bacteria rich environment causing rapid moisture and bacteria growth all the while retaining heat under the plastic. I think Larry Bartlett did a write up somewhere on proper temp to time benchmarks that should be met for long term meat handling in the field, it would be impossible to meet said benchmarks in certain environments with plastic wrapped meat. There are plenty of good field care manuals and write ups on the subject and I am just parroting what I've read and learned to be true. I would very surpprised maybe even dumbfounded if I read in one of them that wrapping hot or warm meat in seran wrap is a good idea.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Once cooled I have had carcasses aged for weeks wrapped in plastic wrap but to do that beforehand, in the field seems foolish.

 

[5MilesBack]

He likes that the meat doesn't get that hard outer layer you have to trim.

I've never liked the "crust" that I always get with whole quarters, but I never get that when I bone it all out. I get it to the cooler as quickly as possible and the bags of meat are fresh and ready to go when I get home.

The only advantage I could see with saran wrap is preventing flies from blowing through the cheesecloth style game bags. But that's easy to fix with different bags.

 

[mlucashr]

The crust is your friend...air flow is key.


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[Gobbler36]

Rinella, which I consider a very good and careful care taker of game meat is always raving about how he wants that crust to form to protect the meat.

Sometimes I hate trimming it and losing meat but the meat that's under that crust really does look beautiful

 

[Beendare]

The reason why wrapping hot meat is a terrible idea is, you are making a vapor barrier around a very bacteria rich environment causing rapid moisture and bacteria growth all the while retaining heat under the plastic. ....

^ Is that factual "Bacterial rich"? Or is the Bacteria introduced from the outside by not being protected by plastic?

This is the first time I've heard of such a thing....and he makes a good argument.
The outfitter I'm talking about is probably the best one I've ever met, knows his stuff. He hunts areas where he is never all that far from a road and can always gets the meat into a cooler within a very short time....so cooling is not an issue for him....and the plastic keeps the cooler water off the meat.

 

[Bubblehide]

^ Is that factual "Bacterial rich"? Or is the Bacteria introduced from the outside by not being protected by plastic?

This is the first time I've heard of such a thing....and he makes a good argument.
The outfitter I'm talking about is probably the best one I've ever met, knows his stuff. He hunts areas where he is never all that far from a road and can always gets the meat into a cooler within a very short time....so cooling is not an issue for him....and the plastic keeps the cooler water off the meat.

The fact is that when you skin an animal, you start with a fairly bacteria free environment (the types we don't want? Yes, most bacteria is present in the air. Two things contribute to bacterial growth the most, warmth and moisture.

If your hunting in warm or hot environments, as I often do, when packed in, the option of cooling the meat prior to getting it on ice, is simply non-existent. So a trash bag, or plastic wrap makes sense to seal out the bacteria from the air, temporarily slowing bacterial growth (at some point this will speed the process, without cooling). The plastic also increases thermal transfer, which can assist in cooling, or heating, depending on environmental exposure.

Personally, I use trash compactor bags, in white (white has the least sun exposure thermal transfer). The meat, once boned out, goes directly into a trash bag. If the overnight temps are cool enough, I generally pack the meat to camp, laying it on the cool shady ground to speed cooling. If the overnight temps are not cool enough (refrigerator temps) I must pack the meet to the truck and get it on ice. I have had times that this has taken all day, after a morning harvest, even into the night. I have never had any spoiled meat.

 

[HuntHarder]

I know that here in Az, if you were to seran wrap your meat in the field and try and pack it out with out letting it breathe, you would have no meat left. We lost an entire antelope on the pack out one year. It took us about 3 hours from shot to truck and the meat was spoiled. During Archery Elk season, on lots of years, you must not only quarter the animals rather quickly, but also open the quarters up to let the meat cool down. If you do not do this, the meat in the middle near the bone starts to go bad as it does not get a chance to cool.

Once the meat is cool, I do not have a problem with wrapping it in seran wrap, but I do not really see a reason for it. I do not use bag ice in my meat cooler. It consists of frozen 2 liter bottles and small frozen water bottles to place between all the meat. This keeps your meet cold and also makes water in the meat a non issue.

 

[Sitkaspruce]

Check trash bags for anti-bacterial and other chemicals in them.

We used to bag our fish and line our packs with trash bags, until it was discovered that most of the brand names treat their bags with chemicals. Now I use a roll of fish bags for any transportation of meat/fish or other food products. Keeps the blood out, the fish/meat clean and no chemicals.

Cheers

SS

 

[Ucsdryder]

Hunting out west in September the crust is the best thing you can get! 2 years ago I hung a bull overnight without bags under a huge pine tree. The next morning the quarters had a solid crust. I was a long way from the truck and alone. 2 days later I got it out. The butcher gave me an attaboy for the condition of the meat. That bull tasted phenomenal. It was 70+ during the day btw.

 

[Beendare]

"The crust is your friend"....seems to me the SW does the same thing. The crust protects the meat inside from insects and bacterial contamination. When you think about it, thats what the Saran Wrap does...only better. The plastic bags allow some air contact with the meat...the SW if wrapped tight [his method] doesn't.

This guy doesn't leave it warm in the Saran Wrap, he cuts and then immediately wraps the meat right off the animal to protect against bacteria then gets it directly on ice in a short time as most of his hunting is close to a road. Thats all he eats is game meat...for about the last 10 years. I've had it, its good.

The one disadvantage I see is you lose the evaporative cooling effect from the moisture leaving the meat. On my backcountry hunts, this has been a big help in some situations in getting the meat cooled quickly without the benefit of cold weather.

Pretty innovative I think. Less waste. Stays clean. It would be interesting to hear what a meat processing industry pro has to say on this.

 

[bmart2622]

The saran wrap with trap the heat and moisture making a warm, moist environment which will promote bacterial growth. I wouldn't use it.

 

[reaperukon]

You just mentioned that you are doing back country hunts. That would be quite different than hunting close to a road (cooler) as your friend is. I can tell you for sure that prolonged coverage with plastic and no chance to evaporate some of that moisture will definitely start some bacterial growth. You should culture the stuff from under your fingernails sometime. I guarantee no matter how “clean” your field dressing skills you are still introducing bacteria into the situation. Give it a shot and take pictures. I wouldn’t gamble with it though.


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[Kevin Dill]

I don't have an actual opinion on the use of plastic wrap to cover fresh game meat. The best I can say is that I appreciate discussions like this which challenge conventional status-quo thinking. Sometimes it leads to new ways and new understanding.

As an example: I know guys who put their warm meat (bagged) directly into a cold creek to chill. The kicker is the meat has spent multiple days submerged during mild weather, until it can be transported out. Huh?....Keeping meat in water and not allowing it to dry and crust via airflow? Yes....and it works. I've seen the results and the meat is superb.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Field-to-Freezer Meat Care in Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Field Dressing Big Game — How to field dress a big game animal using the gutless method (PDF 984 kB)
Keeping the Meat Cool, Clean, and Dry
Heat is the greatest threat to game meat. Rinse off any rumen, bile, or urine that gets on the meat. Also keep hair, leaves and tundra off of it as much as possible.

The microorganisms that spoil meat multiply more rapidly in warm temperatures. To get the meat cool, remove the hide as quickly as possible and get the meat away from internal organs. The warmer the weather, the more urgent this becomes. Be sure to bring enough ropes and tarps to keep the meat out of the sun at all times. It may be appropriate on some hunts to schedule a mid-hunt check by an air taxi to pick up meat.

Meat that spoils the quickest will be around the hip joint in the ham (rear leg). In weather over 60 degrees, it may be necessary to actually place the meat in cool water for 30 to 45 minutes to reduce the heat. A nearby creek, river, or lake will do the job. This is about the only time that game meat should be put into a plastic bag. As soon as possible after cooling, remove the meat from the plastic (if used), thoroughly dry the meat, and put it into cotton game bags. Resembling coarse pillow cases, good bags allow air to circulate to the meat but are tough enough to hold heavy loads. Avoid the bags that look like cheesecloth; they rip easily and allow flies to get on the meat to lay eggs. Bag all of your meat before you take your first load back to camp.

 

[tracker12]

Not putting any plastic or saran wrap on any meat of mine. Thats against all logic for letting the meat cool.

 

[Obi-wanshinobi]

Pretty innovative I think. Less waste. Stays clean. It would be interesting to hear what a meat processing industry pro has to say on this.

I'm not a pro but I do work in a pork processing plant. We have customers from Japan that require our pork to have a 50-60 day shelf life. A couple of things we do to achieve that is to have very minimal water contact with the meat. The meat also gets vacuum packed asap and any product that wasn't sealed 100% airtight is not able to be re-packed for the Japan order. Once the meat is packed it is quickly chilled to bring the temperature down but not to the point where it's frozen. Basically they want to eliminate moisture,air and high temp to prevent bacteria growth.

Probably not applicable to backcountry meat preservation but that's how we do it in the meat processing industry. I think the saran wrap would work if you can wrap it very tight and get it on ice asap.

 

[Scoony]

When fine beef is aged, it is kept cold and dry in a environment that minimizes moisture/humidity. Thats why you really can't dry age in a regular fridge. They want a crust to form on the meat to protect it from bacteria growth. Bacteria likes wet, moist, and warm.

Your introducing bacteria to the meat the moment you start to cut the skin open so not sure how much the saran wrap really protects it. It would be interesting to see someone actually do an experiment on this.