Transporting Meat in Cooler

j_volt

WKR
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
708
Location
Missouri
I am making the switch this year from exclusively using a processor to doing my own processing. I live in Missouri and hunt whitetails here, and I go out west once or twice a year for a DIY hunt. This year I am going to Wyoming in September for an antelope hunt and Montana in November for a mule deer hunt.

This may seem silly, but my question revolves around transporting meat in a cooler. I expect this to be more of an issue on the goat hunt as it will be warmer. I have searched high and low, and I have found so many inconsistencies on what folks do…

“Put the meat directly on ice”
“Never let the meat touch ice”
“Let the meat sit in water to let the blood out”
“Never let the meat touch weather”
“Keep the cooler plug open”
“Only open the plug once a day to drain or it will cause bacteria growth”
“Cool the meat before throwing in the cooler”
“Throw the meat directly in the cooler”
“Use frozen gallon jugs”
“Gallon jugs do not allow for the top of the meat to get cold”
“Use dry ice”
“Dry ice will burn the meat”
“Keep the meat in game bags”
“Put the meat in trash bags”
“Take the meat out of game bags so it can breathe better”

I plan to take an 85 quart cooler for the antelope meat. The antelope meat could be in the cooler for up to 4 days. I plan to skin and quarter the animal as quickly as possible. This is where I am not sure what to do next…. Do I need to cool the meat before putting it in the cooler? If so, how do I cool it? What ice method works best (wet, dry, bottles)? Should I put the meat in game bags or trash bags or something else?

I would really appreciate hearing what has worked best for you. I would even appreciate hearing what has not worked for you. I love antelope meat, and I owe it to the animal to not screw this up. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!
 

Trial153

WKR
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
8,187
Location
NY
I dont like water logged grey meat, that said it doest really effect anything.


Dont make it more complicated then it needs to be ....kill the lope and get it on ice. I toss the game bags right on top of the ice blocks, i will crack the drain for bit till the temp drops on the meat ....once its cooled down, add more ice , shut the cooler and drive home.
 

Felix40

WKR
Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
1,874
Location
New Mexico
For the last 5 years all I do is put meat directly in a cooler full of ice. As the ice melts down I will drain the water and add more ice. I have kept deboned and quarters like this for over a week.
The only time I don’t do this is if it’s cool enough outside to hang the meat for several days.
 

Laramie

WKR
Joined
Apr 17, 2020
Messages
2,616
I freeze 20oz and 1 litre bottles full of water. I take 2-3 48 quart coolers full of these on hunts. I use a 3rd, much larger cooler, for my meat. I place a few at the bottom of the large cooler, add a layer of meat/quarters, then more bottles, etc. Once the meat is cooled down from the first group of bottles, I remove them as many will be partially or all the way melted. I then repack with the second cooler of bottles and hold the meat for days. It keeps the meat dry and cold. I have kept a quartered elk this way for 8 days in 40-70 degree temps.

In very warm temps, I also keep gallon zip lock bags in the event I need to put more ice on meat. I firmly believe that keeping water off the meat results in better meat at the dinner table.
 

rayporter

WKR
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
4,251
Location
arkansas or ohio
here is the deal. every one of those ways will work. pick one and tell every one that does not do it your way they are ruining the meat.

heck my first elk hunt we did not even have sense enough to take a cooler and we each killed one. we went to the hardware store/ lumber yard and bought Styrofoam and built a cooler in the front of the trailer then put some dry ice in and covered it up with gear. the meat was frozen when we hit Ohio.

if you take frozen milk jugs and add a piece of dry ice on top you can refreeze them and not have either water or dry ice to worry about. but i have done just about every one of the things you listed and still got my meat home.

when you get dry ice they will almost always wrap it in newspaper and this is enough to keep it from hurting the meat.

to make deer stew -------concentrate on " obtain a deer"
 

Mountainman3

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
112
I freeze 20oz and 1 litre bottles full of water. I take 2-3 48 quart coolers full of these on hunts. I use a 3rd, much larger cooler, for my meat. I place a few at the bottom of the large cooler, add a layer of meat/quarters, then more bottles, etc. Once the meat is cooled down from the first group of bottles, I remove them as many will be partially or all the way melted. I then repack with the second cooler of bottles and hold the meat for days. It keeps the meat dry and cold. I have kept a quartered elk this way for 8 days in 40-70 degree temps.

In very warm temps, I also keep gallon zip lock bags in the event I need to put more ice on meat. I firmly believe that keeping water off the meat results in better meat at the dinner table.

What Laramie says is best. I live in the south and we pretty much have to cooler age our meat due to lack of walk in coolers. I freeze cranberry juice jugs as they hold a good volume and are more flat than other types of jugs. I never let meat touch water. Water causes bacteria growth.

If you could put a cookie drying rack in the bottom of the cooler (something perforated) that will keep you meat out of the blood and you have to drain less.

If you can let the meat reach rigamortis before deboning you’ll yield better meat as well.

The meat eater had a meat scientist on recently and he pretty much confirmed everything I’ve been doing for 20+ years.

Good luck on your hunts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
1,527
Go for it. Gray meat is not as eye appealing. But I toss it in the cooler, quarters next, loins in gallon bags, and ice on top. Drain the bloody water before it hits the quarters
 

Patton

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 26, 2019
Messages
197
If possible, try to have as much ice below the meat as allowed. If you can have the meat on top of all the ice, it will stay plenty cold and not have any water running over it. Dry ice on top of wet ice will help it stay frozen for a good long while. And the frozen bottles stay frozen much longer than cubed ice. You can also freeze water in Tupperware or coffee cans and make your own block ice.
 
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
21
Location
Joliet, Illinois
I am making the switch this year from exclusively using a processor to doing my own processing. I live in Missouri and hunt whitetails here, and I go out west once or twice a year for a DIY hunt. This year I am going to Wyoming in September for an antelope hunt and Montana in November for a mule deer hunt.

This may seem silly, but my question revolves around transporting meat in a cooler. I expect this to be more of an issue on the goat hunt as it will be warmer. I have searched high and low, and I have found so many inconsistencies on what folks do…

“Put the meat directly on ice”
“Never let the meat touch ice”
“Let the meat sit in water to let the blood out”
“Never let the meat touch weather”
“Keep the cooler plug open”
“Only open the plug once a day to drain or it will cause bacteria growth”
“Cool the meat before throwing in the cooler”
“Throw the meat directly in the cooler”
“Use frozen gallon jugs”
“Gallon jugs do not allow for the top of the meat to get cold”
“Use dry ice”
“Dry ice will burn the meat”
“Keep the meat in game bags”
“Put the meat in trash bags”
“Take the meat out of game bags so it can breathe better”

I plan to take an 85 quart cooler for the antelope meat. The antelope meat could be in the cooler for up to 4 days. I plan to skin and quarter the animal as quickly as possible. This is where I am not sure what to do next…. Do I need to cool the meat before putting it in the cooler? If so, how do I cool it? What ice method works best (wet, dry, bottles)? Should I put the meat in game bags or trash bags or something else?

I would really appreciate hearing what has worked best for you. I would even appreciate hearing what has not worked for you. I love antelope meat, and I owe it to the animal to not screw this up. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!
Game bags, wire rack, and block ice! The water has never had any detrimental effects on any meat we have had in the cooler. From 109 degrees in Arizona to 45 in the Midwest we have tried it all. Also a lot to be said about getting air under it to cool it off before your ice melts.
 

JNDEER

WKR
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
1,503
Anyone who hunts California probably hunts and kills game in the hottest areas outside of humid Hawaii.

kill the animal, skin the animal and put in good game bags (Alaskan, kuiu, black ovis, etc). Hang the meat if possible to cool. Have always hung my meat and when I didn’t the meat seemed to hold way more blood I eventually had to drain/wash away. After hanging to cool from the body- yes even hang if it’s 90 degrees out cause the meat is hotter than that. After hanging I leave in game bags and put in chest with reusable ice jugs (just cause I hunt a lot and block ice, crushed or dry ice is expensive).
 

Stalker69

WKR
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
1,729
I freeze 20oz and 1 litre bottles full of water. I take 2-3 48 quart coolers full of these on hunts. I use a 3rd, much larger cooler, for my meat. I place a few at the bottom of the large cooler, add a layer of meat/quarters, then more bottles, etc. Once the meat is cooled down from the first group of bottles, I remove them as many will be partially or all the way melted. I then repack with the second cooler of bottles and hold the meat for days. It keeps the meat dry and cold. I have kept a quartered elk this way for 8 days in 40-70 degree temps.

In very warm temps, I also keep gallon zip lock bags in the event I need to put more ice on meat. I firmly believe that keeping water off the meat results in better meat at the dinner table.

Best way I’ve found, works great you don’t get grey slimy water logged “ tofu” either. I use gallon milk jugs in the cooler on the utv ( or truck) and as soon as we brake down the animal, gutless method, we place in game bags and in the cooler for the ride back to camp. And then refresh with frozen ones every day. Works outstanding. Water logged meat as my grand son says, is yucky !
 
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
462
Ideally, I let skinned quarters hang in the shade in game bags over night before going into the coolers with block or iced milk jugs, I transport and semi age (4 to 6 days) this way. Importantly, after the kill, the heat in those quarters can result in significant moisture build up if you go right into the cooler. Ideally, and in most conditions, it is better to let the quarters air cool and dry for several hours and keep them from direct water/ice contact. For antelope hunts where shade isn't an option, I will still let the quarters air cool for up to hour or 2 (as noted even on a hot day, the quarters will be cooling relative to the air). If an overnight hang isn't in the cards, I lay the quarters on a trashbag which is on top of the ice and crack the cooler to allow the heat and moisture from the non ice contact side of the quarters to escape (yes this seems strange), but you do not want that meat in a moist hot chamber (for those who are skeptical, go ahead and put a thermometer on top of fresh killed quarter thrown into a cooler, the air temp will rise in there, and the moisture as well)...air flow is important for the first 24 hours! Rotate the meat every 1 hr so for the first 5 to 6 hrs to allow the ice to pull heat from each side of the quarters. After the meat has cooled down and remained relatively dry, (depending on size, antelope its 8 hours, elk is close to 20) go ahead and close the cooler lids. I still will take quarters out at night and let them dry if the temps are in the 40s or lower. Also defintely check out the meat scientist podcost episode on meateater, has lots of important info!
 

daddie63

WKR
Joined
Feb 2, 2013
Messages
938
Location
Ca.
All great info thank you.

Does anyone know the Meateater podcast episode number or name that goes with the meat scientist? I'd love to listen to it
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2020
Messages
11
I live in Wyoming and September can be really warm and hard to keep anything cold. Really important to get the hide off of the antelope as soon as possible - it has incredible insulating power. Places to get ice are few and far between.
 
Joined
Oct 15, 2017
Messages
766
Location
MS
Anyone have any links to racks to put in the bottom of coolers to keep meat out of water? I looked on Amazon but only found tiny racks that don't look like they would elevate the meat enough.
 

realunlucky

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
12,629
Location
Eastern Utah
Anyone have any links to racks to put in the bottom of coolers to keep meat out of water? I looked on Amazon but only found tiny racks that don't look like they would elevate the meat enough.
I've used the phone skope cooler tray and it works well. You do only have the hight of the tray legs to keep the water off so you still have to keep your eye on it.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
 
Top