How and where to store venison correctly?

Venison differs from other types of meat in its special composition. There is very little fat in it, so the shelf life will be much shorter. It concerns, such a nuance not only of storing venison in a chilled form, but also in a frozen version.

The nuances of storing venison:

• when freezing venison, it is necessary to choose the most dense types of packaging (cling film, foil or plastic bags, from which air is removed as much as possible);
• in the refrigerator, venison should be placed on the bottom shelf (the temperature regime of other zones may not correspond to the storage conditions of this type of meat);
• you can extend the shelf life of venison with a marinade (the simplest recipe is a mixture of water, salt and spices);
• pickled venison is also refrigerated rather than under room conditions;
• venison is stored better in vacuum packaging;
• in the refrigerator, venison can be stored in foil;
• venison is juicy, so during storage it is recommended to cover the meat with a cloth (you can use a damp towel or a towel soaked in vinegar);
• it is not recommended to store venison openly in the refrigerator (venison is tender, so moisture from the meat can quickly evaporate and it will become tough, and the proximity of some food products may shorten its shelf life or taste);
• it is not recommended to wash venison before storage (this rule applies to all known types of meat);
• under no circumstances should reindeer be re-frozen;
• turning deer meat into stew is also considered one of the ways to store it (in this form, venison can be stored for several months, provided the necessary temperature regime is created);
• smoked venison can be stored for months, but this procedure requires special skills, knowledge and adaptations, so not everyone can make smoked venison at home.

One of the most popular ways of storing venison is heat treatment, as a result of which the meat becomes jerky. A brine is preliminarily prepared based on water, salt, pepper and bay leaf. The mixture should be brought to a boil, and then finely chopped venison should be immersed in the brine. Meat should be marinated for at least five hours at room temperature. After the specified time, the workpiece is placed in the refrigerator for three days. Next, the venison must be removed from the liquid and dried. After rubbing the workpiece with spices, it must be hung in gauze in the open air for 5-6 days. After this processing, venison can be stored for months.

How much and at what temperature to store venison

In chilled form, the shelf life of venison does not exceed three days. It is recommended to consume this type of meat within two days. If venison is not planned to be eaten in the coming days, then it is better to immediately freeze it.

In the freezer, deer meat can be kept fresh for one month… The longer the venison is stored, the more negatively low temperatures affect its structure. After too long storage, the meat becomes tough, and it is extremely difficult to cook it without disturbing the taste of the final dish.

Marinated venison can keep fresh for up to one week. The workpiece must be placed in the refrigerator, and cooked in portions. The container with meat should stand on the lower shelf, where the temperature is as low as possible. Otherwise, the marinating process will not affect the shelf life and will not extend it. Meat can go bad in as little as two days.

Venison stew or smoked reindeer meat remains fresh for several months (maximum 6-7 months). The main nuances in this case are temperature conditions. After heat treatment, venison should be stored in the coolest places (in the refrigerator, basement, cellar).