Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Aging meat in cooler iced down

I have a friend that has given me a doe this morning quartered and iced down in a cooler. Normally I take deer to a processing facility. Iced down is not optimal for aging, but how long should I let the deer age in the cooler. I will keep it iced down and drained. I was thinking 3-4 days and process on Friday. What are your opinions? Thanks.

should be fine. Might rotate the meat each day, so that the same side isn't against the ice the whole time.

I haven’t thought about rotating it but I will do that also. Thanks!

Be sure and leave the drain plug open, don't want the meat swimming in water, invitation for some nasty bacteria

Yes, I am a health inspector so I am real picky about those things 😁.

Keep it iced and drained. It will be fine. I've kept them like that for more than a week before without any issue.

It helps to place the meat on top of the ice to hold the meat up off of the bloody water. Aging like this for at least a few days works well.

We always took a doe in deer camp to be made into venison sausage. We took all the meat off the bones and tossed it into a cooler full of icewater to which was added 1# of salt. This is how we sent it down to the old German sausage maker. Always turned out the best venison sausage I've ever had.

I’ll do it for a few days.

Drain open.

Add ice as needed.



Some folks put salt in with it.

This is the only way I do it anymore... I used to hang with the skin on for a a couple of weeks. Now i just use a gutless cleaning method and put the parts in a cooler with ice on the bottom. I let them stay like that for up to 10 days with the water drained out daily. I think it makes a better meat and is easier for me to process at my convenience.

In our freezer, we always keep ice filled containers like 2 liter bottles or half gallon milk cartons. Also a collection of smaller frozen water containers. These keep food or drinks cold without releasing water into the coolers. If just using ice, not only should one leave the drain open but also elevate the other end of the cooler to facilitate water drainage. Some type of grate or frame in the bottom of the cooler also keeps food from swimming. I've got part of a deer in a cooler right now. I'm just keeping it from freezing up here in MI. I hung it with the skin on for a week, then cut it up 2 days ago. The last of it will go in the freezer today.

You're a health inspector and you don't know if it's safe to do this? And you're asking us?

LOL

Sorry, but that just strikes my funny chord.

I asked how long to age in the cooler not if it was safe. I have never aged this way hence my questions.

Thanks for all the other comments and suggestions.

I've done it 5-6 days like this. Once in a while I'll stick a thermometer in it. It's pretty easy to keep in that 38-40 ish range which seems to safely age it a bit. As you and everyone else have mentioned, got to keep the water below the meat. I often use a rack at the bottom of the cooler.

Same here....works great.

I've done it as long as 8 days, draining the water off each day, with much of my cooling effect coming from frozen milk jugs. I'd pour bagged ice on top and the frozen jugs kept that ice from melting very fast. Rotate jugs out for new frozen ones every 3 days or so. I try to keep half a dozen in the freezer during deer season.

^^ This ^^

Don't let the meat soak in the ice. Put news paper (if such a thing exists anymore) or something else between the meat and the ice.

Just to be sure, put a thermometer on top of the meat. The top will be the warmest place in the cooler. If you can't keep it below about 45, don't leave it in there more than a few days.

I kept a doe on ice from Tues until Sat last week until I had time to butcher. I drained out the water every evening and made sure I had plenty of ice in the cooler. Ate some backstrap and some round already and she is eating just fine. Draining the water off is important.

I usually go 10-14 days in the cooler. Over the years I've steadily increased it and never had an issue. As others have said keep the drain open and keep the quarters separated from each other by ice. I cut my backstraps into 1 1/4" butterflies and if cooked med rare you don't need a knife.