How long is deer meat good for in the fridge?

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  • Evil Twin

    Active Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    498
    I have a mixing bowl of meat from a deer harvested a few weeks ago. It hung outside for a week with snow on it. Once it warmed up enough to thaw a little, I skinned and processed it, and put some of it in the fridge that I didn't want to vacuum seal and freeze. It got pushed to the back of the fridge on the bottom shelf, out of sight, out of mind. I know it's going to get cooked at a temperature hot enough to kill any bad stuff that might be lurking inside, so my best guess is that it shouldn't be a problem. It smells and looks just fine, but I still wanted to check in here, hoping to find someone experienced in the matter.
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    My father (who is a butcher) tells me that 7 days in the fridge is great, but you can bump it out to 14 days with no issues. This is of course you keep the temps below 40 degrees. apparently 40 degrees is the breaking point for storing meat. After that things start to go south.
     

    wilcam47

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 4, 2008
    25,976
    Changed zip code
    Depends how long it was in the fridge for me....Its going to smell a little as its wild game but if it smells rotting then obviously its bad. the other thing I look at is color if its ALL brownish looking and it smells "off" I wouldn't eat it no matter what temp its cooked. Sometimes its borderline and you taste it...it taste bad/soured taste I throw it away. Sometimes its a little gamey smelling and cooks just fine. YMMV;):D
     

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    It smells and looks just fine,
    It's OK - cube it and brown it hard and then use it in a chili.


    Grillades is a Cajun kinda chili I love -




    Venison Grillades over rice
     

    Ab_Normal

    Ab_member
    Feb 2, 2010
    8,613
    Carroll County
    Depends how long it was in the fridge for me....Its going to smell a little as its wild game but if it smells rotting then obviously its bad. the other thing I look at is color if its ALL brownish looking and it smells "off" I wouldn't eat it no matter what temp its cooked. Sometimes its borderline and you taste it...it taste bad/soured taste I throw it away. Sometimes its a little gamey smelling and cooks just fine. YMMV;):D

    :thumbsup:
     

    BlackBart

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Mar 20, 2007
    31,609
    Conewago, York Co. Pa.
    To each his own, 1 good bout with food poisoning will make you think like me........... 4 or 5 days. When it's coming out both ends simultaneously you err on the side of caution. :) :shrug:
     

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    VACUUM PACK, boys and girls - lasts a long time.
    EXPENSIVE?
    Nope, I found a place 60% off of bags. That was always the
    problem before - how much to vacuum pack.
     

    airsporter

    Active Member
    Apr 28, 2011
    386
    Western MD
    Hard to say, but meat is meat. How many days was it actually in the frig? Was it marinated or not? Refrigerators differ in quality and condition. Once had an old frig where cold cuts went bad after 4 days. Turns out it was a POS in lousy condition. New frig is good for up to 10 days or so.

    Ultimate rule = If in doubt, throw it out!
     

    stu929

    M1 Addict
    Jan 2, 2012
    6,605
    Hagerstown
    I saw a prime rib recipe once that said to let it stand in the fridge for 10 days min. Tried it and it was awesome.

    With steaks and roasts you have some leeway I think but burger ia different. 3/4 days max then toss burger otherwise look at it and cut off any dry parts and you are good.

    Marinade also impacts this and I wouldn't marinade for more than a day or two seen a few things go bad fast while marinating.
     

    Evil Twin

    Active Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    498
    I really appreciate all the advice. I vacuum sealed and froze all that I had left that evening. I keep my big freezer right around 5 degrees, and have eaten venison from two years ago with no problems.
     

    Aught Six

    Member
    Dec 4, 2013
    11
    Region B
    To each his own, 1 good bout with food poisoning will make you think like me........... 4 or 5 days. When it's coming out both ends simultaneously you err on the side of caution. :) :shrug:

    Amen. And I do the same with other meats. After that many days, it either becomes dog food or trash. Better safe than sorry, as they say...
     

    MeatGrinder

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 27, 2013
    2,379
    MoCo, Eastern edge
    My rule of thumb is seven days, but how it has been handled has a huge affect.

    How long meat is good from the freezer depends on how it has been packaged. Air exposure is NOT your friend here. Vacuum sealed or well wrapped in plastic wrap (so there is no air contact) and it will be fine for a long time. I have eaten meat that was in the freezer, well packaged, for a couple of years and could not tell a difference.
     

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