If going to have your deer meat ground in to burger. Would you freeze or refrigerate it if just three of four days after butchering it? I was thinking about freezing it. As I have no idea at this point how long it will be for them to do it. The shop that is going to grind it has been closed for a few days.

I always ground my own, but if you're using a place and have no idea when they will be ready then I would freeze it if I were in your position.

My deer processor hangs your deer skinned for several days just above freezing. After grinding, it goes into the freezer until pickup. If you have no way to hang and age it under these conditions you might be stuck freezing it.

I always debone it and then place the meat in SS containers in the bottom of the frig for three days. Each day I take it out and drain the blood.

Then I wrap it and put it in the freezer.

Shoot it in the morning, process it [myself] before lunch (some of the ground may have 25% pork fat) and in the freezer before heading out again for the evening hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by 41:
I always debone it and then place the meat in SS containers in the bottom of the frig for three days. Each day I take it out and drain the blood.

Then I wrap it and put it in the freezer.

This. You can even go as far as changing the water daily to get the blood rinsed out.

I have a buddy who is Amish who even debones it, freezes it for a month or so. He then thaws it, when they accumulate 7-8 deer total, and they grind all of them at once. Then he freezes the finished product.