Keeping meat Cold

[Jean]

Hello All,

In preparing for our long (for us) trip, I'm wondering about keeping meat frozen, or at least cold and useable. I tried wrapping a 1 pound frozen chub in foil but it didn't seem like that helped at all.

I am wondering if anybody has any ideas.

Thank you
Jean

[Spirit Deer]

How long do you need to be gone?

As you've discovered, foil isn't going to do a thing for you.

We use a variety of tactics for meats.

Cryovac packaging is great because it's airtight and waterproof in the cooler.  Our local grocery will Cryovac meats for us at no charge.  Since the packaging is airtight, the meat will keep longer although not indefinitely.

Stuff like a chub sausage would keep quite a while, so we don't worry too much about that.  That stuff is loaded with preservatives.  Ditto for stuff like hot dogs.  Check dates and see if there's anything you can get with an expiration date near the end of your trip.  Check anything in Cryo packs as they'll have a longer shelf life, usually.

We stop and replenish groceries, including meats, every few days.  By then we need fresh fruit and veggies and milk, and stuff like buns and other fresh foods anyway.

If you can't get fresh meats, consider things like canned tuna or canned meats, and/or plan some vegetarian meals that can be made from cans.  We like SPAM, but not everyone does.  It's good fried in sandwiches or cubed in pasta salads or diced finely and mixed with mayo and onions and pickles for a sandwich filling.

Eggs keep a long time. So does cheese.  Both can sub for meat protein.

You could also use some dry ice if you need things to stay frozen.

[HighLifeGuy]

When we only tent camped we used dry ice. We mixed wet ice in with it and it works OK but it can get heavy on the wallet.  Now we put meats in the 3-way fridge on the bottom.  If we use propane on high it stays frozen in 100 degree heat.

RV's are almost like cheating at camping.

[thebakers]

We have a 5-day cooler from Coleman (on wheels). This cooler is the absolute best. We use it strictly for meat (burgers, hotdogs, sausages, steaks, ribs, etc) and have never had an issue with the food staying cold for at least 4 or 5 days.

If you use it just for meats and keep the opening-closing to a minumum, you shouldn't have any issues. Soda, eggs, milk, cheese,  ,  go into a cooler of their own.

[hvaczach]

I agree on the five day cooler freeze everything before you pack the cooler and only open when you need to after a couple days buy a block of ice if you can find it and put it in the bottom you should be good for a week i would guess keep cooler in the shade and a good one will cool for days.

[ilovemy04roo]

Use some dried ice... or the freezer in your camper(if you have one) should be fine... Ours is for our meat, and it manages to keep our ice-cream mighty frozen!! ;)

[austinado16]

We've had good luck freezing all our meets before hand and putting them in the bottom of the fridge.  They act as ice blocks and are generally thawing a rate that's about right for using them over a period of days.

[chiefd]

Freeze the meat and keep it in zip locs in coolers covered in ice.  Meat will last 4 - 5 days that way depending on the items.  Every night the menu depends on how the meat is holding up.  As Spirit Deer stated Hot dogs are usually our last meal

[mstrbill]

you might find something useful in these topics:

http://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/index.php?topic=71614.0


http://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/index.php?topic=79689

[Steve A]

A few days before any trip, I start raiding the ice maker of it's precious gems and, as chiefd said, put them in ziplock bags.  (Use the good brands.  Oft times the store brand doesn't really zip or seal worth a poop.)  When the bag is most full, pour a little water in there and shake it around.  Lay it flat in the freezer.  Adding the water aids in all the cubes banding together which forms a more solid lump.  Larger ice melts slower!

Also remember when loading your cooler, cold sinks.  Personally, I line the bottom with bottles of water I've frozen.  Place your meat on top of that layer and then place your ziplock bags of ice over that.

Any juices I plan on taking hit the freezer in advance.  Even if it's only slightly frozen, it's better than "just cold."  It's also fairly easy to defrost - especially in this summer weather - if needed.

Ciao,

[sloscheider]

Depending on what you plan to do with the ground beef you could pre cook and then dehydrate it.  Once thoroughly dehydrated (looks & feels like Grape Nuts cereal) it will keep for a week in a good zip lock bag at room temp.  If you vacuum seal or can it it will last months.  Great for multiday hikes and light weight too.  Toss it into a hot dish with some extra water and it comes back, well, not exactly as good as fresh but close.  Good for tacos too.  After cooking it you need to rinse it under hot water to eliminate as much of the grease as possible before dehydrating.

[jspilaf]

A few days before any trip, I start raiding the ice maker of it's precious gems and, as chiefd said, put them in ziplock bags.  (Use the good brands.  Oft times the store brand doesn't really zip or seal worth a poop.)  When the bag is most full, pour a little water in there and shake it around.  Lay it flat in the freezer.  Adding the water aids in all the cubes banding together which forms a more solid lump.  Larger ice melts slower!

Also remember when loading your cooler, cold sinks.  Personally, I line the bottom with bottles of water I've frozen.  Place your meat on top of that layer and then place your ziplock bags of ice over that.

Any juices I plan on taking hit the freezer in advance.  Even if it's only slightly frozen, it's better than "just cold."  It's also fairly easy to defrost - especially in this summer weather - if needed.

Ciao,

Me too.  Line the cooler with frozen bottles of water and place frozen meat on that, followed by ice and frozen juice boxes that the kids drink. 

[mgwerks]

I would add to the above that if you have a stand-alone freezer, do the freezing in that.  They generally run at 0° or colder, much lower than the typical freezer within a refrigerator.  It'll give you extended time on your foods.

[Steve A]

One final thought.  Take into consideration the order of your meals.  Pack in reverse order.  That way when you open your cooler, the stuff you need is always on top.  That means you won't be in the cooler as often which means your ice will stay frozen longer and food cooler longer.

Ciao,

[TimK]

seal worth a poop.) 

Is this a food industry term?