I had someone give me a couple of packs of moose meat about 7 months ago. At the time I didn’t look at the date on the package. I know it was shipped over night triple wrapped and packaged with dry ice. Looked at it last night and the date on the package is 2011. Was wanting to have some thing good to eat but am worried about it. It is wrapped real thick in butchers paper and was wondering what is the oldest package any of you have taken out of the freezer and eaten?Any suggestions appreciated. Push come to shove I cook it and feed to the dog lol.
2 years is tops for me, 5 years is unheard of, and you really don’t know much about who packaged and where. that kind of food illness will have you blowing out of both ends.
Yeah Skinnee, I’ve done 2 year old venison but never had this and was in limbo on it. Don’t know anything about who or how it was processed. All I know is my son’s fiance had her dad send it from Alaska and she gave me some. She made pasta sauce with some ground moose back in November and I think it was probably from the same batch. Tasted pretty good to me and no tummy aches lol.
Thanks IM4USC!
2011… Even I wouldn’t eat that… maybe put it on the grill and cook for the dogs…
1 year is a good safe bet on most lean meats. The Higher the fat content the quicker it will get an “off” taste. All venison I get processed I request no added beef/pork fat added. I trust it out to 2 years… no more.
Long term conventional freezing is just slow deterioration.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Let it thaw then look at it and smell it. If you then want to go for it, cook it in a stew, soup, chili, etc. for a long time. Then a little longer. Or, as mentioned feed it to the dogs…but still cook it thoroughly first.
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
As long as it was put up safely and stays frozen, the meat is safe to eat indefinitely. Quality suffers over time for sure, esp if not well wrapped (freezer burn etc) but decomposition (driven by microbes) is not happening at temps < freezing.
edit - to answer your question - have eaten fine 2-3 yr old steaks, 3 year old deer roasts in the slow cooker, etc. No problem.
I don’t know how to cook a moose but I will give it a shot rather than throwing it away!
Should be safe to eat as long as it was kept frozen but it might just not taste a good. If you’re scared just cook it thoroughly. If you don’t want to eat it use it as crab/coon/coyote bait.
