doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pheasants in freezer - what's too old to eat?

I do both, depending on how much I have and what it is. When venison or pig comes back from the processor in plastic wrap and butcher paper, I vacuum bag all the butcher's packages to help it keep longer; seems to work. For birds, I will vacuum bag if there are a lot of them (my friends hunt but don't cook so I get a lot of their birds). If it's just my birds, I usually brine them for a few days, then rinse and freeze in water in plastic tubs (like Tupperware). I used to fill zip-lock bags with water and birds, but that did not seem to protect the birds as well as do the tubs; need to completely surround the meat with water, and the extra thickness of the plastic walls on the tubs seems to do a better job of keeping air away from the meat than do the bags. The tubs take up more freezer room than do the bags, but the water freeze seems to keep the meat better, longer.

Thanks so much for all of the replys. Very helpful and common sense. Appreciate it!

I still have a small amount of moose from 3 years ago. no burn and tastes the same as the first year. Had moose stew on Saturday night.

I recently slow cooked some pheasants that had been in the deep freeze since Mt. trip Oct 2009-- I double bag them-- here's my receipe-might work for you- thaw and marinate 48 hours with Vernor's ginger ale- or if you can find it- Old Mr. Boston's Ginger beer- the ginger spice is the secret to flavorful taste later- make sure the pieces are completely covered with the ginger ale and place the covered bowl in fridge for 48 hours-pat dry and cut away any signs of bloodshot tissue or white freezer burned tissue--disjoint the legs and bone out the breast bone--

pepper pieces, and in a deep electric skillet, fry good apple cured bacon until near crisp, drain off on paper towel and reserve the bacon drippings- in the skillet- reheat, and add three jiggers of Cavaldos (apple brandy, place cut up pieces into skillet, cover and seal tightly- 350 degrees 1/2 hour, then turn pieces, add more Cavaldos if needed to insure moisture- then drain and serve with the re-warmed (Microwaved) bacon slices for garnish, along with cranberry sauce-wild rice with mushrooms, a Caesar salad, crusty French garlic bread and a slightly chilled red wine of your liking- Merlot, Chianti, Zinfandel-- Bon Appetit!!

Foxy, are you another chef hidden in these forums? One thing I started to do this season with my pheasant is grade the things. Any rooster with long spurs (they're usually tougher than my old barn boots) gets ear marked for the presure cooker for canning. The real young tasty ones get packed in water and froze. I mark these containers "Tender Vittles" for pan frying.

You gentlemen are lucky. With my family, birds never make it past the day of execution.

Vern

ROFLMAO

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she said that she and my dad had taken a mincemeat pie to a social event last weekend. She then added that my dad told a few folks that they're probably the only ones in my hometown that had ever eaten muskox mincemeat.

I had to laugh after I hung up the phone. I couldn't believe that they still had any of that canned mincemeat left. You see, I shot a Muskox while living in W Ak in 1989, and sent some of the meat to them with some salmon and halibut. Being a product of their generation, I guess nothing gets thrown out or wasted.

The moral of this story, if there is one, is some preservation methods keep game/birds long periods of time, and others not so much!

'BAM' !!!!

Runs, that recipe made me hungry! Fortunately we're having a little pre-Thanksgiving "snack" day here at the office so I've got the usual array of lil smokies, sausage/cheese dip, cheese tray, etc. to tide me over.