hanging meat in your fridge

[van]

Finally after all these years I got it together and made up a great way to store meat in your fridge, that I'd like to share....  First I used an extra wire rack from a fairly high end oven in my kitchen.  I actually tied it to the top of the inside of the fridge on the light shield panel, wish I had photos...  Of course I lowered the shelves below.  Now with one and three quarter inch  S shaped hooks that I got at the hardware store, with one end sharpened on a grinding wheel I can hook a piece of meat, liver, heart, testicle,  whatever, and hang it on the suspended rack.  You can get a lot of meat in the fridge this way.  Reminds me of the photos that Goodsamaritan used to post of the meat shops in his village, with the meat hanging from above.  Really works great, the meat dries evenly and never molds, because the fridge is part freezer which means the fridge portion has low humidity.  I then drape a nice hand towel or whatever from the wire rack so that when you open the fridge all you see is the towel and not a butcher shop.  My daughter is particularily sensitive.  But any guest you might have doesn't have to look at it either, for it is quite the site, even to me.    I also use a drip pan below.  Liver wants to bleed for some time.  But a week or two aged liver hung this way really slices nicely, and when dipped in melted back fat, boy it doesn't get much better.   

  Also working on a way to press the fat out of ground up back fat ( that I've run through my big meat grinder with a coarse hole sieve).  Already in a bowl at 110 degrees F the liquid fat will separate, and you can skim it off.  The remainder I put into a stainless screen and work out the rest.   MY plans though are to use an old press I've had for years for juicing, it was an old Norwalk nock off with separate hand pumped hydraulic press.  I just need to get the proper pressing cloth.  will let you know how it goes.     But for now I put  the liquid fat in the fridge and it hardens and then melts easily when I need it.  Probably keeps a long time, unlike chunks of fat in the fridge...    More later.

[eveheart]

Great minds think alike! This weekend, I made two meat storage contraptions. First, I converted the vegetable bins into meat lockers with bamboo racks to rest the meat on. I made a schedule 40 PVC frame that fits inside each vege bin, drilled holes 1" apart to insert bamboo kabob skewers crosswise, and then laid the meat on top of the bamboo. The meat gets good air circulation. I have capacity for about 10 pounds of meat.

My other contraption is an experiment for hanging liver over a drip bowl in the fridge. I buy small lamb livers, so they won't need too much hang space. I'm trying a liver hammock approach. My motive is to store the livers without freezing because I have to buy several at a time.

Thanks for sharing your set-up. Maybe we need a forum section for 21st Century Paleolithic Inventions.

[whatever]

I made a few drying rack's from these things:
http://www.voordeelmuis.nl/img/gif/738/738536.gif
see the rack on the middle left they have a small mesh. Did some welding on it so I can stack them, fits perfect in my fridge.
Works great.

[Sally]

I want to do this, but my fridge doesnt work so well, probably about 8 C in there.  Is it still safe to age meat in it?

[Sally]

Can I just hang my meat in a cheesecloth bag, or will that grow bad bacteria?

[eveheart]

At 8 C, you are around the typical temperature in a winter attic, where many people used to hang their fall-slaughtered meats. That's warmer than modern recommendations for restaurant-quality aged beef, but restaurants have a different agenda. You may read warnings online about temperatures over about 0 - 4 C, but I would definitely try hanging in your fridge and see what your results are. The other parameter is humidity level, and you'll learn about that part of your environment when you actually hang your meat. If you get something you like, do it again. If you don't like it, adapt things like length of aging or cut of meat.

I can't comment on hanging in cheesecloth. I've only used stainless steel hooks (preferred), racks, and plates (turning the meat daily).

The final factor is the cut of your meat. I buy untrimmed whole muscle or organs for long term hanging. I also get steaks and ground beef from time to time and age these for a shorter time, like a week or two. A lot will depend on your meat source and what you can get. If you like really dry meat, make sure you use a good, sharp knife - I like meat at all stages, including "old shoe" - leathery.  (I was making beef jerky for a while, but "old shoe" is way better!)

Butchers tell me that I should salt or brine the meat before aging. I tried that for the sake of experiment, but I'm not looking for that deli-meat flavor. The aging I do intensifies the beef flavor and creates a mild sour note that I find delectable.

Have fun with this!

[eveheart]

Hanging raw meat on a cheesecloth bag? Are you mental or something? lol

Don't worry about your mental health. There are some styles of aging meat that involve wrapping brined meat in cheesecloth to prevent drying beyond that water loss that brining intentionally causes. The ones I know about produce high-quality (but salty) deli meats like the ones you would find in gourmet delicatessens.

[jessica]

i have aged chunks hanging them outside in fine mesh reusable produce bags, they are much like cheesecloth but not as tightly woven.  I just make sure the meat is relatively dry before placing it in the bag and also cut off most of the fat and store that separately.  i also use the same bags to "store" aged meats in longer term as i like to think the air flow means they will continue to age and not rot, mostly the meat turns to really weirdly delicious tasting rocks after many months, requires much chewing, lol.

[TylerDurden]

Jackson has been banned and his posts removed given his revolting, trollish behaviour.

[micelte]

Slightly off-topic: for the last 6 months I have also been hanging meat and fish on hooks in my fridge and realized how great it is, as it allows me to keep the meat much longer (more than a month for sure). Now, I'd like to try out drying my meat outside the fridge, perhaps in the sun, probably in a ventilated area, without any additive (like salt, etc.). Has anyone tried to do this? Since the discussion may be quite interesting, shall we open a new thread for it, perhaps?

[eveheart]

Slightly off-topic: for the last 6 months I have also been hanging meat and fish on hooks in my fridge and realized how great it is, as it allows me to keep the meat much longer (more than a month for sure). Now, I'd like to try out drying my meat outside the fridge, perhaps in the sun, probably in a ventilated area, without any additive (like salt, etc.). Has anyone tried to do this? Since the discussion may be quite interesting, shall we open a new thread for it, perhaps?

I would go as far as to say that there should be a separate forum section for the general ideas about keeping meat. The topics in that section could cover a wide range of styles - off the top of my head: refrigerator storage, outdoor storage, various drying methods, salting vs. not salting, considerations with fish, and fermenting meat and fish.

What interests me the most on this forum has to do with how to keep meat. Information of this nature is tucked in all over the place. Many  members have great wisdom and experience on the subject, and most people who are new to RPD have all sorts of questions about what to do when you don't keep your meat in the plastic wrap that cut meat is sold in.

[micelte]

Thanks eveheart, so before going further here let's wait for more votes... You are very right, one of the most important skill a raw paleo dieter has to acquire is the knowledge and practice of how to keep meat and fish!

[LePatron7]

A separate forum section with ideas on keeping meat, but also with stickys explaining generally agreed upon ways of storing meat.

[Iguana]

Here are some pictures I already posted somewhere else. Excellent suggestion, we can make a sticky topic or even a dedicated section latter, if others mods agree and when one is willing to take the time to do so !

[micelte]

Fantastic pictures Iguana, I can't wait for the explanations, and I am now holding many other questions about preparing and keeping animal parts. Seems like everyone thinks that new section of the forum is a great idea, so could someone open it please?

[moringa82]

here is a scenario, i was thinking order about 2.1- 2.5 kgs meat/organs/fat(suet, bone marrow, tongue) each week.

my daily portion would be about 300- 350g per day.

can i just place the meat/organs on a plate, cover the plate(to stop/reduce the smell), and then place the plate in the fridge, basically the last 300- 350g portion will stay 6- 7 days in the fridge until i eat it... would the later portions get ''high''?

is this ok to do?

[TylerDurden]

here is a scenario, i was thinking order about 2.1- 2.5 kgs meat/organs/fat(suet, bone marrow, tongue) each week.

my daily portion would be about 300- 350g per day.

can i just place the meat/organs on a plate, cover the plate(to stop/reduce the smell), and then place the plate in the fridge, basically the last 300- 350g portion will stay 6- 7 days in the fridge until i eat it... would the later portions get ''high''?

is this ok to do?

No. Putting meat in the fridge would slow down the aging of the meat. Most people want to out the meat into a container which has lots of space for air, they then put it in the fridge, air it every 1 to 3 days for a couple of minutes outdoors., and then start eating bits of it after c. 3 weeks or a month.

if you want quicker results, put the raw  meat in a box, dig a hole in soil and place the box within then fill the loose soil back in. Then air the meat once a day so the meat can gain regular access to fresh oxygen. After a week(?) or less, depending on how hot your  current weather/climate is, the meat should be ripe enough to be "high-meat".

[primalgirl]

No. Putting meat in the fridge would slow down the aging of the meat. Most people want to out the meat into a container which has lots of space for air, they then put it in the fridge

So you do put it in the refrigerator but in a box?

[jessica]

Putting meat in the fridge slows down the decomposotion, not the aging. They are two different processes.

[kalo]

Well over a month ago, I got my first lamb. I didn't want vacuum sealed packages so I just cut the carcass into random pieces as long as it fit into my cooler. Actually, looking back the cuts were pretty efficient, two ribs, the legs, and the headless body. Anyway I had so many questions but just stuck the meat in the fridge as suggested. I became depressed as I saw how long the carcass would take to eat and as I watched the meat begin to "spoil." The taste was soon off, the fridge was in the musty smelling garage, and the organs were all thrown together in a spoiling pyrex dish.
I soon got a grip. Everyone's helpful suggestions and patience with answering repetitive questions allowed me to hang the meat properly, eat the organs that were still good, discard the rest knowing there will always be more. I still have tons of questions but I'm starting to see that most things in the world of RAW just require personal experience because every situation is unique. So thanks everyone.

P.S. The moldy, cheesy meat really grows on you quick. 

[lilyalvin]

At professional level there are certain meat display counters and appliances that are used for such purposes.

[jibrael]

Here are some pictures I already posted somewhere else. Excellent suggestion, we can make a sticky topic or even a dedicated section latter, if others mods agree and when one is willing to take the time to do so !

Iguana:
(1) Is it enough to preserve the meat in such Pantry (without the Fridge)?
(2) For how many weeks/months could be meat hanged in this way?
(3) How often does we have to air, and for how long?

I am planning to have this thing in my kitchen.



It costs  10 bugs from ebay.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/3-Layer-Universal-Fish-Net-Drying-Rack-Folding-Hanging-Prawn-Crab-Dryer-HangerNN/132179781248?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648


I wished mods would have made a separate section for storing meats, as suggested here.

[Iguana]

Iguana:
(1) Is it enough to preserve the meat in such Pantry (without the Fridge)?
(2) For how many weeks/months could be meat hanged in this way?
(3) How often does we have to air, and for how long?

(1) Yes, but it will age quickly depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. Better with a fan in front.
(2) it varies according to the temperature, humidity and size of the chunks. In a fridge, 2-3 months. If the fridge is auto-defrosting, it generally needs a fan. If it is an old fridge with manual defrosting, the meat will become dry quickly and too hard to chew after some weeks, depending of the size of the chunks.
(3) When hung like this it is always aired!

The thing from e-bay looks fine.

[jibrael]

(1) Yes, but it will age quickly depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. Better with a fan in front.
(2) it varies according to the temperature, humidity and size of the chunks. In a fridge, 2-3 months. If the fridge is auto-defrosting, it generally needs a fan. If it is an old fridge with manual defrosting, the meat will become dry quickly and too hard to chew after some weeks, depending of the size of the chunks.

Thanks.

(3) When hung like this it is always aired!

  My bad. I wanted to ask  how often we have to use the "FAN" in order to air them? I hope we don't have to keep the fan on for 24 hours a day.

Your provided informations are very important on this issue.

I wished the project of "Raw Paleo Book" would have been completed with informations like this.

[Iguana]

Thanks.
   My bad. I wanted to ask  how often we have to use the "FAN" in order to air them? I hope we don't have to keep the fan on for 24 hours a day.

It depends on the temperature and what you intend to achieve. The meat can stay at ambient temperature in still air for a while, but for my taste it ages better with a fan, if at room temperature. Outside in cool temperature or in a basement, it can be kept without a fan. Just check often how it evolves and if the smell suits your taste!

While traveling in a van, I hung a chunk of meat under the rear view mirror and kept it in the wind with a window open when driving...