When most people start learning about prepping, one of the biggest concerns they usually have is getting enough food and water for their stockpile, and the best ways to store them.
But when it comes to storing meat long-term, even expert preppers may be making a costly mistake.
While humans have been experimenting with meat preservation for hundreds of years, there’s one relatively recent storage method in particular that provides preppers with a false sense of safety.
In this article, we will discuss one of the most popular meat storage methods and why it’s not the most reliable option for preppers. We’ll also discuss some alternative options you can use to store meat for long-term use.
The Most Unreliable Meat Storage Method For Preppers
Anyone who exclusively relies on storing meat in the freezer is likely placing themselves at unnecessary risk of food spoilage.
Since refrigeration requires electricity, this can be disastrous for your food supply if there is a power outage or worse.
Here are just a few reasons why storing meat exclusively in the freezer can cost you time, wasted supplies, and money spent on food.
Unplanned Power Outages
Even if you have a generator for backup, just one minor power outage can essentially ruin your entire frozen meat supply in a matter of hours, maybe before you even notice there’s a problem!
Related: How Many Solar Panels Do You Need To Power Up Your Fridge?
Power outages and unplanned service interruptions seem to happen at the most inconvenient times – such as while you’re asleep, at work, or during the peak heat of Summer.
When you’re unsure exactly when your electricity went out, it’s harder to know how long your food has been thawing and whether it’s still salvageable. This can exacerbate the situation causing undue stress and panic over losing the fruits of your labor.
Sure, you could use the ice cube trick to keep tabs on the status of your freezer while you’re asleep or away from the fridge, but it’s wiser still to not rely on refrigeration as your only means of storing food.
Limited Storage Space
One of the biggest problems with using freezers exclusively is limited storage space. Most freezers can only hold so much food while still being 100% effective.
A packed freezer can mean frost-bitten food or food that isn’t frozen all the way through.
Frostbitten meat can alter the taste, quality, texture, and nutritional integrity of your food. In some cases, it may even be unsafe to eat.
Related: 11 Meat Processing Mistakes You Are Probably Making Right Now
So, if you get a great deal on your favorite cut of meat and you plan on vacuum-sealing it before storing in the freezer, make sure you have enough room to store it.
One method is to divide up your meat for different uses, such as keeping a few pounds in the freezer, and a few pounds for drying, salting, smoking, etc.
Inconsistent Freezing Temperatures
It can be to monitor internal temperatures. To keep food safe from spoilage, your freezer needs to stay at or below 0 ºF.
Since most home freezers don’t usually come with very robust temperature monitoring systems, this can be hard to confirm.
Inconsistent freezing temperatures can be caused by a variety of issues. Things like old or malfunctioning equipment, poor insulation, or overloaded freezers can all lead to less-than-desirable freezer temperatures that could affect your food.
Since temperatures in most home freezers can be unpredictable, it’s risky to store meat safely in the long term.
Alternative Methods Of Meat Storage
Maintaining and managing several food storage alternatives is the best way to ensure you always have a backup if something should happen to your frozen meat stockpile.
⇒ What To Do With All Your Frozen Food Once The Power Goes Out
As the old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and having all of your eggs in one basket – or, all of your meat in one freezer? – is a sure-fire way to fail.
Instead, consider other a few alternative meat preservation options such as:
Salt Curing
Curing meat is the process of preserving meat in dry salt or a salty brine.
The meat is then completely submerged for a certain amount of time.
The idea is that the salt slowly enters the meat, dries it out, and keeps any bad bacteria from surviving.
Canning
Canning involves sealing meat in airtight containers and then subjecting them to heat to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. This method creates a vacuum seal that prevents spoilage and can extend the shelf life of meat for a long time.
Dehydrating
Dehydrating meat is the process of removing moisture to dry out the meat. Most people call it “jerky”.
Ancient methods of dehydration involved using the heat from the sun which is still a reliable, electricity-free way to preserve meat today.
Smoking
Smoking meat is a process used in meat preservation where salt cured meat is exposed to smoke and heat which kills off any remaining bacteria and gives it a rich, smoky flavor.
Fermentation
Fermentation involves the controlled growth of beneficial bacteria and yeasts to preserve meat. The process creates an acidic environment that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Examples of fermented meats include sausages, salami, and some types of jerky.
From the techniques presented above to other food preservation methods around the world, preserving meat is something we humans have essentially mastered throughout history.
Learning about alternative meat-preserving methods that require zero electricity can help you secure access to food during even the most difficult times.
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Excellent article. Learn the old ways, friends. We face a great correction and recovery from it will be multi-generational. Stockpiles will last only a while. Then knowledge will be needed. Learn and do. Learn and teach.
We actually got rid of our deep freeze. Our last freezer went out in January and I had to can or dehydrate everything that was in it. We only have the tiny freezer on the top of the refrigerator now. If the electricity does go out for an extended period, we’ll be able to run our gas powered generator until we will use up everything in that freezer and refrigerator ASAP. We’ll still have plenty to eat in the other forms after that.
Hey Cygnet; Wondering if you might be willing to give a class/seminar on the alternative methods? You, Kerry & Karen (on CR 226) could get us up to snuff on survival! Will miss you this Saturday as I won’t be able to make the Farmer’s Market. We’ll be heading east about 8:00 am. Will look for Kerry Friday at the Heritage Festival. Have a great weekend.
Storing salt for off grid curing is easy when done with 50# white salt blocks from the local farm/feed store. If they aren’t wrapped, use cling wrap and store in plastic bins. Hammer or ”ice pick” chunks off and then put in a pillow case to hammer (crush) until it is small enough for curing if you don’t have a grinder..
Just as easy is swimming pool salt. 50 lbs in heavy plastic bage
I don’t eat much meat unless it is canned fish like sardines.
Smoked meat is dangerous. I think that the smoke particles electrostatically attract radon gas just like cigarette smoke does in your lungs. I believe that the radon gas causes stomach cancer.
Hi Thomas
Radon gas originates from the ground and particulates that happen to be available in that location. That said there is a potential carcinogen release when burning woods and charcoals but like cigarettes it doesn’t seem to set everyone up for potential cancers.
For what it’s worth I’ve been a fairly heavy charcoal, woods and lump charcoal user weekly for 55 years and no problemo.
One can overthink trying to eat textbook foods and prep methods like some vegetarian, ribs showing, Nutrition PhD. Life is short. Unlikely you would develop cancer from cooking outdoors with carbon based fuels.
Go buy 50# of witts cure and you are all set. Curing and smoking with witts is almost idiot proof. Take it from an old sausage man.
Don’t forget “freeze drying”. The equipment is a little expensive, say 3-4,000 or so, but it produces unlimited quantities of food that can last up to 25 years without refrigeration. That’s the ticket.
Forget the dryer unless you want to become a constant repairman. Pumps last no time at all and there are constant repairs. Machine is down and out more than it is up and running. I have been through this process so know what I am talking about. Better check online reviews and BBB complaints before ordering.
Yes before Covid happened, there were commercials popping up about buying those expensive machines. It sounded so good almost bought one. Those machines are too new the bugs haven’t been totally worked out.
Freeze dried for home use are not as effective as the large commercial machines are.
They work with the premium pump. You need to watch the oils and do the maintenance
Otherwise it works fine
There can certainly be a problem and the main manufacturer of freeze dryers in the US did not handle the increased demand for the machines, nor have they solved for a national system of repairmen. Still, it has been a very tiny faction of the machines that have had problems. (No way would I have even considering making repairs myself on a machine under warranty.) Some of the problems are caused by folks that don’t follow directions, but there has definitely been a quality control issue.
I’ve been using mine heavily for 2-1/2 years. Works like a charm, and I’ve been able to put away a good supply of a variety of foods. I had to replace a $10 valve after the first year.
Ideally 2-3 families pitch in to buy one and share it’s use to keep the cost affordable.
That was the only way any of us could afford it. If you have the premium pump with the high vacuum pump oil and keep up the maintenance it keeps running.
Question for freeze drying of any foods–Does freeze-dried food(any kind- meat , vegetable, or fruit) need reconstituted for use? It would seem if so, that would require a stable safe water source, which may not be available in a SHTF situation. Jerky will always be jerky and is expected to be dry, but what about other foods?
Well yes and yes you will need water
You need water and TIME for it to absorb ( some stuff takes awhile). I like to snack on some of the items without reconstituting them.
I was surprised to see my normal name on this post. Thank you for not being MissMacinTX or Lisa Blake impersonating time people on this website. You stayed civil and asked a valid question.
Many fruits and vegetables can be eaten dry, but meat absolutely needs rehydrating. I’ve found it rehydrates beautifully. Eggs, milk, and prepared recipes (casseroles, stews, soups, etc.) need to be rehydrated as well.
The posting has some great suggestions for transferring froze meat into other storage methods.
A lot of seniors for years have used freezers for years with no problem. It’s the political mindset that has caused the potential for brownout or blackouts in certain Stat’s regions.
Now we got a green energy revolution to go electrical. Which is funny as the environmental Greenies want us to depend on electricity for the new lifestyle. California is a prime example electrical grid failure. Thawed meat from brownouts.
As Europe goes so goes America with the crazies in charge. Europe’s family farmers are getting shoved out of their farms. Being told they must follow insane agriculture standards.
The politicians are trying to rid farmers of meat producing cattle. That will becoming to America.
Checkout the “15 minute cities” starting Europe, China has had that for decades.
America is slowly proceeding towards the same 15 minute cities too.
Do the other methods last any longer than freezing the meat?
I’ve been considering canning my small freezer full of meats. Since I’ve never tried canning before (although I watched mom and grandma when I was a kid) I’ve spent a good amount of time researching the best options for different types of meats. I want to make sure I do it right and avoid potentially harmful outcomes in the future when I’ll need them the most. I’ve found a lot of great content that’s helped me learn many things that I hadn’t considered and it’s actually exciting to learn.
I can everything at 15psi because of my altitude and I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Be aware it’s LOUD.
Jules,
We can tuna, venison, beef and pork. If you are going the canning route, buy an American Canner. They do NOT have seals and will last literally forever (although my inherited American Canner from my grandmother made in the 1930s did finally fail). WE have two of them now and we can do small batches (4 pint jars) or HUGE batches (16 pints!) depending on how much we want to can.
Our family is always after us for some smoked canned meats.
look at https://libertynation.substack.com/p/15-minute-cities-socialism-on-steroids
interesting for future preppers.
I disagree about the freeze drier machines. We have had our nearly a year without any issues whatsoever, other than having to clean the inside walls if we accidentally freeze-dry something with too much fat (think certain meats). Otherwise, it has worked like a champ and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. We bought the medium Harvest Right.
A lot of these articles are generalized for folks in their 20’s to 40’s that still work a job.
Some projects and equipment are tough for people working paycheck to paycheck or seniors on fixed income.
So these freeze dryer machines are not applicable to all.
But we can take these ideas and adjust the methods to what we can afford to do.
It would be great to get a Harvest Right at a senior discount to try out.
When I buy meat I first wrap it in cheap Wally syran wrap, THEN vac seal it using good bag material, and seal both ends twice. Had a fat ribeye and a 5 pound chuck roast (Kamodo slo-cook using good lump charcoal) last weekend with both dated late 2020, and they were delicious.
If you search, you’ll find food mfg’s store their frozen items at 5 BELOW zero (or more), NOT zero degrees. Seems odd but that extra 5 degrees colder must be the magic area where the molecular actions inside the frozen foods is affected juuuuuuuusssttt that little bit extra – putting it into the goldilocks storage temps.
The freeze drying methods are great for items receptive to that. But the machine cost and use for most needs to be shared between several families. Someone should open a business and freeze dry what people bring in, for a fee. With experience, they would get really good at it and everyone wins, and no one needs to pony up $3,500 or more for a proper machine.
Good article, but the NWO has said often their technology must work (says Klaus) for our coming digital jails to work. This then means it’s unlikely the power goes out long term as much of their control infrastructure relies on electricity with the cameras, facial recognition, et al. Barring EMPs or CCP shutting them down via the power stations. They WANT you to keep your cell phone charged so they can spy on you and use that phone as your personal tracker too, providing real time stats on your exact location – including at your bug out place. (NEVER allow ANYONE to even take an even turned OFF cell phone near your bug out place or you just told Big Bro where it is, likely with pics. (Hint. When you turn them off, they’re NOT off.)
So given this, when properly VACUUM sealed and stored at minus 5 degrees most meats will do well for 3 years. Rotate stock. If you find a 3 pound roll of hamburger getting long in the tooth, just make chili or taco meat with it. I lost track of a vac sealed ribeye that was 4 years old and dang if it wasn’t 90% and with a little rub, spanky good!! Don’t just look at frozen food dates! The fattier the meats, like pork shoulder or bacon, stores well longer. Well sealed bacon is good for 5 years. I also run freshly bought ammo into vacuum bags too for excellent long term storage.
Great Post
More than ever you need to really get educated today
as the end has begun and the ship is sinking , by the 4 trillion laundering scheme by the Rinos, dems, godless traitors
You will have new regs, laws , socialist agendas bought with your , so called taxes
Well guess what
you will never , ever be able to recover now
This is what needed to be to bring down the system for Total Control
Volvo , ford have just agreed no autos or vehicles sold after 2025 will not have , breath, cams, kill switchs
this means more control
more socialist control
and yes , you will not be able to buy or sell with out the mark
yes , banks will be collapsing this year , only 6 chosen will remain
and unless your all in , you will never be able to live
socialist agenda
Research , download instructions , for the items you need while you still can
as when this starts you will be void of info and the ability to collect info and get truth
what better way to usher in the 7 year plan than total lock down and control
marshall law
vacume , Dry, preserve so your independant from the systems
follow the real truth