Packaging for Freezer Camp

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JT_Hunter

JT_Hunter

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I will be sending 6 NZ's to freezer camp in a few weeks and started to wonder what everyone uses to package the meat, and how they do it.

I have the basics of getting the rabbit ready to go to camp but....

Do you freeze the rabbit whole...or in parts?

Do you use freezer paper or what...

How long should meat keep in a deep freeze?

Any suggestions are welcome....thanks
 
I package like parts together, in quantities suitable for one meal. So for the three of us, three hind legs or three loins.

Front legs all go in one package since there is so little on them. Okay for "shake'n'bake" or as you would use chicken wings.

The rib cages I package three or four together for a big pot of soup.

The belly flaps can be used for jerky or stir fry... but they can be tough. Slicing across the grain in thin strips helps.

I use plastic freezer bags and get all the air out that I can. Vacuum sealing would be better. I will store rabbit meat for a year or even more, but it seldom lasts that long unless it gets "lost" in the bottom of the freezer.

Lately I have been deboning the hind legs and loins because we find we enjoy bone-free meals more. Then I weigh the meat out into meal-sized portions - about a pound for the three of us. I don't worry about getting every scrap off the bones because all the bones go for soup. There is usually just enough meat on them for a hearty, supper soup. Rabbit soup is the best. :)

Don't overlook the giblets. Even if you are not a liver person, do try it. Rabbit liver is much milder and more delicious than other kinds of liver. The kidneys are good too. Just sautee in butter with a bit of salt and pepper. The hearts have good flavour but are pretty chewy... good for the soup pot.
 
After gutting/cleaning/rinsing, I like to freeze mine whole. I have a food-saver brand vacuum sealer and seal one rabbit per package. It's the best way to wrap if you are going to keep them for any period of time.

You can use wax paper or freezer paper, but be sure to use a very thick layer to avoid air getting in. Once the cold air has hit the meat, freezer burn takes place.

The length of time you can keep meat frozen largely depends on how well it is wrapped and how cold the freezer is.

A food-saver sealed rabbit in a -0 freezer will last for years. A loosly plastic-wrapped rabbit in a 20 degree freezer might be freezer burndt or off-tasting in 6 months.

Wrap and store based on how long you'll need to keep it frozen.

Enjoy that delicious bunny!

BunnyGal
 
two whole fryers per each gallon size zip loc freezer bag.... which is also about one meals worth for the 8 of us. Haven't tested how long they stay, usually a month or so is all they are in the freezer.

I do package the livers and kidneys separately.
 
I cut into parts and bag them that way. If we have a lot I used the food saver bags but mostly I used ziplock baggies because it doesn't stay long. Actually, I usually don't get to freeze them because we have a family of 12 and go through them really fast. We just butchered 6 and it last 2 days. Come fall I should have enough to actually freeze since I will have so many more does now. The 3 does I had producing through spring wasn't enough to keep up with our family. We have 8 does now and by next spring, I should have 12.
 
Hmmmm...as I am a family of one....well...I have a beagle...I think smaller packages would be best.

Something I have done with other meats was to put the meat into freezer bags then gently put the bag down into water to push all the air out...that may work out...I have also frozen fish in freezer bags by filling the bags with water and freezing the whole thing...sounds like freezer bags are the answer instead of freezer paper...

__________ Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:17 pm __________

Does anyone have a link to how to de-bone a rabbit?<br /><br />__________ Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:18 pm __________<br /><br />speaking of beagles...I probably wont use the ribs...can a beagle eat these safely
 
The dog should be able to eat any raw bone on the animal. I have used the water method you describe on other meats and sausage as well, it works pretty well.
 
Maggie that video is amazing...bet it takes me an hour the first time...thanks<br /><br />__________ Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:41 pm __________<br /><br />
xlt":2rpkdbub said:
The dog should be able to eat any raw bone on the animal.
Click to expand...

I suppose that is un-cooked bones...she is gonna be so happy....I can see her tail wagging already...I like happy beagles
 
YES, un-cooked! It's the cooked bones that will splinter, and be very harmful for your puppers.
 
yes, uncooked bones.
You will notice that that is not a fryer rabbit he is deboning there. I had great success on a roaster, tried it on a fryer... still worked, but ended up with three or four separate pieces, not a nice rolled roast like that.
 
It's not just the splintering but uncooked bones can digest making sharp pieces unimportant provided they don't swallow something too big to get down the throat. Cooked bones digest about as well as concrete. Ask my akita who ate a half slab of cooked pork ribs. Those attempt to leave the stomach the same size and shape they entered it.

For humans I freeze the rabbits whole after removing all internal organs. For dogs I leave the upper organs intact, separate the legs from the body at the hips and shoulders, and then cut the rabbit in half just behind the ribs. Then I put each part in individual ziplock bags. I tried various ways to separate the parts in the bags but they never came apart easily except bigger pieces. All the legs would freeze around the paper or something that made life complicated since I don't thaw it before feeding it. The cost of the bags is worth the simplicity. This way we can just pull 2 bags of legs or 2 bags of ribs with organs out and pop them inside out in the crates or over the dog beds for our 2 dogs.
 
I've meant to try separating pieces and freeze them that way, but I've never done it. I freeze them whole in ziploc gallon freezer bags. One rabbit actually feeds 6 here... we just make sure there is plenty to eat besides rabbit. Sometimes we debone it, sometimes not. I haven't deboned them much yet, so it takes me about 30 minutes. I'm sure I'll eventually be faster than that.
 
Mine is pretty much like Bunnygal's.
When processing, I do not split the ribcage, just the belly down the middle to the sternum or zyphoid process. after cleaning, rinsing, aging 3 days in the fridge (or until rigor releases) I take the hind legs, and tuck them up inside the ribcage, stretching out the back. Then I tuck the front wrists in between the hind legs/hips. This protects your packaging from the sharp bones of the ankles and wrists. Then I use a foodsaver to cryo-vac them.

Then, when I am cooking, I usually start with seperating into 4 pieces: 2 hind quarters, the saddle/back/bellyflaps, and the ribcage/front quarters. I will then always debone the ribcage onto the 2 front shoulders, and sometimes ill debone the saddle into 2 loin rolls with bellyflaps. When its ready to go in the pot or pan, I have 2 hind quarters, 2 meaty front shoulders, and 2 boneless loin rolls.

Finished product, this one does not have the front feet tucked in between the hips but you get the idea. The neck is towards you on the bottom:
edit: sorry, i didnt realize the pic was that huge...
meat1smaller.jpg


meat2smaller.jpg
 
Nothing wrong with freezing the whole rabbit, if you're planning on cooking the whole thing at one time. I just find that I am happier to pull out of the freezer exactly the cuts I want. It makes meal planning easier for me... and since cooking supper comes at the end of a long day, anything that makes it easier to put a good home-cooked meal on the table is a good thing.
 
I might be happier with that, too... I keep meaning to find out, but I can't seem to convince them to cut themselves up for me. I confess, I don't have much left in me after cleaning giblets. :roll:
 
If you were to cut up some and leave some of them whole when put into the freezer, I'm wondering if a whole rabbit would cook well in a pressure cooker or slow cooked in a crock pot. :)
 
OK...so I have heard now a couple of times about letting them sit in frig for awhile before freezing...more info please....this will be a challenge for me as I live in a camper and have a small frig...could they be kept in a cooler ful of ice instead...
 

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