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Show The modern deep freeze is a great boon to a sportsman. He no longer has to eat venison or duck or fish for days in a row. Now he can enjoy the meat and the thrill of his days afield several sev-eral weeks later. But too many of us fail to prepare pre-pare fish and game properly and are disappointed to bite into un-tasty un-tasty meat. So here are some suggestions for freezing: Immediately after your game is bagged, bleed it, then dress it as soon as possible. Big game should be aged to make it tender; ten-der; keep it for 8 to 10 days at a few degrees above freezing. Game birds should be cleaned and pluckedthe wax method is best. Wash all meat thoroughly in cold running water. In the case of fish, keep them in water as long as possible before you clean and freeze them. Try to freeze fish the same day they are caught. You can use cellophane, plastic plas-tic bags or aluminum foil for packaging; a stockinette over this keeps the package in better shape. Label with the kind of meat, date of catch, hunting license li-cense number and freezing date. When first put in the freezer, leave some air space between packages. Game fish, birds and meat are thawed and cooked the same as domestic varieties. However, the game should not be held, after thawing, for any great length of time before cooking. It takes about two hours per pound to thaw meat at room temperature. If you're In a bigger big-ger hurry. It takes 45 minutes per pound In front of an electric elec-tric fan. If placed In a warm oven at 200 to 250 degrees, lt takes only 25 minutes per pound. Uncooked meats should never be refrozen. Cooked meats can be refrczen for two to four weeks. . Be sure and keep the meat in it . unopened package while thawing thaw-ing so it will not be exposed to air and possibly become tainted. Cook and season thawed game and fish the same way you would fresh foods. Now here are a few additional hints: large game should be butchered the same as beei. Tough portions of venison may be ground and mixed with pork or veal for meat balls; It also makes fine mince meat When It is frozen, ground meat will keep for four to six months; liver, heart and kidney for three to six months. Lean fish can be stored for six to eight months, the most fatty fish no longer than three to four months. ,. The big thing to remember Is that your meat will be only as good as the condition it is in when you freeze it |