How to freeze meat

[Nieser]

First time butchering and just wondering what material works best or what everyone uses for freezing whole chickens and then pieces (breasts, thighs, legs)?

 

[V-NH]

I am about to do it for the first time as well. I plan to use one gallon store brand freezer bags. How many are you doing?

 

[Nieser]

We have 50

 

[V-NH]

Whew! I bet that smells.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might want to look around for shrink-wrap freezer bags for them. You’ll get ice crystals on those before you can use all of them with zip-loc bags.

I use freezer paper, double wrapping it. And make sure you use freezer tape, the stuff that holds to (-) 40 degrees or something ridiculous like that.

I find they last a lot longer if I double wrap them. With single wrap and regular freezer Ziploc bags I have been known to poke a hole with a chicken bone. That doesn’t happen when I package them, it’s later when I’m moving things around in the freezer trying to find something.

 

[waltja02]

We used large vacuum bags

 

[redsoxs]

I have always used the vacuum sealer - works great - birds have kept fresh for me over a year in the freezer. Bagging material ain't cheap, though. This year I've got them in shrink bags - cheaper for sure - we'll see how they work. Good luck to you!

 

[ceeceeholt]

We used the Vacuum sealer and it worked great. We did whole chickens and then divided up pieces into breasts and leg quarters. It was well worth buying the Food Saver and bags, no freezer burn at all. We processed then let them sit in the frig for about 2 days to get the rig out of them. They are very good eatting! Had CX's, now raising FR!