Storing meat in a Waeco
Submitted: Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:15
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Gronk
This might apply to all fridges,but how do you store meat in the fridge ?? I have a Waeco 60ltr and if I put a tray of meat in standing up ( won't stack flat in the narrow end divider ) it leaks blood everywhere !!
Have heard of cryovaccing, but for a 2 night weekend, not really worth it ??
Have thought about a tall Tupperware container, then taking the meat out of its tray and putting it in a freezer bag then into the Tupperware container ??
Anyone got any better ideas ??
Reply By: Member - MrBitchi (QLD) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:22
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:22
We have a couple of tupperware type containers that sit flat in our Waeco 50Ltr which we use for short trips. Cryovac is the way to go for longer trips.
AnswerID:
229245
Follow Up By: Hairy - Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 04:54
Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 04:54
Yep, I've got a 60l and found containers to fit. Otherwise freeze it or get it cryovavt.
Cheers
FollowupID:
490164
Reply By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:33
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:33
We use the same fridge and cryovac the meats before we pack it in.
Without the cryo, you could use Glad zip bags for short term use.....
We used to..............
Take the basket out - line the bottom of the fridge with a few leaves of newspaper (catches any spills).
Basket back in (without the wire panel dividers).
Chilled meat goes in the bottom, plus anything else (including frozens).
Put a horizontal divider of some sort on top - a seperator in effect.
Set fridge to number 4.
The tucker in the bottom will be around -1 or so.
Up the fridge a bit, around +1 or so.
We monitor it as we open the fridge -
check for stuff being too cold etc. - salads and dairy can go in the top side compartment anyway. We monitor temps via a thermometer we leave in there.
The all important cans of amber liquid (wrapped in newpaper to preven punctures) sit at the top level on number 4 - lower if on number 3.
The meat can be frozen when it goes in - will end up pliable the next day anyway.
Whatever !
AnswerID:
229247
Reply By: Member - Troll 81 (QLD) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:36
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 13:36
We just take it out of the original packing and put it plastic glad zip bags with the seal....works pretty
well and pack away nice and tight
AnswerID:
229249
Follow Up By: Juzzy - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 15:34
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 15:34
I would have thought this solution was rather obvious. How do they pack the rest of the vehicle, in the boxes the stuff came in? :)
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Reply By: Robnicko - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:03
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:03
Gronk,
I usually freeze the meat in a freezer bag and then put the freezer bag inside a glad snap lock bag. Having the meat pre frozen will also mean the fridge wont have to work as hard.
Tupperware containers I find take up too much room and if you use say 1/2 the meat still takes up the space. Also, tupperware containers take more energy to freeze.
Enjoy your BBQ anyway
Rob
AnswerID:
229257
Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:10
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:10
True, that is the problem with hard containers, no matter how much you take out of them, they still take up the same space.
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Reply By: Moose - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:10
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:10
Doesn't apply to Trailblazas! Bloody useless Waecos :-)
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Follow Up By: furph - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 15:39
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 15:39
Goodonya Moose. Exactly what I was thinking too.
furph
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Follow Up By: Gerhardp1 - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:57
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:57
No problem in my Evakool either. :)
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Follow Up By: Member - Pesty (SA) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:33
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:33
Moose,
There's a wanker in every crowd, you must have one hell of a fridge, if it stops the blood running out the packed when stored on its side !!!
Oh and funny how both fridges use exactly the same running gear too !!!
Cheers
FollowupID:
490101
Follow Up By: Gerhardp1 - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:37
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:37
Whatchoo sayin there, Pesty?
You callin Moose, Furph and me wankers?
Or are ya sayin when you're in the crowd there's always a wanker?
FollowupID:
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Reply By: thomasando - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:13
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:13
Freeze it in a freezer bag and drop it into a tupperware container is what we normally do - the only problem with this is tupperware containers aren't always space friendly when you have a lot to get into a fairly small space.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: slave - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:22
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 14:22
We usually place our meat into an ice cream container weather it has been cryovaced or not. The flatest one seems to be Peters 4 litre. The narrow gap that is left is just the right size to slide the 1 kg packet of bacon into.
We don't worry about the lid on the ice cream container as we are just using it as a 'drip tray'
Mrs S
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 16:43
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 16:43
For our engel, I've got some square plastic containers - the sort with rubber seals and clips on each side. They are a near perfect fit in the engel, I'd guess with the help of a tapemeasure, you could find the same for your Waeco. We can fit 3-4 meat meals into each container. In addition we use a
home cryovac machine.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Noldi (WA) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:12
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:12
I find our butcher is only to happy to Cryo vac our meat for us, even if its only for 2 days. I dont even have to order it, may be worth asking.
Rgds
Ian
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Tony J (NSW) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:39
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 17:39
Gee wiz, with a Trailblaza, I put a false floor about 3 inches up from the fridge floor, a trap door to give access, and the meat freezes flat. Above that stays cold but not frozen. This works because the cooling tubes (real tech talk) are not only around the walls but under the floor as
well.
Also have ice (glad ice bags put in the "freezer" in the morning = ice that night) for my rum and cola when I'm camping!
Forget the Wacol get a Trailblaza!!!
Tony
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - David A (QLD) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:03
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:03
Hi Gronk,
We use double freezer bags for short trips. Occasional small leakages are cleaned up easily enough with a damp cloth.
Cheers,
David
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Shaker - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:08
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:08
I vacuum pack (cryovac) all meat, no matter how long we aregoing away for.
Fridge space is always at a premium, it's amazing how much space you create for other things (I'll leave that to the imagine, but it is frothy) when you take meat out of the plastic trays, which you also don't have to dispose at
camp.
I have also pre-packed wheel bearings for the vehicle & CT, & vacuum packed them also.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony J (NSW) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:12
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:12
Why put vauum packed wheel bearings in the fridge???
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:30
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 18:30
Ummm ..... I double spaced it away from the fridge comments, but to put your mind at rest, they aren't in the fridge.
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Reply By: Member - Brenton H (SA) - Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 20:49
Friday, Mar 23, 2007 at 20:49
I know its only two days...but...cryovac it and be done with it!
If you don't have a machine yourself, get your butcher to do it for you.
When it's all said and done it's not a huge cost and worry free.
AnswerID:
229345
Reply By: Member - Tonester (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 00:08
Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 00:08
Until last november we were esky/ice, which was much worse! Meat juice had a chance to not just drip, but spread. Now have 50lt Waeco fridge, same as yours but not as tall, and yes did find meat tray storage bit tight. What works for us is multiple meat trays. eg. 2x 4 chops each
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - John C (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 09:05
Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 09:05
All this seems very very complicated. Years ago we would go up the lakes in central Tassie trout fishing. Standard food packing was dead simple.
In bottom of Esky one layer of steaks frozen flat, then a layer of frozen cans of amber fluid and so on till top two layers put in not frozen.
Worked like a dream as consumption of can contents and steak ran nicely even. No problems with drips etc. just hosed Esky out when we got
home.
Regards
Taswegian
John
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - MrBitchi (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 19:49
Saturday, Mar 24, 2007 at 19:49
When we used to go fishing at Arthurs you didn't need a fridge ;-)
Used the
water tank as a chiller for the coldies and just left the meat in a box on the table. Was bloody cold enough to keep it for days.....
FollowupID:
490263