Refrigeration for hanging deer

Robotack

Im wondering what kind of cold storage you use to hang a carcass? Most lads I know use coka-cola type shop fridges but I'm not sure if that's because they're cheap or the other reason ive heard is because they have a fan to re-circulate the air in the fridge so the animal does not stink etc.

I'm on the look out for a refrigeration system for deer so your opinions will be appreciated.

meathshooter1

I use 2 coca cola fridges,great for fallow or sika,reds wont fit have to half the carcass to fit.the fan stops mould on the carcass.they suit my needs as I only shoot for the pot.

Lullymore24

Robotack wrote: »

Im wondering what kind of cold storage you use to hang a carcass? Most lads I know use coka-cola type shop fridges but I'm not sure if that's because they're cheap or the other reason ive heard is because they have a fan to re-circulate the air in the fridge so the animal does not stink etc.

I'm on the look out for a refrigeration system for deer so your opinions will be appreciated.

A coke Cooler or similar is the way to go.
Getting harder to get these days.

A cooler with a fan is best for the reasons you have mentioned.

wexfordman

I have a small outdoor space (was a sauna at one stage), that I am trying to look into seeing if/how feasible it would be to convert to a small cold room.

As well as shooting, pheasant, duck and deer etc, we raiseour own turkeys for xmas, and do a pig once a year also, so would def make use of it, and would love to chance maturing some parma or somehting like that if i had a decent location to do it!

If anyone has converted or built their own cold room, would love some advice!

howya mike

AFAIK it relatively simple but obviously the running cost would be higher than the stand alone fridges.

Vegeta

wexfordman wrote: »

If anyone has converted or built their own cold room, would love some advice!

Have access to a cold room but it is a serious commercial type unit so don't have first hand experience building one, have looked into it in the past though.

What kind of construction does a sauna have in terms of damp proof course and vapor barrier? The fundamental of a cold room is a well insulated room that lets moisture out but not in (with a chiller unit and method of controlling humidity). I'd imagine as a sauna is a dry environment that it has most of the above, could be well wrong.

I know this is a big farming orientated cold room but it discusses the fundamentals of a cold room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73u6g5KSkuY

ssl

There's battery operated small fans on eBay. You could stick one of thoes on the bottom of any fridge to keep the air moving

howya mike

It might also be worth looking at old refrigerated vans/trucks. Id imagige you could pick them up relatively cheap.

ssl

My under the counter fridge i used for game is fecked. I recon I'll get another one. Nice and neat in the shed and I can hang the joints in it.
do ye use thermometers in yer fridges?

garv123

Robotack wrote: »

Im wondering what kind of cold storage you use to hang a carcass? Most lads I know use coka-cola type shop fridges but I'm not sure if that's because they're cheap or the other reason ive heard is because they have a fan to re-circulate the air in the fridge so the animal does not stink etc.

I'm on the look out for a refrigeration system for deer so your opinions will be appreciated.

The coke fridges are used because they are tall enough to hold deer and have a fan to circulate the air and they are simple to clean. A few years ago most shops got rid of the fridges with doors like them and went for open displays so they were given them away instead of paying to have them dumped. Some of them are on done deal now for 400euro because they are so rare.

cz223

are those coke fridges hard on electricity was told they were ?????????????

cookimonster

We have cold rooms that are located both centerly within the building and internaly on outside walls . The centerly located walk ins are cooled by an internal refrigeration unit that recycles the rooms air in order to maintain desired temperatures. The fans are only there to draw warm air in over the cooling coils and blow it out into the chilled space again. The larger units are situated against external walls where the cooling systems are external. This allows for better heat exchange and stops any residual heat produced by the machinery acting on the internal temperature.
I know this may be obvious to many but there are some who are not in the know. When we put something into refrigeration we do not ADD cold to it, rather we extract heat. Heat will always travel to colder spots there fore it is important to have plenty of space in your unit to allow air to circulate. It is equaly important that there is plenty of space at the point of where any external vents or heat exchangers are to allow warm air to circulate away from that point. These areas should be kept clear of dust, cob webs etc as they act as insulation and reduce the effectiveness of refrigeration properties. Most domestic fridges are little more than cooler boxs and struggle to maintain cold temperatures if more than 2/3 full. A good fan assisted unit will maintain steady temperatures. Coke fridges are no longer acceptable as a means of food storage as was the practice in many of the kitchens I have worked in. But once they are not been opened on a regular basis, can be set between 0-5 C and the meat has been well cooled prior to storage they are fine for your use.

Robotack

The coke ones are working out massive money... Is a tall domestic unit therefore a waste of time for me?

cookimonster

What your really after is space to hang and allow circulation. I have a big American style fridge at home and for all its bulk a coke chiller has more internal space. IMO I think the USA style fridge is woefully under powered for its size. Look out for a commercial single door stand up unit from the trade- resturant, hotel, pub, take away or shop. What may not be up to code for a EHO would suit you, a service and re-gas when needed is not too expensive.

Robotack

Cheers.... So if a tall domestic is all one could afford, would it do the trick at all?

cookimonster

30 years ago when the Dads brothers brought us deer on a regular basis, carcasses where hung in a concrete shed for the week but the last few seasons have seen unusualy warm periods that I would not leave meat out.
Any large cold unit is better than none. Skin, then butcher the carcass into large joints - hind legs, loins, fore quarters or if your space is large enough a 'pistola' that is a hind leg minus shin attached to loin. Bone out secound class cuts (shine, necks, ribs, laps etc) to be diced and minced, bag and freeze. This will reduce space and allow choicer joints to mature to better flavour and eating quality.

paddatjie

Hi Folks, first post so please bear with me. Similar question to Roboteck, what’s the difference if any between the coca cola fridges and tall commercial fridges with a glass door? The reason I ask is my shed/garage has a low roof. Tall commercial fridges about 190cm high or under so will just fit and as far as I can figure out coco cola fridges are approx. 195-198cm tall so I would have to cut into a rafter to get it to fit.

cookimonster

Glass doored kitchen fridges where just a gimick most commercial units now have solid doors. These units are designed for perishable food items and are consistent in temperature even when loading and unloading, resistant to corrosive bio materials such as blood and fruit juices and are easy to clean. Coke style fridges are designed only to store shelves of cans so that customers can chose a product easily, it is purely a marketing tactic.
If you chose a glass door ensure it is not exposed to strong sunlight as this will effect its performance, if this is a factor, black out thr outside panels with plastic.
A single door commercial can set you back €1,700.00 brand new. Make sure the motor is serviceable or you will pay dearly.