# If power went down . . . (emergency preservation of frozen meat)



## maddy (Oct 30, 2010)

If power went down for the long term, and you had only a few days to preserve a freezer-full of meat, how would you do it?


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Coolers and many bags of ice for a start. Can you borrow freezer space from a friend whose power is still on? A lot of work moving it, but better than losing it!


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

This time of year where I live, I could simply put it outside......it's like an outdoor freezer


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

depends when, why , how long

if say teotwawki event it is going to depend on what you have for options 

canning supplies and a heat source?
do you have a pressure canner ?
smoke house?
salt and sugar to cure some of it?
a way to dehydrate it ?

for temporary power outages a generator is a good option a Kill-A-Watt meter is your best friend when you start working on how much can you put on the generator plug the freezer in to the meter to know how much power it needs if it a Frigidaire 24.8 cu ft chest freezer claims 15 amps which would be 1800 watts , the meter will tell you what it actually uses it will be more for a few seconds at start up


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

If available, use a generator to bide your time and come up with a game plan. Just start the generator from time to time and maintain the normal freezer temp. Just a guess but 5 gallons of gas could last you a week or more if you keep the door shut and think about your run times. Topside


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## cannonfoddertfc (Dec 20, 2020)

While a generator and a cold outdoor environment will buy you time, for a permanent outage, I would deal with the meat one of three ways: consume it, can it, and/or cure it. 
Consuming is the fun and easy part. Canning requires that you have the jars and such on hand or are prepared to sacrifice other canned goods to get them. Salt curing obviously requires salt and lots of it. Canning would be my preferred method.


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## Rchickenlady (Sep 1, 2014)

If power was going down long term..... start canning. A propane stove, pressure cooker..... just like you would do normally, just get it done before what you want to can gets too warm. Meat and other things can actually be easier to work with if not frozen solid. Lots of information out there on canning if you want to think ahead.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

If you run out of gasoline or propane then all your best plans will be ruined, plan ahead that's the key....Topside


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

Pemmican? How to Make Pemmican Recipe – 50 Plus Year Survival Super Food (skilledsurvival.com)


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## NEAlabama (Sep 30, 2014)

Thanks for sharing this! I’ll try it and let you know how it works. We have a cow scheduled for processing and we usually have random cuts we could use!


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

maddy said:


> If power went down for the long term, and you had only a few days to preserve a freezer-full of meat, how would you do it?


Running my generator for one hour per day will keep contents frozen. During the hour I would pump water for livestock and the house. I have enough fuel for two years. If the power hasn't come on my then, I will be using my smoke house.


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## birdman1 (Oct 3, 2011)

if it was longer than what i had fuel for the generator i'd be canning away


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## Leech (Mar 27, 2020)

I probably have 400 lbs at any given time so it would be difficult. Fish, beef, deer sausage, turkey, frozen homemade chicken pot pies. I would start giving it away if I couldn't keep it frozen and maybe have a fish fry. 

I do have plenty preserved also. Lamb stew and deer chili is pressure canned, and plenty of deer jerky vac sealed.


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## Wyobuckaroo (Dec 30, 2011)

Since you don't list a general location, to be able to provide location useful advise it is a waste of electricity to shot gun a hundred different solutions when 99 of them won't work.. 

Many of the 99 solutions may be useful, but then it depends on what put you on the spot to begin with..


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## MrF1234 (Oct 29, 2020)

hiddensprings said:


> This time of year where I live, I could simply put it outside......it's like an outdoor freezer


Same here. But in another cases(so sad I think) better think about generator


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