How To Manage Your Meat AFTER You’ve Bought It&nbsp;by Brian Dee Hawkins April 10, 2022 Next Step Survival So You Bought Half A Cow. Now What?What To Do After Buying Any Bulk Meat. Whole, Half, Quarter Cow Or Pig How To Manage Your Meat AFTER You’ve Bought It.We need to protect, store, and rotate our meat investments. In this article, we’re going to look at managing your bulk meat purchase. Post-purchase – post bulk meat buying. What do we do after filling our freezer with half a cow or any other fresh meat to ensure nothing gets wasted? This post IS NOT a how too on buying half a cow, how to do it, or anything other than how to manage it after you have made the purchase. With the troubles of our supply chain and skyrocketing food prices, many preppers are taking the head-on approach when it comes to meat. They’re buying half a cow or splitting a pig with someone. Or maybe they’re buying a whole cow, quarter, or even a sixteenth of a cow from a farmer. Buying fresh meat is just smart. It fills your freezer and offers an instant form of food security that preppers understand well. But what do you do after you’ve bought half a cow? Or any bulk meat that’s being stored in a freezer? One of my prepping buddies is about to buy a quarter cow, and I was planning on splitting a pig with a family member. I also have a local friend that’s willing to go in half with me on half a cow. The high meat prices, and sometimes shortages, we’re all dealing with right now have many of us taking the bulk purchase approach as far as filling our freezers with meat. Managing Bulk Meat Purchases I’m all about planning and I can’t think of a more deserving purchase than hundreds of pounds of meat when it comes to planning out how to manage your bulk meat purchase. The last thing we want is, a year later, to start tossing meat away because we managed the meat wrong. We are dealing with a shelf life here, just frozen shelves. Most preppers that also hunt already understand meat management when we’re dealing with a hundred or more pounds of fresh meat all at once. With the economy having gone sideways as it has, more and more preppers are making those bulk meat purchases. I imagine we’re going to see more hunting as well. Like I mentioned above, this isn’t a how too for buying half a cow. I will say do your research, look into reviews, and try to buy as local as possible. Ask questions to help determine how the animal was fed and the quality of life it lived. I don’t want to go beyond that, or I’d be changing the entire topic of this article. The farmer or rancher will generally sell the animal, send it to the butcher or processor, and you’ll have options as far as how and what you get. The cuts will be packaged (Often vacuum sealed) and labeled. You’re not going to get a cow thrown onto your tailgate and have to stop by Harbor Freight on the way home for a bandsaw. Also, if your cuts are to be packaged in butcher paper, I’d ask for an upgrade to freezer-safe vacuum packaging or look for another processor. You don’t want to go home and get to work with that much meat with your FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Having A Bulk Meat Purchase Plan Without getting all Brian on you and getting into details you don’t need, I’ll cover the plan I use for any meat in the freezer, and you can design your own plan from there. Obviously, you should have the freezer space to accommodate the meat you’re buying. At least for the meat, you plan to freeze. If you need to buy a freezer, it might be a good idea to do that now, before you buy half a cow or any other bulk meat. I believe the supply of freezers has leveled off a bit, but I know several people that had a very hard time buying freezers last year. Chest verses Upright Freezers This is easy. If you have the funds and space for an upright freezer, I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t recommend it over a chest freezer. Food rotation is WAY easier with an upright freezer. I actually pull most of my food out of my chest freezer when adding fresh meat we just bought to replace what we’ve used. Labeling Your Meat With The Date Anyone that’s watched my pantry tour video knows I write dates on almost everything. Fresh meat is no exception. Yes, even when dates are clearly already there, I still add my own. I write the date I put it in the freezer – with a big Sharpie marker. This makes it quick and easy when rotating food and picking meat to thaw out for meals. I generally put the best-buy dates on food in the pantry, but in the freezer, I just use the date I put it in there. You can do either of those or even put the date you need to pull it from the freezer. Whatever works best for you. Thawing Out Meat This might seem like common sense but, trust me, there are a lot of people that think the way to thaw out the meat is to drop it in the sink overnight, and it’s ready in the morning. I know I know, my mom did it too, and we never got sick from it. My uncle drove like a maniac and never died from a car wreck, but that doesn’t mean I go around driving like him – because it didn’t kill him. I hope you see the flaw in that kind of argument because it drives me crazy. Here’s My Thawing Meat Process This is one of those topics that are boring but important. First, my standard disclaimer – I’m an expert at only being me. You should do you and get the advice of a professional if you are unsure of anything at all. We pull meat from the freezer every two or three days, depending on the size of the cut and how long it might take to thaw in the refrigerator. That’s the proper method of thawing meat, by the way, not in the sink or even the microwave. How often you pull meat will obviously depend on your own situation, I.e. the number of people to feed, how much meat you eat, how long you can stretch the meat, etc. At Our Home – A Week Of Easy Food Planning Today just happens to be Sunday, as I write this article. No big deal, it just happens to be the day that I cook (Yes, I do most of the cooking in this house, even though my wife is better at it), for much of the week. I ‘batch cook’ but that has little to do with the topic at hand, but it gives me a good place to start – today. We eat meat with every meal. We’re on a constant low-carb diet but, again, you do you. I’m hardly qualified to tell anyone else how or what to eat. Being Sunday, I have a pork loin in the Sous Vide, a roast in the slow-cooker, and tonight I’ll start my Weber charcoal grill and cook some chicken legs. The chicken will be for today, the roast tomorrow, as well as lunch on Tuesday, and the pork loin will be dinner Tuesday and lunch Wednesday. My wife is off on Thursday and will cook what we pull from the freezer Monday night. Thursday night, I pull meat for the weekend and my batch-cooking session again.See how that works. It’s planning. It works for us because that’s what we do every week. We also eat one day a week, usually on Friday, completely from our pantry, including the meat. In other words, we don’t have to plan out our pantry day as far as meat because that’s already stored in a can, jar, or bag. We eat out, as in a restaurant, rarely, but when we do, it’s generally on a Saturday. Yes, we’re very lively and spontaneous people here. How Long Will Meat Last In The Freezer? Freezer Meat Rotation Remember the dates I just mentioned? That was for the food rotation and all of our food gets rotated. Rotating half a cow gets a little more tricky, but more important than ever. First, we need to understand how long the meat will last in the freezer, right? Okay, as I said, I’m no expert, and I’m not a big risk-taker, so I have the FDA Refrigerator &amp; Freezer Guide up on one of our refrigerators as a reference. With that said, I’ve gone a lot further than what that guide suggests, but I’m not willing to bet your health on it. You will see below, however, in the FDA notes section that the recommended freezer times are for quality only – not safety. Quote: Because freezing 0° F (-18° C) keeps food safe indefinitely, the following recommended storage times are for quality only.FDA | Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart (March 2018) From my own personal experience, I don’t necessarily agree that freezing below 0° F keeps food safe indefinitely. I’ve pulled some pretty skanky food from our freezer that I wouldn’t feed to an animal. You can use the following as a quick reference, but I recommend, that if you’re unsure about how long certain meats stay good in the freezer or refrigerator, print the FDA guide (PDF Link). Notes from the FDA guide: These short but safe time limits will help keep refrigerated food at 40° F (4° C) from spoiling or becoming dangerous. Since product dates aren’t a guide for the safe use of a product, consult this chart and follow these tips. Purchase the product before “sell-by” or expiration dates and get it in the freezer right away. Follow handling recommendations on products. Keep meat and poultry in their package until just before using it. If freezing meat and poultry in its original package for longer than 2 months, over-wrap these packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper; or place the package inside a plastic bag. Because freezing at 0° F (-18° C) keeps food safe indefinitely, the following recommended storage times are for quality only. See Article For Chart With Maximum Recommended Freezer Times For Meats, Fish, &amp; Poultry Final Point on Freezers For Prepping Throughout my years of prepping, I’ve run across quite a few ‘preppers’ that consider a freezer some kind of cardinal sin when it comes to prepping because they use electricity. My freezers don’t use electricity. They do but I wanted to see if you were still paying attention. I respect other people’s views, but that won’t stop me from sharing mine. I believe it’s a mistake to prep only for the worst-case scenarios. If you can’t find chicken, or any other meat for that matter, on the store shelves for a while, you have no worries. If you can even imagine not finding meat on the store shelves. I mean, that’s never happened, right? By the way, that’s the perfect scenario to disprove the people that say, “I prep for the worst SHTF event, therefore I’m prepared for anything“. Sorry, just not true Sherlock. Maybe someday I’ll get into that myth a little deeper. In an opinion piece, I think those are always fun. If the power does go out, either short or long term, I have a plan for that. Freezer Alternatives Up to this point I’ve been talking about freezing your fresh meats because that’s when food rotation becomes critical. Obviously, you can still home can, dehydrate or dry in the sun or in a sun oven, curate with salt, smoke, ferment, make Biltong, or jerky. I home-can a lot of meat, as well as purchase commercially packaged meat, freeze-dried meat, and even a little jerky. I rotate all of it. Wrapping Up Managing Your Bulk Meat Purchase All we’re talking about here is food rotation but varying times depending on the meat, cut, packaging, and whether it has been cooked. Once you understand how long food can keep in the freezer, it’s just a matter of developing a habit or routine and we’re golden. Next Step: Expanding Our Prepper Pantry Beyond Two Weeks Call To ActionAre you subscribed to my email list? I call it a weekly email list, but my subscribers know I don’t email unless I have something worthy of your time. I don’t just email to get you to read an article or to buy something. Give me a try, you can always unsubscribe. It won’t hurt my feelings. Subscribe Free Today. Stay safe. Stay prepared.Hawkins Out.

We’re going to look at managing your bulk meat purchase. Post-purchase – post bulk meat buying. What do we do after filling our freezer with half a cow or any other fresh meat to ensure nothing gets wasted?

Managing Your Bulk Meat Purchase

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<speak>How To Manage Your Meat AFTER You’ve Bought It <break time="0.25s"/>by Brian Dee Hawkins April 10<break time="0.1s"/> 2022 Next Step Survival<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>So You Bought Half A Cow<break time="0.5s"/>Now What<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/>What To Do After Buying Any Bulk Meat<break time="0.5s"/>Whole<break time="0.1s"/> Half<break time="0.1s"/> Quarter Cow Or Pig<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>How To Manage Your Meat AFTER You’ve Bought It.<break time="0.25s"/>We need to protect<break time="0.1s"/> store<break time="0.1s"/> and rotate our meat investments.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>In this article<break time="0.1s"/> we’re going to look at managing your bulk meat purchase<break time="0.5s"/>Post-purchase – post bulk meat buying<break time="0.5s"/>What do we do after filling our freezer with half a cow or any other fresh meat to ensure nothing gets wasted<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>This post IS NOT a how too on buying half a cow<break time="0.1s"/> how to do it<break time="0.1s"/> or anything other than how to manage it after you have made the purchase.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>With the troubles of our supply chain and skyrocketing food prices<break time="0.1s"/> many preppers are taking the head-on approach when it comes to meat<break time="0.5s"/>They’re buying half a cow or splitting a pig with someone<break time="0.5s"/>Or maybe they’re buying a whole cow<break time="0.1s"/> quarter<break time="0.1s"/> or even a sixteenth of a cow from a farmer<break time="0.5s"/>Buying fresh meat is just smart<break time="0.5s"/>It fills your freezer and offers an instant form of food security that preppers understand well.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>But what do you do after you’ve bought half a cow<break time="0.3s"/> Or any bulk meat that’s being stored in a freezer<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>One of my prepping buddies is about to buy a quarter cow<break time="0.1s"/> and I was planning on splitting a pig with a family member<break time="0.5s"/>I also have a local friend that’s willing to go in half with me on half a cow<break time="0.5s"/>The high meat prices<break time="0.1s"/> and sometimes shortages<break time="0.1s"/> we’re all dealing with right now have many of us taking the bulk purchase approach as far as filling our freezers with meat.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Managing Bulk Meat Purchases<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>I’m all about planning and I can’t think of a more deserving purchase than hundreds of pounds of meat when it comes to planning out how to manage your bulk meat purchase<break time="0.5s"/>The last thing we want is<break time="0.1s"/> a year later<break time="0.1s"/> to start tossing meat away because we managed the meat wrong<break time="0.5s"/>We are dealing with a shelf life here<break time="0.1s"/> just frozen shelves.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Most preppers that also hunt already understand meat management when we’re dealing with a hundred or more pounds of fresh meat all at once<break time="0.5s"/>With the economy having gone sideways as it has<break time="0.1s"/> more and more preppers are making those bulk meat purchases<break time="0.5s"/>I imagine we’re going to see more hunting as well.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Like I mentioned above<break time="0.1s"/> this isn’t a how too for buying half a cow<break time="0.5s"/>I will say do your research<break time="0.1s"/> look into reviews<break time="0.1s"/> and try to buy as local as possible<break time="0.5s"/>Ask questions to help determine how the animal was fed and the quality of life it lived<break time="0.5s"/>I don’t want to go beyond that<break time="0.1s"/> or I’d be changing the entire topic of this article.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>The farmer or rancher will generally sell the animal<break time="0.1s"/> send it to the butcher or processor<break time="0.1s"/> and you’ll have options as far as how and what you get<break time="0.5s"/>The cuts will be packaged (Often vacuum sealed) and labeled<break time="0.5s"/>You’re not going to get a cow thrown onto your tailgate and have to stop by Harbor Freight on the way home for a bandsaw.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Also<break time="0.1s"/> if your cuts are to be packaged in butcher paper<break time="0.1s"/> I’d ask for an upgrade to freezer-safe vacuum packaging or look for another processor<break time="0.5s"/>You don’t want to go home and get to work with that much meat with your FoodSaver vacuum sealer.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Having A Bulk Meat Purchase Plan<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Without getting all Brian on you and getting into details you don’t need<break time="0.1s"/> I’ll cover the plan I use for any meat in the freezer<break time="0.1s"/> and you can design your own plan from there.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Obviously<break time="0.1s"/> you should have the freezer space to accommodate the meat you’re buying<break time="0.5s"/>At least for the meat<break time="0.1s"/> you plan to freeze<break time="0.5s"/>If you need to buy a freezer<break time="0.1s"/> it might be a good idea to do that now<break time="0.1s"/> before you buy half a cow or any other bulk meat<break time="0.5s"/>I believe the supply of freezers has leveled off a bit<break time="0.1s"/> but I know several people that had a very hard time buying freezers last year.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Chest verses Upright Freezers<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>This is easy<break time="0.5s"/>If you have the funds and space for an upright freezer<break time="0.1s"/> I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t recommend it over a chest freezer<break time="0.5s"/>Food rotation is WAY easier with an upright freezer<break time="0.5s"/>I actually pull most of my food out of my chest freezer when adding fresh meat we just bought to replace what we’ve used.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Labeling Your Meat With The Date<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Anyone that’s watched my pantry tour video knows I write dates on almost everything<break time="0.5s"/>Fresh meat is no exception<break time="0.5s"/>Yes<break time="0.1s"/> even when dates are clearly already there<break time="0.1s"/> I still add my own<break time="0.5s"/>I write the date I put it in the freezer – with a big Sharpie marker<break time="0.5s"/>This makes it quick and easy when rotating food and picking meat to thaw out for meals.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>I generally put the best-buy dates on food in the pantry<break time="0.1s"/> but in the freezer<break time="0.1s"/> I just use the date I put it in there<break time="0.5s"/>You can do either of those or even put the date you need to pull it from the freezer<break time="0.5s"/>Whatever works best for you.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Thawing Out Meat<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>This might seem like common sense but<break time="0.1s"/> trust me<break time="0.1s"/> there are a lot of people that think the way to thaw out the meat is to drop it in the sink overnight<break time="0.1s"/> and it’s ready in the morning.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>I know I know<break time="0.1s"/> my mom did it too<break time="0.1s"/> and we never got sick from it<break time="0.5s"/>My uncle drove like a maniac and never died from a car wreck<break time="0.1s"/> but that doesn’t mean I go around driving like him – because it didn’t kill him<break time="0.5s"/>I hope you see the flaw in that kind of argument because it drives me crazy.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Here’s My Thawing Meat Process<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>This is one of those topics that are boring but important<break time="0.5s"/>First<break time="0.1s"/> my standard disclaimer – I’m an expert at only being me<break time="0.5s"/>You should do you and get the advice of a professional if you are unsure of anything at all.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>We pull meat from the freezer every two or three days<break time="0.1s"/> depending on the size of the cut and how long it might take to thaw in the refrigerator<break time="0.5s"/>That’s the proper method of thawing meat<break time="0.1s"/> by the way<break time="0.1s"/> not in the sink or even the microwave<break time="0.5s"/>How often you pull meat will obviously depend on your own situation<break time="0.1s"/> I.e<break time="0.5s"/>the number of people to feed<break time="0.1s"/> how much meat you eat<break time="0.1s"/> how long you can stretch the meat<break time="0.1s"/> etc.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>At Our Home – A Week Of Easy Food Planning<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Today just happens to be Sunday<break time="0.1s"/> as I write this article<break time="0.5s"/>No big deal<break time="0.1s"/> it just happens to be the day that I cook (Yes<break time="0.1s"/> I do most of the cooking in this house<break time="0.1s"/> even though my wife is better at it)<break time="0.1s"/> for much of the week<break time="0.5s"/>I ‘batch cook’ but that has little to do with the topic at hand<break time="0.1s"/> but it gives me a good place to start – today.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>We eat meat with every meal<break time="0.5s"/>We’re on a constant low-carb diet but<break time="0.1s"/> again<break time="0.1s"/> you do you<break time="0.5s"/>I’m hardly qualified to tell anyone else how or what to eat.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Being Sunday<break time="0.1s"/> I have a pork loin in the Sous Vide<break time="0.1s"/> a roast in the slow-cooker<break time="0.1s"/> and tonight I’ll start my Weber charcoal grill and cook some chicken legs<break time="0.5s"/>The chicken will be for today<break time="0.1s"/> the roast tomorrow<break time="0.1s"/> as well as lunch on Tuesday<break time="0.1s"/> and the pork loin will be dinner Tuesday and lunch Wednesday<break time="0.5s"/>My wife is off on Thursday and will cook what we pull from the freezer Monday night<break time="0.5s"/>Thursday night<break time="0.1s"/> I pull meat for the weekend and my batch-cooking session again.<break time="0.25s"/>See how that works<break time="0.5s"/>It’s planning<break time="0.5s"/>It works for us because that’s what we do every week.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>We also eat one day a week<break time="0.1s"/> usually on Friday<break time="0.1s"/> completely from our pantry<break time="0.1s"/> including the meat<break time="0.5s"/>In other words<break time="0.1s"/> we don’t have to plan out our pantry day as far as meat because that’s already stored in a can<break time="0.1s"/> jar<break time="0.1s"/> or bag<break time="0.5s"/>We eat out<break time="0.1s"/> as in a restaurant<break time="0.1s"/> rarely<break time="0.1s"/> but when we do<break time="0.1s"/> it’s generally on a Saturday<break time="0.5s"/>Yes<break time="0.1s"/> we’re very lively and spontaneous people here.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>How Long Will Meat Last In The Freezer<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Freezer Meat Rotation<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Remember the dates I just mentioned<break time="0.3s"/> That was for the food rotation and all of our food gets rotated<break time="0.5s"/>Rotating half a cow gets a little more tricky<break time="0.1s"/> but more important than ever<break time="0.5s"/>First<break time="0.1s"/> we need to understand how long the meat will last in the freezer<break time="0.1s"/> right<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Okay<break time="0.1s"/> as I said<break time="0.1s"/> I’m no expert<break time="0.1s"/> and I’m not a big risk-taker<break time="0.1s"/> so I have the FDA Refrigerator &amp; Freezer Guide up on one of our refrigerators as a reference<break time="0.5s"/>With that said<break time="0.1s"/> I’ve gone a lot further than what that guide suggests<break time="0.1s"/> but I’m not willing to bet your health on it<break time="0.5s"/>You will see below<break time="0.1s"/> however<break time="0.1s"/> in the FDA notes section that the recommended freezer times are for quality only – not safety.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Quote<break time="0.3s"/> Because freezing 0° F (-18° C) keeps food safe indefinitely<break time="0.1s"/> the following recommended storage times are for quality only.<break time="0.25s"/>FDA | Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart (March 2018)<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>From my own personal experience<break time="0.1s"/> I don’t necessarily agree that freezing below 0° F keeps food safe indefinitely<break time="0.5s"/>I’ve pulled some pretty skanky food from our freezer that I wouldn’t feed to an animal.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>You can use the following as a quick reference<break time="0.1s"/> but I recommend<break time="0.1s"/> that if you’re unsure about how long certain meats stay good in the freezer or refrigerator<break time="0.1s"/> print the FDA guide (PDF Link).<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Notes from the FDA guide<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>These short but safe time limits will help keep refrigerated food at 40° F (4° C) from spoiling or becoming dangerous.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Since product dates aren’t a guide for the safe use of a product<break time="0.1s"/> consult this chart and follow these tips.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Purchase the product before “sell-by” or expiration dates and get it in the freezer right away.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Follow handling recommendations on products.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Keep meat and poultry in their package until just before using it.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>If freezing meat and poultry in its original package for longer than 2 months<break time="0.1s"/> over-wrap these packages with airtight heavy-duty foil<break time="0.1s"/> plastic wrap<break time="0.1s"/> or freezer paper<break time="0.3s"/> or place the package inside a plastic bag.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Because freezing at 0° F (-18° C) keeps food safe indefinitely<break time="0.1s"/> the following recommended storage times are for quality only.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>See Article For Chart With Maximum Recommended Freezer Times For Meats<break time="0.1s"/> Fish<break time="0.1s"/> &amp; Poultry<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Final Point on Freezers For Prepping<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Throughout my years of prepping<break time="0.1s"/> I’ve run across quite a few ‘preppers’ that consider a freezer some kind of cardinal sin when it comes to prepping because they use electricity<break time="0.5s"/>My freezers don’t use electricity<break time="0.5s"/>They do but I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>I respect other people’s views<break time="0.1s"/> but that won’t stop me from sharing mine<break time="0.5s"/>I believe it’s a mistake to prep only for the worst-case scenarios<break time="0.5s"/>If you can’t find chicken<break time="0.1s"/> or any other meat for that matter<break time="0.1s"/> on the store shelves for a while<break time="0.1s"/> you have no worries<break time="0.5s"/>If you can even imagine not finding meat on the store shelves<break time="0.5s"/>I mean<break time="0.1s"/> that’s never happened<break time="0.1s"/> right<break time="0.3s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>By the way<break time="0.1s"/> that’s the perfect scenario to disprove the people that say<break time="0.1s"/> “I prep for the worst SHTF event<break time="0.1s"/> therefore I’m prepared for anything“<break time="0.5s"/>Sorry<break time="0.1s"/> just not true Sherlock<break time="0.5s"/>Maybe someday I’ll get into that myth a little deeper<break time="0.5s"/>In an opinion piece<break time="0.1s"/> I think those are always fun.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>If the power does go out<break time="0.1s"/> either short or long term<break time="0.1s"/> I have a plan for that.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Freezer Alternatives<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Up to this point I’ve been talking about freezing your fresh meats because that’s when food rotation becomes critical<break time="0.5s"/>Obviously<break time="0.1s"/> you can still home can<break time="0.1s"/> dehydrate or dry in the sun or in a sun oven<break time="0.1s"/> curate with salt<break time="0.1s"/> smoke<break time="0.1s"/> ferment<break time="0.1s"/> make Biltong<break time="0.1s"/> or jerky.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>I home-can a lot of meat<break time="0.1s"/> as well as purchase commercially packaged meat<break time="0.1s"/> freeze-dried meat<break time="0.1s"/> and even a little jerky<break time="0.5s"/>I rotate all of it.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Wrapping Up Managing Your Bulk Meat Purchase<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>All we’re talking about here is food rotation but varying times depending on the meat<break time="0.1s"/> cut<break time="0.1s"/> packaging<break time="0.1s"/> and whether it has been cooked<break time="0.5s"/>Once you understand how long food can keep in the freezer<break time="0.1s"/> it’s just a matter of developing a habit or routine and we’re golden.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Next Step<break time="0.3s"/> Expanding Our Prepper Pantry Beyond Two Weeks<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Call To Action<break time="0.25s"/>Are you subscribed to my email list<break time="0.3s"/> I call it a weekly email list<break time="0.1s"/> but my subscribers know I don’t email unless I have something worthy of your time<break time="0.5s"/>I don’t just email to get you to read an article or to buy something<break time="0.5s"/>Give me a try<break time="0.1s"/> you can always unsubscribe<break time="0.5s"/>It won’t hurt my feelings.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Subscribe Free Today.<break time="0.25s"/><break time="0.25s"/>Stay safe<break time="0.5s"/>Stay prepared.<break time="0.25s"/>Hawkins Out.<break time="0.25s"/></speak>