Woodcock Pate

[TARNATION !!!]

Jay: I don't have one but a farmer friend does up his own meats and sausages using a vacuum sealer. I had some of the sausage months after taking it home. After thawing, it was just like fresh so I think they are useful. I use zip loc bags and try to expel most air but have not used water. Six late season roosters become my winter's ration stash for consumption. (One every 4 or 5 weeks.) They do thaw quite nicely with no freezer burn. The last one is usually consumed in the summer.

Cheers,
Jack

[Tony Ambrose]

Originally Posted by Jay Gardner

Does anyone use a vacuum packer to seal game in bags before freezing? I just liberated one from my mother-in-law and wonder how effective they really are.

I bring a Foodsaver "Game Saver Deluxe" with me on every extended trip away from home. The trick is getting access to a freezer! I have access to one on my trips to Maine, but upstate NY is another story. They stay fine for a couple of days once sealed and put in a refrigerator....or just put them on ice in a cooler till you get home.

Grouse and woodcock breasts tend to get a little bit of freezer burn if kept a year in sealed bags. You can just slice the thin layer of freezer burned flesh away and the remainder if fine. Most of the time, they never last that long anyway.

[Dean Romig]

I'm a big advocate of putting grouse breasts and thighs in a zip-lock bad and fill it with water squeezing the last air bubble out before sealing the bag and putting it in the freezer. I do the same with fish filets as well as woodcock breasts. The meat is just as good as fresh every time.

[TARNATION !!!]

I'll use the water trick this December. The one's throughout the season don't last long enough to worry about.
Cheers,
Jack

[Brush Buster]

I am now up to seven Woodcock breasts ,I am trying the " Freeze in Water Technique " If I get into a few more birds ,I am going to make up a batch ,will let you know how it turns out ! Has anyone tried this recipe yet ? Russ

[Dean Freeman]

I tried freezing some deer meat in water last season. When I thawed the meat out it seemed fine. I didn't think it would matter much anyways as I was going to make a roast in the crock pot. The meat was good but you could chew in it till your jaw got sore. I asked my buddy from back home and he scolded me for being so stupid. Can't remember the reason, but I do not freeze venison in water anymore. Also those vacuum freezer deals are the way to go. Keeps meat very fresh, very long!
I don't even think we have woodcock here in the Shenandoah valley, but if I ever find some, I'm gonna make some of that patte!