I know, Mish...I just hate to throw away food. I am talking about the deep freeze here. It doesn't get opened that much, and we do package our food well, so it holds up quite a while longer than the stuff in our refrigerator freezer. I've gotten by with some pretty old pot roasts, as long as I cooked them low, slow and juicy.
But I didn't realize how much the taste of the venison would be altered! We've never had any strong tasting venison before. Kim said it was pretty bad.
I've also learned over time that cooked chicken, turkey and pork don't last well, no matter how you package them. After a month or so, the meat takes on a funky taste that I notice, but my husband does not.
On the other hand, browned burger or sausage keep pretty well. Maybe it's because they generally go in a tomato sause when thawed.
Like you, my friend, I need to clean out both my freezers. I have a big plastic bag in there with 2 packages each of balogna, turkey sausage, and ground turkey that are at least three years old, maybe four. I think there's also a little venison sausage (brats & Italian) that is going on 2 years old.
I wonder, if I take that stuff out to the pound, if they will feed it to their big dogs. We have a really sweet dog catcher who loves animals, and will keep a healthy animal forever.
