Refrigerated food storage

[jimmyh]

I don't know if this has been discussed at all and if this is the proper forum to be putting it in.

I would like to know what people here are using to store cooled meat. I am forced to keep in my fridge or wait for cold weather and designate a place that gets only enough heat to keep it from freezing. Unfortunately this winter has been hit and miss in that regard. I would like to process a hog next week during my spring break but we are having temperatures that would make some summer months I've experienced look cold. There is no way I can store a whole hog without it spoiling.

Do any of you have larger commercial coolers or small walk-ins? My dream is to have a small walk-in cooler in a garage/workshop but I don't even have a garage right now, never mind the cooler! (some guys spend thousands on woodworking tools...I would do the same on meat equipment). I have looked at some of the reefer bodies for sale and some might work well but they are still way over priced for my purposes.

What are some of the (affordable) options out there?

 

[scarbelly]

Home Depot has these that would work - $189 for 5 cu ft 

 

[pops6927]

I've overstuffed our fridge with meat for years, somehow making room for curing, butts, briskets, cc roasts, dried beef, even a turkey in the crisper...



When i suggested to my wife we should invest into a new fridge with the ice and water on the outside (she loves water) and told her I'd put the 'old fridge' out in the garage so "...she wouldn't have to put up with my constant meat experiments..." ... we went shopping that weekend, by Tuesday she had a brand spanking new side-by-side Whirlpool fridge for $700 and I had a meat storage fridge out in the garage (the delivery men were glad to put it out there for me) to pickle and store plus the overhead freezer too for sausages, turkeys, etc. and could now buy 3-4 29¢ lb. turkeys at Thanksgiving!   Bought it on 1 yr no interest and paid it off in 10 months, both of us happy as clams!  You might want to consider it!

 

[diggingdogfarm]

A small chest freezer with a temperature controller to convert it to a fridge.

http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/...on-the-most-energy-efficient-fridge-ever.html

 

[ak1]

That's a great idea!
 

A small chest freezer with a temperature controller to convert it to a fridge.
http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/...on-the-most-energy-efficient-fridge-ever.html

 

[jarhead]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but if you need more space, make a walk in cooler out of an A/C unit.

http://storeitcold.com/

 

[shoneyboy]

 

[jimmyh]

Don't worry about bumping and old thread of mine. I appreciate all the input that comes my way. Have you any experience with the Cold Bot system?

 

[jarhead]

I don't have any experience with it, but I know a guy that made one. 

It's a small one, 6' wide x 6' deep x 7' tall.

It's been working 2 years with no problems and he is very happy with it.

He owns a small jerky making shop.

I am seriously considering building one.

Just gotta figure out where to put it.

 

[shoneyboy]

I have been considering building one for the last few years. Even though I have a refrigeration licenses and own a sheet metal company….it has been a cost issue… The refrigeration kit that most coolers need cost about $ 4,000.00 -$5,000.00 new and you can sink a ton of money into a used one and it will still be a used unit. So I have been on hold with that project. Recently I came across this controller for a window unit; it is called a CoolBot (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=coolbot&_sacat=0 ). (I am not in any way affiliated with this company or selling these items. I just thought that they were a great, inexpensive way to cool a cooler) Now with this controller, the cost of the refrigeration part is reduced greatly, I budgeted $800.00, $300.00 for the controller and $500.00 for the window unit, which is still a lot, but still a huge savings over having to buy and install a refrigeration kit. The best part of it, I felt was that I did not need anything other than a window unit and the controller….If I were to install the refrigeration kit, it would need to be maintained and the refrigerant is expensive, even though I can do the work…this way if the window unit breaks, I can pick one up easily or have an extra one in storage just for one of those “oh no” moments and just have to swap it out…. Still saving for it though and hope to one day have one…….

 

[supercenterchef]

Cold Bot looks interesting, though my wife will curse you for telling me about another toy!

 

[jarhead]

Cold Bot looks interesting, though my wife will curse you for telling me about another toy!

My dog made me do it.

Just tell her that she can make the frame and cut the studs on YOUR brand new table saw.

Naw, 2nd thought, bad idea, I used to have one of the afore mentioned. But I still got my dog.