Help Preparing my Raw

[SadPandas]

Hello. A few of you know that we are switching Orson to raw very soon (yeayappicon ). My order from my co-op comes in on the 24th of this month and I have a few questions about safety. Since I have to order Orson's meat in bulk I am going to divide everything and package it into bags for every meal. I will be grinding some of the turkey necks and mixing this with the turkey meat, offal etc. The concern I am having is that I will have to somewhat defrost these products so that I will be able to mix them and grind them. The turkey necks will likely become completley thawed when they go through the grinder. Is it safe for me to combine his food like this making small meals ready and then refreeze?:confused: I have heard that it is not ok to thaw and refreeze meat. Now I won't be keeping this meat out too long or letting it get very warm during this but I just don't know how else I would handle 24 pounds of ground turkey and 40 pounds of turkey necks, not to mention the 20 pounds of liver and heart, if I didn't package everything at once. (of course Orson can't eat all this in one month but it will last us a while). And I am going to separate the liver and heart and feed them on their own; not mixed in with his meat/neck combo. I would like to know what anyone has to say on this. Thanks

[franp]

The Bravo I get is in tubes..I let the tubes sit out for about 20-30 minutes before I cut it..otherwise it would be impossible ..So it is slightly defrosted..

What I would suggest is to let the meat defrost slightly and cut it up before grinding it.. Check first if this will damage the grinder..
One of my friends puts the ground meat into ice cube trays before she bags it..It makes for easier portion control..

As for feeding organ meat alone; try it first.. Dari refused liver..the taste was way too strong for her..you might have to mix offal together..Go to the butcher and get some chicken liver etc and try it before hand..

An idea..go to ask.com That site is awesome... Put in the question about refreezing meat and the safety...I went there to find out about freezer burnt meat...yup it is safe...

Hope this is of some help.

[franp]

Just did a search for my own edification...If the meat is defrosted in the refrigorator it can be refrozen...
What suffers is the texture/quality...Now, is that important??to our dogs?IMO, no...these articles are talking about HUMAN consumption and the texture of the meat for our taste..
Nothing about the meat being inedible or dangerous because of bacteria or loosing nutrition..As long as it was defrosted in the refrigorator...That was the key..
If it was defrosted on the counter...well, then the meat could very well be contaminated because of the higher temperatures...

[Roland]

You are going to have to defrost the turkey necks just to get them apart! It will be like having a 40 Lb. block of ice, only worse since boney things take longer to defrost. Don't worry too much about it, so long as they do not get warm (even room-temperature is iffy). Break them apart while they are partially still frozen and begin your work. Re-freezing is fine.

40Lbs. is alot to buy at once for one small dog. Next time you order from the co-opt, try to find other members through yahoo groups to split an order with. This month I am getting 10Lbs. of turkey necks. Someone else ordered them and we are splitting them with three other people. You may still find other people to split/share your order with if you ask around.

[Roland]

Hey, did you buy turkey offal or chicken offal? If you bought Turkey offal, I myself would take some off your hands.

I can't believe you got 20Lbs of it! Last month I bought 5 Lbs. of chicken liver. Well, the co-opt sent me 10 Lbs. instead (an "overage"). It was so much, I ended up giving half of it away. I still think I spent less than I would on a pound of the stuff at the grocery store.

[SadPandas]

Thanks Fran and Roland! Alright, I will just try to keep it all pretty cold while I am working with it. It is going to take quite a while to get all of that meat into little meals. I think that I gave Orson raw liver before in the past and he had no problem with it but I will have to play it my ear and see how he responds to this liver and heart.

I know 40 pounds is a whole lot. We are buying a little 5.0 cu. ft. freezer because we have an area outside of our duplex that we can put it perfectly. And I figured that since we would have the room for the meat, we may as well keep the whole pack. There are only 4 people including me at my silverlake pick-up spot, although north hollywood and pasadena groups are not far either. I was thinking of splitting a box of chicken feet because I hear they enjoy them as recreational items, but the 44lb. box seems a bit insane.:lol: Our group also only makes a pick-up every other month. Maybe next time I can split some things especially since Orson will be more than ready to try a new type of meat by then.

[SadPandas]

Hey. I got chicken livers and heart because the turkey came in too large a box. Email us if you want some anyway. Their b-days are coming up so soon and we want to see that B.B:)