1. Deep Freeze
Probably the easiest to preserve meat for the short term is to freeze the meat. Before you put the meat in freezer, be sure to wrap it tightly in foil or in a tight plastic wrap. If you are going to use it within a week or so, you can store the meat in its original packaging. Also, to make the meat last longer in the freezer, trim off the excess fat and rinse the meat thoroughly.
2. Salt It
You can also use salt as a means of preserving the meat. Simply rub the salt into the meat or soak the meat in brine. Let the meat soak in the brine for five to six days. Then, you can either put the meat in a sack coated with flour or smoke the meat before placing it in the bag to make it last longer. To extend the meat preservation even further, a person can inject the brine directly into the meat with a syringe before you store it in the sack. After soaking and smoking the meat, it will keep in the open air for about three months, and even longer if you store it in a refrigerated area.
3. Pickle the Meat
Pickling the meat sounds a bit odd, but by using vinegar or a similar solution to soak the meat in, you can preserve the meat for an even longer period. The vinegar keeps parasites and bacteria away from the meat for up to six months. Be sure to add some spices to the vinegar solution to make the meat taste better when you do cook it. As with any preserving method, there are exceptions, so be sure to inspect the meat thoroughly before cooking it after storing it for longer than a few weeks.
4. Jerky
Making jerky or drying out the meat has long been a popular method of preserving meat, dating back to frontier days. Drying meat requires no refrigeration, and the meat will last about four to five weeks. It is best to marinate or brine the meat before you dry it out. To make slicing of the meat easier, it is best to partially freeze the meat before you cut it. Then, after cutting the meat, place it in dehydrator or in an oven at 140 degrees for 10 to 24 hours, depending on the strip size and cooking conditions. If the strips were not marinated, you may need to place the strips back in the oven for 10 minutes to complete the drying process.
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