Freezer size? Need Advice!

[weekend_junkie 129]

I'm signed up for a hog hunt and if all goes well, I'll have bacon for days.  I'm trying to learn about getting a freezer for storing the meat.  I've seen different ones for sale from 3 cu.ft chests to 18 cu.ft uprights but don't know how much space is typical for butchered animal.

What size and type freezer does everyone have and how did you ?

[fishnut 2,358]

I have a 7cubic foot chest freezer. Just the right size for my needs. It's my game freezer and holds any overflow from the kitchen freezer.

You going on one of the mores head hunts? Probably best to ask @Smokin .50 how much freezer space one of their pigs will take up. 

[Zeke 5,504]

Don’t buy a chest! You just lose stuff in the bottom.

3 cu ft is too small. 7-9 range.

Buy the biggest and most efficient you can afford,energy star

 

[WP22 1,558]

I have a 3(?) ft chest. It's way too small for my needs but it won't die. So  I'll live with it until it does.

Next one it will an upright. While they tend not to be as efficient as the chest, it sucks after a while to be digging stuff from the bottom.

 

[Smokin .50 1,907]

I have a fridge in the basement.  It's medium in size.  The hog fills that freezer & a bit of my freezer in the fridge in the kitchen.

I agree that you should get a stand-up model instead of a chest.  Only serial killers & guys with hairy ape sized arms need a chest.  Short fat F^&ks like me will FALL INTO a chest freezer leanin-over into it to get SH!T at the bottom  

FYI:  THE HOG HUNT FOR THIS SUNDAY, JAN. 20TH, HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER & SNOW EMERGENCY!

A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED.

Rosey

[fishnut 2,358]

I have no issues with my chest freezer but I keep everything in color coded milk crates to keep everything organized 

[Maksim 1,504]

6 hours ago, Zeke said:

Don’t buy a chest! You just lose stuff in the bottom.

3 cu ft is too small. 7-9 range.

Buy the biggest and most efficient you can afford,energy star

 

Actually shopping for freezers... why not a chest?

[Sevenshot 98]

No matter what size you get, do the chest freezer. Can get way more in there. My parents tend to do a cow share, which I get a chunk of, on top of the hunting we do. If the meat is packed in neat, 1 lb squares then you can neatly stack a lot more.

Depending on the size of the hog, it could be 1-2 regular refrigerator freezers to give you an idea on what you'll need.

 

good luck! I've found it's easy to see where the hogs have been but they are tough to find.

[Zeke 5,504]

14 hours ago, Maksim said:

Actually shopping for freezers... why not a chest?

Because the bottom becomes a black hole for food. It gets buried and lost forever!

Chest freezers are more energy and volume efficient . But upright are way more user friendly.

[dilbert1967 146]

15 hours ago, Maksim said:

Actually shopping for freezers... why not a chest?

I just bought an upright freezer yesterday.  Its a Danby "Designer" 4.3 cu ft. model.  Estimated energy consumption is $31 a year.  According to the data plate, it draws 1.1 amps at 120 volts.  We chose an upright because it makes more efficient use of space.  And its easier to keep organized, rotating the different products to avoid freezer burn.  We found it at Best Buy.

[Regular Guy 264]

 

 

@weekend_junkie My chest freezer is 7.5 cu ft and I've put a whole pig (from farm & butcher, not wild) in it.  Live weight was a little under 300 and I brought home about 150 lbs.  Had a little room to spare.  Also bought 1/4 cow before.  Forgot the weight now, but that fills it completely with a few pieces having to go into another freezer.  Obviously your mileage may vary, depending on the shape and size of your cuts, but 7-9 is good size for chest meat freezer.  To get the same amount of meat in an upright freezer, you would need to spend more on a much larger upright freezer that will cost a little more in electricity to operate since it has a bigger space to cool.

Speaking of energy efficiency, look at the label on the freezer to see what type of refrigerant it uses. The newer ones use R600a and the compressor for these are VERY energy efficient.  My meat freezer uses it and is rated to draw 1.5 amps at 115 volts.  Some will show watt usage but if it shows amps, just multiply amps x volts to get watts.  Older freezer use R134a and the compressors for these draw more power to compress this and pump it through the system.  You'll see higher wattage use or amp ratings for these models.  Over the life of the unit, you'll save more money on electricity with one that uses R600a, regardless if it is chest or stand up.  

You mentioned bacon in your original question.  I haven't had a wild boar processed but a friend of mine has had several.  He said they they are much more lean than farm raised pigs and they don't have much fat on them so you cannot get bacon from them.  I'm sure other can confirm or deny, but just something to check into if you were literally talking bacon. 

 

On 1/18/2019 at 9:11 PM, Maksim said:

Actually shopping for freezers... why not a chest?

 

On 1/19/2019 at 12:13 PM, Zeke said:

Because the bottom becomes a black hole for food. It gets buried and lost forever!

Chest freezers are more energy and volume efficient . But upright are way more user friendly.

I prefer a chest freezer, but what Zeke said is so true.  Most people with a chest freezer just fill it with either a whole pig, quarter or half a cow, several deer, etc then start eating their way in from top to bottom. they usually don't make it to the bottom before food on bottom gets old, or they realize it sucks to have to move over 110 pounds of frozen meat out of the way every time they want to even see what is on the bottom. 
It takes more planning and organization skill for how you arrange your items in a chest freezer dedicated to meat. Some come with baskets or you can do like @fishnut mentioned above and use milk crates to separate and organize things better.  Those the best ideas I've seen for dealing with this problem.  

 

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

Don’t forget a vacuum sealer, that’ll help keep the meat fresher, longer. 

[fishnut 2,358]

2 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

Don’t forget a vacuum sealer, that’ll help keep the meat fresher, longer. 

Definitely! Seal a meal for the win!!!

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

On 2/3/2019 at 3:01 PM, Regular Guy said:

You mentioned bacon in your original question.  I haven't had a wild boar processed but a friend of mine has had several.  He said they they are much more lean than farm raised pigs and they don't have much fat on them so you cannot get bacon from them.  I'm sure other can confirm or deny, but just something to check into if you were literally talking bacon. 

I take wild boars quite frequently on the ranch in Texas...this is correct. Not much fat on wild pigs, so sadly, no bacon. 

You can get some REALLY nice cuts of pork, though. Its dark meat, not like what you buy at the grocery store. Actually has some flavor!

We have a ‘kill ‘em all’ policy at our place, but we rarely eat any pig that weighs over 100lbs or so. We find the larger pigs are VERY gamy. This is primarily due to what they’re eating, I’m sure the forage food is better for those pigs on that farm in Pa, than in west Texas. 

[Zeke 5,504]

22 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

I take wild boars quite frequently on the ranch in Texas...this is correct. Not much fat on wild pigs, so sadly, no bacon. 

You can get some REALLY nice cuts of pork, though. Its dark meat, not like what you buy at the grocery store. Actually has some flavor!

We have a ‘kill ‘em all’ policy at our place, but we rarely eat any pig that weighs over 100lbs or so. We find the larger pigs are VERY gamy. This is primarily due to what they’re eating, I’m sure the forage food is better for those pigs on that farm in Pa, than in west Texas. 

My buddy has done this hunt. This ain’t wild and the bacon he gave me was awesome!

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

I think those are pigs, not wild boars. 

Not knocking it, I love me some pork products, but those pigs aren’t all that wild. 

 

I’ll be on the ranch next weekend, and I’ll be pig hunting.

[myhatinthering 462]

the only advice I'll give is simple; buy bigger than you think you need

[fishnut 2,358]

10 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

I take wild boars quite frequently on the ranch in Texas...this is correct. Not much fat on wild pigs, so sadly, no bacon. 

Very true however my buddy's I hunt hogs with down in FL have developed a system. They hunt with dogs allot and when the dogs catch a smaller pig they bring it to a pen they have set up on the property and keep it there for a few months on a all corn diet. It puts the fat on the pig fast and makes for the most amazing bacon ever. 

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

1 hour ago, fishnut said:

Very true however my buddy's I hunt hogs with down in FL have developed a system. They hunt with dogs allot and when the dogs catch a smaller pig they bring it to a pen they have set up on the property and keep it there for a few months on a all corn diet. It puts the fat on the pig fast and makes for the most amazing bacon ever. 

The guy who used to trap the hogs on my place did that. 

The pigs got wise to the trap, and they no longer would come near it. Now we have to hunt them. Smart critters....it’s almost scary how smart and adaptable they are. 

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

24 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

Smart critters....it’s almost scary how smart and adaptable they are. 

They say pet pigs housebreak way faster than dogs... and learn other commands faster, too. Normally, I'd feel guilty to dine on such an intelligent creature... but, then again... mmmmm, bacon!!!

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

Pork fat RULES!!

[Zeke 5,504]

Sooo @weekend_junkie what did you end up getting?

[weekend_junkie 129]

On 2/8/2019 at 10:52 AM, Zeke said:

Sooo @weekend_junkie what did you end up getting?

I have until April to figure this out but I'm inclined to get a chest freezer an use milk crates inside for organization.  We have young kids and are always preparing meals, so that would do double duty for us.

[Mr.Stu 1,919]

I have a 16.6sqft Frigidaire and this is what it looked like with 2 hogs in it a couple of years ago. 

 

On the chest vs upright conversation, upright is much easier to find specific things in. I use the upright for people food where we tend to want something specific, and a chest for the dog food, because the dogs get what they get and love it anyway.

[BobA 1,235]

Give this guy a call to see if it's still available:

 

https://www.newjerseyhunter.com/forums/82-classifieds-free/312949-ge-upright-freezer-works-perfect-150-located-shamong-nj-08088-a.html

[weekend_junkie 129]

I found a new 15ft chest freezer on clearance for $300 that my work. It’s big but we have young kids and also go through frozen pizza like locust. Might be a winner.

[Greydaddy 2]

Know this; once Mama gets the word and takes over, you'll be lucky to fit a rabbit in there!

[weekend_junkie 129]

5 hours ago, Greydaddy said:

Know this; once Mama gets the word and takes over, you'll be lucky to fit a rabbit in there!

If the end result is that my wife buys food in bulk and I always have food in the house... am I really losing?