frozen meat

[Zach'smom]

We are going to our vacation home in June. The trip is going to take about 24 hours by car. If I freeze meat rock solid in the deep freeze for a couple weeks before we go will it last in a tightly packed cooler with blue ice packs?

[Katie T]

I say only if you are going to use it out of the fridge when you get there. I wouldn't refreeze it. You may have to change out ice on the trip to keep it super cold especially if you are traveling in hot weather.

[tinuviel_k]

Some of the big grocery store chains carry dry ice. I think it costs $1 a pound. I think that would be a lot more effective for keeping your meat frozen than ice packs.

[hibana]

If it's only 24 hours and you are not going to be opening the cooler, I don't see why it wouldn't stay plenty cold if not at least mostly frozen. I'd marinade the meat in a plastic bag with whatever you plan to cook it with, then freeze the bag. Maybe bury it in ice if you are really concerned. Dry ice is probably not necessary.

To keep the cooler extra cold, make sure it seals well around the edges and is the type with insulation in the lid. If the lid is just a hollow shell, drill a hole in one side and spray it full of expanding foam insulation.

[alireb]

I don't think it will last with just ice packs especially in June! I would use dry ice which will last for 24 hours. I get shipments of fish from the West Coast and they overnight or 2 day ship using dry ice and it's always really frozen when I get it. Just make sure you know how to handle dry ice - don't touch directly, etc.

[mamadelbosque]

As long as you aren't planning on re-freezing it, I think it'd be fine... I'd pack it as tight as I could with ice packs and/or dry ice packs and not let anyone open the lid till we got there (unless you were adding more ice/dry ice halfway through)... also, think about keeping it in your actual car vs the trunk where it won't get to be 100*

[Zach'smom]

I did a little research. I am going to pack the frozen meat tightly in the cooler with some blue ice packs. Then I am going to wrap the cooler with towels. The cooler will be in our vehicle out of the sun with A/C and moved into a hotel room with A/C for the night. The meat will stay frozen as long as I have it packed tightly and do not open it until we put it in the fridge at the beach house. Thanks for the input!!!