backstraps and repeated freezing/thawing cycle

[sillyburt]

I got a deer this year (monday 17th) and started gutting it with the help of a neighbor. he suggested I take out the backstraps right away after gutting and putting them aside. I hung the deer for a couple days and then had it processed due to some scheduling conflicts.

I put the backstraps (at least that's what I was told they were) in a bag and left them in my car (the trunk actually). I got busy with other things and left them in my car and figured it was cold enough outside to keep them frozen. after all if you hang a deer for days what's the difference between the whole deer and just part of the deer. I returned home onthe 20th and left my car in the garage still thinking it would be cold enough. i checked this morning and the meet cuts are thawed -the backstraps not the rest of the processed/butchered deer...

so my question is are these still good? what would happen to them if they had thawed more than once during the week? would this be considered part of the aging process?

what should I do? I'd hate for this meet to go bad even if it is only a smaller portion of the deer

[WinMag]

If the temperature was several degrees below freezing each day, it should be ok. If not, I wouldn't eat the meat. The temperature varies in each part of the car and depending on where the meat was inside the car, it might not have been cold enough. The best rule of thumb is never eat anything that you have doubts about.

[alex-v]

If they smell like the other processed venison then they survived the repeated cycles. Let your nose be the judge.

Most likely they are still good with the way Michigan's weather has been lately. BTW, just imagine how many times processed beef, pork, and chicken ends up being frozen and thawed between the time of processing and when it appears in the supermarket cooler.

[BarryPatch]

Should be fine if they smell OK.

Are they really the back straps(4"x24") from the back or the tenderloins (2"x12") from the inside of the carcass. The tenderloins are usually removed prior to hanging the deer.

[RDS-1025]

I'm guessing they are tenderloins but either way the smell will tell you if they are good.

[sillyburt]

they were the tenderloins (inside body cavity).

unfortunately I tossed them. what a shame. like I posted before I didn't want the meat to go to waste. also I didn't get much from the processor either. seems a whole lot less than the deer I got 10 years ago. it was bigger but I wouldn't call this one 'a dog'.

oh well, first deer since ten years. live and learn.