How often to add dry ice?
Elk
In a 165 qt cooler with a processed elk that was frozen at the processor, how often should I add dry ice to keep the meat frozen?
Meat on bottom Ice on top should be good for a drive across the US
I did the above and taped my lid seam (duct tape). 3 2 lb blocks of dry ice in a 100qt coleman main cooler. 1 block of ice per 50 qt coleman (2) for excess frozen meat and one for the cape. After 35 hours (30 hours of driving and 5 hours of pulling off the road sleeping) the once frozen meat and hide, were starting to defrost.
If you are taking as much time as me, consider finding a supply of dry ice 1/2 way home.
BTW I cooked the first steaks tonight...freaking amazing.
Marinate in Italian dressing with a bit of wostershire sauce, get a good cast iron fry pan up to 500 degrees in the grill. Sear both sides and all edges for 1 min per side. Then finish on the maxed out grill gratefor 105 seconds per side. A little side of beans/rice and a sour cream/horse radish garnish... Heaven.
FWIW.
I bought 20 lbs for my elk. I had elk cut and wrapped (myself) in my homemade cooler. (Probably ~ 200 qt). Meat was cool, but not frozen. Had the ice in cooler for ~ 24 hours. About half of the meat was frozen. And I traveled through 90 + temps for most of the day. (I to had the cooler sealed w/duct tape).
But since my meat wasn't froze, if I were traveling longer, I would have re-upped the dry ice supply.
In 2011 we packed the frozen meat into the coolers, added a few pounds of dry ice (split up between 2 or 3 coolers) and left the processor. Spent the first night in a hotel, then drove home from CO to NYS. We covered the coolers with a tarp, then both of our goose down sleeping bags. All was still frozen solid when we arrived home.
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