Gaby
Here’s a simple, old-school way I store any kind of meat. Keeping meat fresh isn’t easy—in winter it can freeze solid, dry out, or be ruined by rodents. So I built a very basic setup.
I take a sheet of 3-millimeter plywood and cut a piece 1.5 by 0.8 meters across the grain. I soak it in warm water, bend it into a barrel that holds about 100 liters, and attach a plywood bottom. I place a wooden crosspiece at the bottom—and that’s the whole rig.
When the frost starts, I fill a bucket with snow, pour cold water over it, and stir until it becomes slushy. I smear that slush into all the seams inside the barrel and let it sit for five to six hours, depending on the temperature. That freezes into an ice cushion about 5 to 10 centimeters thick.
I then place chunks of meat weighing around 5 to 6 kilograms on the ice, spread another 5-centimeter layer of the slush over them, and keep alternating meat and slush until the barrel is full. Everything freezes into a solid mass that can be stored almost anywhere. Rodents won’t even come near the meat. When I need a piece, I cut into the barrel, slice off a layer of meat, remove the ice, and put the meat in the refrigerator.
The meat keeps its flavor and can be stored nearly until May. You can also freeze smaller amounts in inexpensive containers—even a matchbox or a cigarette box.
For summer storage I use a different method that works only for pork, fatty beef, and lamb. I make a strong brine—salty enough for an egg to float—fill a two-gallon pot halfway, bring it to a boil, and add chunks of meat weighing about 3 to 4 kilograms. The boiling will stop when the meat goes in; I wait until it comes back to a boil, then start timing.
After about seven minutes I take the pieces out, cool them, and transfer them to another part of the same brine after it has cooled. I treat the remaining pieces the same way. I cover the meat with a piece of plywood that matches the diameter of the pot, put a weight on top, and cover it.
You can store the pot in a pantry or on a balcony, but it’s best kept in a cellar or a pit in the garden. The meat keeps its flavor and doesn’t become overly salty.
