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shipping freezer beef?
- Thread starter tncattle
- Start date
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SRBeef
Well-known member
No problem at all. Buy the best insulated picnic style ice chest/cooler you can find in the size you to hold what you want to send. I use midsize coolers from Wal-Mart or Farm and Fleet when sending beef to my kids around the country. The cooler is part of your Christmas gift! You will not need dry ice from TN to MI.
Turn the freezer temperature control down very low a few days before you want to ship so the beef is really frozen solid. Leave the cooler outside or in an unheated garage to pre cool it a bit.
The key is to quickly fill the cooler as full as possible but so that the lid still closes properly. I then take a good grade of duct tape and wrap it around the cooler lid joint to the lower portion, sealing the lid from air leakage. I use a couple plastic bands running around the cooler and lid, one on each side. I guess you could use a couple wraps of duct tape here too. Try to buy a cooler with no drain or tape the drain plug also. Tape the handles down because if you leave them out they are likely to get broken off anyway.
Send it UPS 2nd day on a Monday or Tuesday (so it doesn't sit in a warehouse or truck over a weekend) and this time of year it should arrive still frozen in two days. Mark the outside in big letters "frozen beef - please rush" so the folks handling it know what is inside and hopefully don't set in on a heater some place.
An alternative is to order a thick styrofoam container online and a tight fitting cardboard box to put it in...I like using a cooler better. Eventually you can get them back and reuse them.
You may be able to use standard UPS ground but it is risky if mixed in with the Christmas packages. If you've gone to this much trouble you might as well spend a couple more bucks to get it there in 2 days. The key to success is setting the freezer down very low - well below zero - a couple days ahead of shipping to get that beef cold. It acts as it's own dry ice. Good luck.
Jim
Turn the freezer temperature control down very low a few days before you want to ship so the beef is really frozen solid. Leave the cooler outside or in an unheated garage to pre cool it a bit.
The key is to quickly fill the cooler as full as possible but so that the lid still closes properly. I then take a good grade of duct tape and wrap it around the cooler lid joint to the lower portion, sealing the lid from air leakage. I use a couple plastic bands running around the cooler and lid, one on each side. I guess you could use a couple wraps of duct tape here too. Try to buy a cooler with no drain or tape the drain plug also. Tape the handles down because if you leave them out they are likely to get broken off anyway.
Send it UPS 2nd day on a Monday or Tuesday (so it doesn't sit in a warehouse or truck over a weekend) and this time of year it should arrive still frozen in two days. Mark the outside in big letters "frozen beef - please rush" so the folks handling it know what is inside and hopefully don't set in on a heater some place.
An alternative is to order a thick styrofoam container online and a tight fitting cardboard box to put it in...I like using a cooler better. Eventually you can get them back and reuse them.
You may be able to use standard UPS ground but it is risky if mixed in with the Christmas packages. If you've gone to this much trouble you might as well spend a couple more bucks to get it there in 2 days. The key to success is setting the freezer down very low - well below zero - a couple days ahead of shipping to get that beef cold. It acts as it's own dry ice. Good luck.
Jim
plumber_greg
Well-known member
Just remember, if you use dry ice it is a hazardous material and the coolers must be marked as such. Fex ex lost a cooler for me in Alanta that I packed and the meat rotted. When I turned it in for the insurance I found that out. Didn't get in any trouble, just was informed of that fact. gs
Are there no cattle in Texas? And I thought your sister lived in Michigan anyway.tncattle467":2d1brk53 said:tncattle":2d1brk53 said:I want to ship some freezer beef to my sister in Michigan for a Christmas gift, I've never done this. Can it be done? How and who do I ship it through? I figure dry ice will be used? :???:
Thanks
It can but not cheap. I checked on shipping some from tn to dallas texas to my relatives down there and it was going to be 1500 dollars (this is for a half). They also advised me it may or may not sit on a loading dock or facility for a day or two and that they did not offer refrigerated trucks. This was with both UPS and Fedex. So with a half costing them 500 dollars plus the 1500. It was not economically feasible and there were no guarantees. Im sure I could have shipped them less but they wanted no less than a half. I advised them the next time they come up here to bring several coolers and we can fill those up and they can drive it back to dallas themselves.
Whats with the name calling did you not type the very first post here? I assumed you were carrying on back and forth discussion between yourself. tncattle and tncattle467tncattle467":35pgc0yb said:Smartass, my sister does not live in michigan. I have no damned yank relatives. Secondly, there are cattle in Texas but they do not trust anyone like they trust us. Quit being a smartass
tncattle
Well-known member
options":1cl47d9z said:Whats with the name calling did you not type the very first post here? I assumed you were carrying on back and forth discussion between yourself. tncattle and tncattle467tncattle467":1cl47d9z said:Smartass, my sister does not live in michigan. I have no damned yank relatives. Secondly, there are cattle in Texas but they do not trust anyone like they trust us. Quit being a smartass
You obviously haven't seen me on here before, I assure you I'm not the same person as tncattle467. I live 25 miles west of Nashville and have been posting on here for over two years. Your assumption is wrong. Maybe you should list where your from.
He has done it before I was just guessing. What good will listing where I am from anyway. Most people don't care they all know more than anyone anyway.tncattle":9i9xxomd said:options":9i9xxomd said:Whats with the name calling did you not type the very first post here? I assumed you were carrying on back and forth discussion between yourself. tncattle and tncattle467tncattle467":9i9xxomd said:Smartass, my sister does not live in michigan. I have no damned yank relatives. Secondly, there are cattle in Texas but they do not trust anyone like they trust us. Quit being a smartass
You obviously haven't seen me on here before, I assure you I'm not the same person as tncattle467. I live 25 miles west of Nashville and have been posting on here for over two years. Your assumption is wrong. Maybe you should list where your from.
SRBeef
Well-known member
tncattle, one more suggestion: UPS has a big rate break at 70 lb because of manual lifting limitations. It really pays to keep the total weight of the shipment under 70 lbs especially using the 2 day "Blue" service. I generally try to keep it under 60 lb as it is more likely to get there intact. Key is to ship it early in the week.
Good luck,
Jim
Good luck,
Jim
