I have seen multiple posts on bring your own meat but they always seem to be centered on Customs & Immigration. Can some of you with experience in this area give me some details of how you get it down there? For the airline flight (we are flying American from JFK to STT) do you check the cooler or do you keep it as carry-on? Do the airline allow you to use something to cool it (ie can you get ice through security)? I think I read on this board that the meat needs to be vacuum sealed? Any advice on how to travel with it successfully is much appreciated.

The is there anything I need to know for the ferry ride from St. Thomas to Road Town?

The meat section from Right Way and Moorings is limited and is extremely expensive. In the past I have always bought the meat down there but we have a larger group this time and the economics make bringing it with us a good potential option.

Thanks for any info!

We freeze and vacuum seal steak, fish, hamburgers, and spaghetti sauce. Just enough to cook when we feel like it as otherwise we do our best to support the local BVI foodservice economy. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

We use a Polar Bear soft side cooler and take as carry on. NO need for any ice, ice packs, etc. as the Polar Bear keeps this frozen for the duration of a day long trip.

We check our 2 large Polar Bear coolers with no ice.
No problem for 36-48 hours. We have both of the coolers in the chest freezer for week or two prior to wheels up. Sometimes pay a duty at C&I. $15-$20.

Kevin

It's not necessary to vacuum seal meat, but it helps to make sure that it keeps frozen, AND if it were to become unfrozen, it keeps in all the juices. As far as carry on, we only take enough for the two of us, so we always do carry on. That really helps, if you were to become 'estranged' from your checked bags. I don't have a Polar Bear cooler myself, but if I were checking meat, I might well invest in one. As others have said, freeze EVERYTHING including the cooler for at least a couple of days before you leave, which will help things stay frozen. If everything is frozen solid before, no need for anything except the meat, to keep it frozen, for a trip JFK to STT.

We like to bring a soft sided cooler on wheels. Freeze meets solid. The night before we leave, I pack with dry ice. At airport we check cooler. Meats stay frozen for several days once in bvi. I like having the wheeled cooler for ice, trips to grocery, etc. we usually leave cooler behind when headed home.

As above:
Will add that Vacuum sealed also allows for quick thaw!. Bucket of sea water and take out from freezer because plans changed(or "I forgot to take out" more likely), and light the grill.

We find the 24 can Polar Bear to be ideal for carry on. The 48 can , packed solid , is likely to be over weight. We sometimes take 2.

We have the 24 and its perfect! Again no need for dry ice as many airlines prohibit it.

On our last trip, We took a polar bear back pack carry on. If anything melts to a liquid state it will be confiscated. We also took and checked a polar bear 48 can size cooler. Both coolers were stuffed. No issues with weight. The 48 can cooler weighed 40 pounds full
.

We take prepared meats/meals in vacuum sealed bags. Although it's not necessary, it really does help if something thaws, no cross contamination.

We freeze everything on a cookie sheet as flat as we can, so that everything stacks together well. Helps keep it frozen longer.

Pack in a wheeled 50 qt cooler on dry ice the night before we leave. We actually left the dry ice in this year, the airline allows 5#'s or less. If the airline does not allow dry ice, we throw it away when we get to the terminal. We check it as a piece of luggage and pick it up in STT.

We stayed at Rhymers for several days before we got on the boat. They offered to put the cooler in their walk in freezer for us. Worked great, everything was frozen solid when we got on the boat.

I am sure there will be those who say... You can get good meat down here .... But we are also ' cooker people '
We take a small good quality igloo cooled and put it in the freezer , then vacuum pack all the stuff you bring layering it flat within the cooler
We have beef tenderloin, park tenderloin, ground beef, chicken breast, digby scallops , lobster meat fresh from the ocean caught by a friend and cooked by Capt Ward, Canadian maple bacon , cheese . Believe me it's not about be cost but more about the hassle of finding what we like . We even brought lobster in the shell for our friends this time ...and some snow balls ... Very cool ... Every time we ask the boys hete at Levericj what we can bring them they say snow balls ... Coolest thing ever when we presented them. Photos when. Get home ...

We always claim the food and have paid 10 percent duty sometimes on the estimated value and other times nothing

Hope that helps <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

So beautiful here
Leaving Leverick tomorrow to collect Bridget <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Let the fun begin

One these these days I'm just going to book a seat for a Black Angus and trot him onto the plane and fly him to Beef Island. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

Perfect. Thanks for the info to all who responded. We will try it! Wheels up on exactly 31 days!!! We have every intention of supporting the local economy and will drink at plenty of their bars and will eat at many of their restaurants. But we also want to BBQ on the boat and make a few meals in the galley and in my previous 6 charters I was never impressed with the meat selection. Add the very high cost and it just gets worse.

Thanks again for the advice. Can't wait to get there!

Mark

Hi Mark
I just wanted to add that I have flown the JFK-STT twice with a carry-on Polar Bear cooler (no liquids or ice needed if packed as stated by the above posters). We have never been questioned at JFK. We'll be doing it again in 58 days. Have to say I hate flying out of JFK but the price beats Newark by hundreds of dollars. I am just 25 minutes south of you and I find getting to JFK brutal. Enjoy your trip.