Quick question on meats

I’ve never done this before but am considering it. We will be staying on virgin Gorda for a week in January. Mango bay resort - so will have access to grills. Most meals will be eaten out but unless you go to the butcher in Road Town I havent had much luck w meats on island. Mostly steak (is what I’m thinking about). We are flying from STT to VIJ so I’m guessing it’s the BVI customs that might not like it? Frozen. And apparently airlines frown on dry ice. So just packed well in a small cooler? Is this fairly easy to do? One glitch is we are overnighting in CLT to meet up with our friends - so it would just be checked thru as luggage to be picked up in STT. Does this seem silly? I’ve also heard that we can order food from the Road Town butcher and they will put on the ferry. But no clear word if that’s true. Any help would be appreciated. My college kids are huge carnivores 🤣🤣

If you freeze the steaks hard and pack them in a Solar Bear cooler they should be good for 24 hours. If you make it your carry-on or personal item you know it will arrive with you; checked luggage can be delayed. There is no issue with bringing them into the BVI, just declare and pay duty.

Steakation Butchers is currently closed while they move from Waterfront Drive to Wickham's, the road leading to the Moorings.

As Batman's Wife stated... I believe she meant Polar Bear Cooler. We use a 24 can Polar bear cooler and freeze out steaks and other meat, already seasoned and Vac Packed. We travel from ATL and sometimes overnight in transit. No need for DrY Ice (Although up to 5 pounds is allowed). Pack tight and minimal airspace and it will remain frozen for 24 hr plus trip. We season, Vac-Pack, load into polar Bear cooler laying on its side, and place entire cooler in freezer. Thus no airspaces between packs of meat.

Polar Bear Coolers https://polarbearcoolers.com/products/original-24-pack-soft-cooler. Frequently we find them on sale, but ours have lasted over 7 years with 6 plus BVI trips each year.

Great info!! Thank you for your responses. Seems very doable. We do value a fabulous steak. (Sorry vegetarians). I will look into that for sure. I did write to Steakation just to touch base but as I recall it was a pricey alternative albeit a good one if you don’t mind the $$. Thanks again. Its turned chilly here in Boston and BVI can’t come soon enough. 😎

Batman? Were that the case we'd be driving a much cooler car than our 1973 Rover! I meant Solar Bear - for awhile they made that model, which supposedly kept things frozen for a day on a boat in the sun. One tip is to stuff it with ice packs the day before you put your meat in. It cools down the insulation and helps keep the meat frozen longer.

Steakation should be re-opening imminently at the new location on Winckam's Cay II. Definitely should be operational by January.

We have a Polar Bear Solar Bear. It is amazing. It is also waterproof. I really wish they would bring these models back.

GettinBye, I’ll be staying right next door to you at Mahoe from January 1-12, so PM me about getting together if those include your dates. I’m an inveterate (and finicky) steak guy and bring them down on occasion, and have done a lot of research on the subject of freezing, etc., so wanted to weigh in on the subject, and just augment the great advice you’ve already obtained from other posters about packing a cooler.

First of all, what I’ll add is that if you vacuum seal and then freeze the steaks, you need not worry about them going bad in 24 hours, even if they fully thaw out as long as they stay below 42 degrees; in fact, you’re likely good for 36 hours if you pack the cooler properly. As an aside, one myth is that you cannot safely consume steaks that have thawed and then been frozen again - but it’s just not true; if they are vacuum-sealed, you can do that without fear of the meat posing a health risk. All of the companies that sell high-end steak online plan for them to be in some state of thaw by the time they reach a consumer, and here’s a good mini-treatise on that subject of defrosting and refreezing, among others: Refreezing Thawed Meat Properly | Steak University (mychicagosteak.com).

Moreover, given your timetable, even if your steaks have fully thawed by the time you get to VG, they will probably have defrosted safely because it will have occurred slowly and in a chamber that likely has not exceeded that threshold of 42 degrees. Because vacuum-sealed steaks will last two weeks in the refrigerator even after they have fully thawed, you’ll be fine even if you want to save some of them for consumption toward the end of your stay.

The proper vacuum sealing is crucial, and if your butcher has a Cry-O-Vac™ or similar machine, have him or her do it for you. Otherwise, if you don’t want to purchase a home appliance for future use ($40-$80 on Amazon), see if you can borrow one from a friend and use theirs. MAF

I buy one of the smallest cheap coolers you can get. The lunch size ones about 12” by 10”. Pack it solid with meats and then freeze the entire cooler. Pull it out of freezer when we leave and steaks are always fine. Checked bag lost once and steaks were still good 36 hours later. I do tape it shut.

This is terrific. Thank you to everyone. I need to buy a vacuum seal. My husband fishes and forever I am finding bait fish in my freezer 🤢🤢 at least vacuum sealed would contain them better than a ziploc. So this is great advice and I will take it!!

We are there Jan 7-13 so yes!! You will see us for sure enjoying happy hours and the water right in front of mango bay! We are an older (!!??) couple with our college son and his girlfriend. Please come say hi! Or let’s connect via TTOL and make a happy hour plan. 😎😎

Just noticed Fitzhughlaw you’re from Brookline. We are Marblehead. Practically neighbors already. 👍🏼👍🏼

It's date! Will see you on the beach!

Don't overthink too much- We don't have anything fancy...In fact, because they are very packable, we use one of those soft sided cooler bags (got mine at Homegoods!). Last year I had it all packed reasonably tight but by no means did I go to great lengths. We had it packed the night before departure and then our flight was cancelled and we drove to another city for a flight out a day late. By the time we arrived in VG the cooler had been in my checked bag something like 60 hours and while things weren't frozen they were still very, very cold. Even the butter.

Good to know. Flying is such a crap shoot We are meeting my sons girlfriend in charlotte (she’s coming from phoenix) and I swear if we all get there together it’ll be a miracle.

We have the 12 pack Solar Bear, which is 14"x12"x7", well within American Airlines size guidelines for a personal item (18"x14"x8"). The Polar Bear backpack would also work at 12"x7"x18". You might even get away with the 24 can at 10"x18"x12".

I have put my passport in the cooler outside zip pocket, and put everything else in my roll-aboard. The only problem I have encountered is security in San Juan, who made me unpack the whole thing, which was neatly assembled like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle - the one time we were on separate tickets and tight on time! Otherwise you are fine once you have cleared security at your home airport.

When will you be there in January? We are Dec 28th thru Jan 7th.

We checked one once. It arrived in Puerto Rico and was never seen again!

OMG, everyone has a story about things disappearing in the Luis Munoz airport. It's renowned as the Bermuda Triangle for airline luggage....

One of several reasons why I avoid that airport and fly thro StT..Even Jimmy B dissed the airport in his song "Volcano"!

We regularly take meat as I am very fussy about quality. I agree with all the advice offered. Vac packed is key.

Years back, we stopped over in SJU for a few days. I packed a ratty, monogrammed LLBean tote bag on top layer of a duffel bag. Someone at SJU airport took it out of my duffle. When I posted about it on a forum, someone commented that the baggage handlers needed to to carry their loot! I got a good laugh out of that.

Fitzhughlaw - will you be down early February?

Buck's Grocery and Wholesale on Virgin Gorda had pretty good steaks when we were there 4 years ago.

Cleo, afraid not. Back to Boston on January the 11th (ugh) and then back to VG in mid-February. If you're around from then until late March, give me a shout.

PS: Got a good chuckle out of your San Juan story....

Wes said:
Polar Bear Coolers https://polarbearcoolers.com/products/original-24-pack-soft-cooler. Frequently we find them on sale, but ours have lasted over 7 years with 6 plus BVI trips each year.

Just received email notice from Polar Bear, they are on sale now, two for one. Good Christmas gifts!