I was wondering if any of you process your deer within a day or two because of warm weather. I usually like to hang it several days, but it is hard this early when it is still fairly warm. The last two years I had access to a small walk in cooler,but don't this year, and the wife doesn't want me to use our coolers.
Almost always. The only time I hang a deer is when it is very cold and I don't do it by choice.
My family used to hang deer. I have tried both ways and to me, it doesn't make any difference, so I don't.
When it's warm I bone it out and age it in the fridge. I need a second fridge for the barn now that I think of it.
I wish I could use the fridge, but the wife would really kill me for that one!!
I have processed the same day when I got a deer on a warm October stretch.
Always
Almost always.
When you go to the store do you see any meat hanging in the parking lot......get cool and cut up!
I dry age in a fridge if the weather is warm.
Ideally a slow temp controlled dry age is best but at least give the meat 24 hrs. for rigor mortis to pass and proteins to start break down.
I bone mine out and put it in coolers... designated coolers, I might add! Wife wouldn't want to grab my meat cooler....
God Bless
Rodd
QuoteOriginally posted by Marshallrobinson:
Almost always. The only time I hang a deer is when it is very cold and I don't do it by choice.
My family used to hang deer. I have tried both ways and to me, it doesn't make any difference, so I don't.
X2, I can't tell any difference either in taste or tenderness. But I'm very picky and our deer are mostly grain feed here so it's all good.
Tracy
A cheap fridge in the garage with some rack removed works great. You can even put some eye bolts for hanging quarters. How cold you keep the fridge and how you like the flavors to develop will dictate the time.
As an added bonus it keeps beer cold. :thumbsup:
Try a moose in August. We have several processors that will hold in meat locker for a fee, but we just get it done and have yet to have anything gamey or tough.
August 15th
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August 16th
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~CB
I debone and put the meat in the cooler like Rodd said. I fill it up with water and add ice. I let it sit for 4 or 5 days just change the water every day and add ice as needed.Then my wife and I process the meat. Since I started doing that the meat tastes so much better. It tazte like beef instead of venison. As a matter of fact my daughter ate some deer chili last night for supper she said it was the best weve had. She hates eating venison we tell her it is beef. Please dont tell her she has been eating deer tbis whole time.
Dressed, quartered, and in a cooler with ice within an hour of locating downed deer, hot weather here most of season dictates that.
That is one huge hind quarter
I'm getting to where I just don't go hunting when it's very warm, especially if I'm working the next day. If I'm off work the next day and I do get a deer the evening before, I definitely process it or get it processed the next morning or give it to someone else if I don't have time to take care of it myself. The latter usually works out real well because when I end up giving it away, I generally get a couple of the best cuts in return for giving them the deer!
Oh, and if the wife won't let you use the coolers you have now, then by all means, man, go buy a couple of coolers of your own!
A friend who used to process game for others for many years says it makes no difference to the meat quality with game...he has done enough that he ought to know
DDave
When I was a kid we usually just threw the meat on some ice and took it to be processed. As I got out on my own I started to do my own deer to save money and to have control over the entire process.
Around this time I got interested in trying and preparing all types of foods.
I now treat all venison as I would the finest cut of angus. The difference in final product is like night and day.
A really good resource for all things after the kill related is "Making the most of your deer" by Dennis Walrod. Robtattoo recommended it to me a couple years ago.
Yes.
Every time. Skin comes off easier when the deer is warm and a fresh recovery. Into the frig for 3 or 4 days.
I made a walk in cooler 4x8x8 I used the cooling unit out of an old pop machine. My family has used for the last 20 years it will keep 5 deer 38- 42 deg. We leave them hang for a week you can tell the difference.
I made a walk in cooler 4x8x8 I used the cooling unit out of an old pop machine. My family has used for the last 20 years it will keep 5 deer 38- 42 deg. We leave them hang for a week you can tell the difference.
Almost always
If it was cool enough, I would not hesitate to wait till he next day, or even longer! Down here though, it is always too hot, and you have to get them quartered and on ice as quick as you can. In the area where I hunted for the last 15yrs in S Tx, is is very common to have 90 degree days in Dec or Jan!
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob W.:
A cheap fridge in the garage with some rack removed works great. You can even put some eye bolts for hanging quarters. How cold you keep the fridge and how you like the flavors to develop will dictate the time.
As an added bonus it keeps beer cold. :thumbsup:
Rob, we think alike on this one. I get home,skin, quarter, and put it in the fridge that I have in the garage. I put baking sheets on the racks with wire racks on top of them to let the blood drain. The drawer in the bottom is perfect for beer.
Yep, ASAP once recovered. I usually debone it all and put it in large bowls of water in the fridge. I might add when I debone it I slice then as well. Then with only slices in the bowls I fill it full of water and put in the fridge for 3 days changing the water 3x a day. I'm not sure if this is correct way but by the time it soaks and the water is changed several times nearly all the blood is gone and the meat is very light in color.
Almost always have them packaged and in the freezer in a couple hours. I don't know if it's the best way but I have never had anyone complain about the tenderness or taste.
Thanks guys. I have cut up a fair number, but always waited several days. However, I got an old doe last night,and having a problem keeping the carcass cool enough,so I think I'll start processing tonight.
Good luck to all this season.
Yes, here I debone and in the fridge within hours of the kill, keep for a few days and then process for the freezer. Good tasting and little waste.
x2 on what shed hunter said, soaking in water in fridge for day's gets all the blood out and makes a world of difference in taste
During early season, always. Late season I'll let it hang for a day or two.
most get the gutless method where I find them and the deboned meat goes directly into large bowls with plastic wrap over the top and into the frig. Can sit like this for a week or more as you find time to process and does not look bad in the frig for those who have wives. put a small plate upside down in the bottom of the large bowls to keep the blood off the bottom cuts.
No, I will never process a deer the next day as that is when it is the toughest.
University of Wyoming did a study on aging venison. Antelope to moose. 24 hours after the kill is when the meat is at it's toughest then slowly tenderizes.
Antelope 3-5 days
deer 5-7 days
elk 7-10 days
moose up to 14 days
Of course this all depends on proper care of the venison on good temp control. They suggested 34-37 degrees, warmer speeds the process, colder slows the process.
You can also cut up immediately, but it slowly gets tougher for the first 24 hours, then reverses.
In a perfect world, I have my venison skinned, and quartered, crusted and into heavy cotton games bags and into the spare refrigerator within 4 hours. Loins and tenderloins vacuum packed and into the freezer.
The beauty of aging is that you have a three day window to process and that's is good thing with everyone's busy schedule in today's world.
If you are pressed for time, turn the fridge temp down to 33, if you have to get it done, turn the temp up 38.
To me the quality of venison in both taste and texture is vastly improved with proper aging.
I have never been able to find the study again to save a copy for my records, I will try to do another search and see if it is back on the internet.
Edited to correct temps from my memory lapse.
I debone all the meat with the exception of a deer roast and place it all in an 120 quart ice chest with ice.
Daily I drain the water/blood from it and add ice as necessary to always have the meat covered with ice and letting ice melt through meat to remove blood.
After seven days, I process the meat by grinding up most of it (mix 40% Boston butt pork and 60% deer meat)to make burger patties, chili and other ground meat dishes. Keep the neck roast, tender loins and backstrap.
I'll also make some sausage with some of the ground meat.
I do all my own butchering, and many time do it the same day. Depends on temperature of course, but also my schedule.
In Texas and Oklahoma, where I spend most of my hunting time, you almost have to process within a day or two. Even then the meat is kept on ice in a cooler until processing. No hanging it in this part of the country without a walk in cooler. :banghead:
Here is a link
Aging Venison- University of Wyoming, doc: B-513R (http://www.wyomingextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B513Rpdf.pdf)
Reinforces what a lot of people here are saying from their practical experience.
I had not remembered harvest temp being such a factor, but it makes sense. Living in South Dakota, we can harvest antelope at 100 degrees in August to deer at negative temps during the late seasons.
I have aged venison to the point of liver texture, but flavor was good.
I cringe everytime I hear people say they soak their deer meat.
I'm with CRS on this one , if it's cool enough I'll let a deer hang hide on for 10-14 days here in NY. Then process it myself.
here in Texas we don't hang meat - at least not like we did up north. I usually have mine processed same day (too lazy to do my own anymore).
Oops. Double. . .
Aging done properly works! There is a reason HIGH $$ beef is aged- kept dry (water dramatically increases bacteria growth), right temp, right humidity! Some of these guys using a fridge or cooler are on to some good ideas- though I would watch humidity and temp.
My 2C to your post - if you can not get meat cool or get it away from the flies, I would much rather process as soon as possible. HOWEVER meat hung in the DRY cool shade (garage or cool area in the woods) and clothed to keep flies off can typically be hung for 24 hrs OR even more. KEY is getting it DRY and clean.
Dan in KS
funny. I see some dont like soaking. I do a brine soak and get great results. same with beef.
Been doing it in an ice chest for years.
If we don't have access to a cooler, we skin and de-bone immediately, then soak in salt water to get the blood out of the meat. For us, it makes a difference in the taste.
If we have access to a cooler, we gut and age the meat for a few weeks--until it has mold growing on it.
Aged venison is definitely better. More tender, and has a different flavor--less "gamey", more like beef.
Backstrap steaks on a gas griddle only need a dab of sea salt and black pepper, and about 45 seconds on each side...best meat I've ever eaten, and that includes some high-dollar steaks in some high-dollar restaurants.
Ate at one of the more popular steak joints in Louisville, KY earlier in the year..cheapest steak on the menu was $65 'a la carte...I like our venison steaks much better. Waitress was sure cute though.
CRS thanks made a copy,makes sence to me.
"Aging of meat—also called seasoning, ripening or
conditioning—is defined as the practice of holding
carcasses or cuts at temperatures ranging from 34°
to 37°F."
Above was taken directly from the article - Note it says carcasses or CUTS. If you don't have time or a big enough frig to age the whole thing cut it up asap and age it before you eat it by planning meals ahead of time.
The meat doesn't know if it is still attached to a hide or not and it can sit in my frig for a few days before I prepare it.
Marshall- I think brine soaking is a bit different than hanging/aging the meat wet.
QuoteOriginally posted by KSdan:
Marshall- I think brine soaking is a bit different than hanging/aging the meat wet.
I see. Thanks :)
Here in the south, most of deer season is hot, so unless a deer processing facility is close by or you have your own cooler, it is a necessity to ice it quickly. I prefer to age it, but have not really noticed a great deal of difference.
I am fortunate enough to have a walk-in close or at the places I hunt here in SC so I generally hang them skin on for 1-1/2 weeks then process.
Typically, if cool enough, I will let it hang in the garage for 24 hours with the hide on. Then, skin it the next day and quarter it. I put all of the deer in a fridge for 4-7 days. Then, I take each quarter upstairs one at a time, de-bone and butcher accordingly. I really want to get a grinder this year and start doing burgers. A buddy of mine made some last year and they were the best I've eaten...ever!
I have soaked meat, and in fact that is how I "discovered" aging. It was by accident, and I happened to do everything right. The venison was fantastic.
If you are worried about bacteria, add salt, it retards bacterial growth. You need to change the water every day. I would also make it ice water if it is in coolers and not in a controlled temperature walk in cooler or refrigerator.
The only downside to butchering a critter right away is the simple fact that warm meat is a bugger to work with. But I have done it when time is not on my side.
One of the best books I have ever read is by Eileen Clark "Slice of the Wild". Has a fantastic section on caring for wild game, and the recipes are pretty good too. :) I have bought quite a few to give to friends who want to learn how to process their own animals.
She also has a great sausage making book that covers technique better than anything I have read. And those recipes are also pretty good too.
If you are so inclined...
There are many ways to do it right and everyone has their preference. I am still learning and always looking for a better way to slice bread. Great thread and always good to hear other theories, philosophies and processes.
But it still comes down to proper care, clean venison and cooled as soon as possible.
Sometimes processed on that day!
Thanks,
Debone and in fridge. Usually in 1 or 2 days it's wrapped and in freezer. I do this anytime during the season. As I'm always hunting and try to get it done so I'm not wasting hunting time butchering. Thank goodness my wife helps me wrap
Debone and ice down in a cooler, then you can take you're time about cutting and vacuum sealing the meat. If need be you can go several days, just keep the water drained, and add ice as needed. Its best to keep it dry. Frozen jugs in the cooler would be good for keeping the meat off the bottom and out of any melted ice. If kept dry it is so much easier to cut up, and water tends to grow bacteria they say. Everyone raves over my venison handled this way, when many say they dont like venison before. Never let a proccessor saw bones of deer meat, this ruins it !
QuoteOriginally posted by TradBrewSC:
I am fortunate enough to have a walk-in close or at the places I hunt here in SC so I generally hang them skin on for 1-1/2 weeks then process.
A week and a half, you're asking for trouble. But to each his own. Flush twice it's a long way to Washington, DC.
I do if I have time, if I don't because of work schedule which is usually the case, I freeze till I do! It comes out fantastic either way!
+1 on aging in ice chest...
+!on Randy- he hit the nail on the head!!!
I put my 120qt cooler on top of 2 5 gal buckets... one end has a drain...the other end gets a 2x4 to create a slope...
40# ice...meat on top...it is drained daily into the bucket... when needed more ice is added.. (Under the meat) process after 5-7 days depending on schedule...)
Meat can be ground anytime... aging has no effect of ground meat... HOWEVER, freshly ground meat always has more juice and more flavor!!! (we buy chuck on sale and freeze... fresh ground burger tastes three times better than ground and then frozen!!!)
Meat in ice water? NEVER!!! it loses all its flavor...
I vacuum seal all cuts... I bag all ground!!!
Iam a LAZY SOB...I do not enjoy the processing... I will make sausage and brats... Not because I enjoy the process...Because I enjoy the eating!!! Why do I spend my time and $$$ on hunting and throw the total results to some stranger, whose goal is to convert my $$$ into his $$$ with the least amount of time and work?
Half the processors around here will mix deer with other folks deer...won't age deer..will steal your venison...or really BUTCHER your butchering job!!!
I work too hard to entrust and waste God's providence on sloppy deer butchers....
I have one good processor who I trust but he is 50 miles out of my way... a large buck.. and he will earn my $$$ but anything less, I can do as well or better myself!!!
Alsohere in the south, in early bow season temps can be in the 90's in the evening... getting that deer on ice in under an hour PAYS DIVIDENDS IN FLAVOR!!!
If you take 4+ deer a year...
a couple plastic meat tubs.... a grinder and a vacuum sealer... the 2# or 1# bags for ground... you break even on the 5th deer... ten years later..I am $$ a head.... but most of all, I have a wife and kids who prefer venison or store bought beef or even the grass fed organic beef we buy a half a cow every year...
that is all because of the care taken from the shot to the table....
to many folks...t is not worth the time... the effort...or the money... To me, it is worth every moment and every dime...Because the dinners are marvelous!!!
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Here is a fresh ground smoked venison fatty...with a cheese and chile relleno stuffing... After lunch the next day, there are NO LEFTOVERS!!!
QuoteMeat in ice water? NEVER!!! it loses all its flavor...
I honestly don't understand this--maybe it has something to do with the water? I.E., hard water, more chlorine in it, etc.?
I've been eating venison for over 40 years (since I had teeth). My dad always butchered his own deer (and often his own pen-raised hogs) and part of the process was soaking the meat. Converted a lot of folks to venison, and we (my brother and me) have no problem drawing a crowd when we have a venison cooking. We've used it for everything from stews to burgers, grilled, fried, well done and barely seared.
We had excellent water growing up, from a well. Later on, we had to hook on to city water but we live far enough out that it was still good--no chemical taste to it. Now we are back on a well, and the water doesn't get any better.
Just trying to make the connection. Not doubting those who have had a bad experience with soaking, but for us it works and works well.
Chad
I brine fish and fowl... but that is too in fuse flavors and moisture before smoking... not cooking... that is 4-24 hours...
Maybe a poorly gunshot deer...
But a bowkilled deer is already bled in the killing process...
No need to make a textured meat product out of a hard earned deer in my opinion...
But that is just my opinion...
I don't generally make a point to age any meat. I rarely shoot one in the really cold weather months so it's either processed same day or the morning after. I haven't noticed a huge flavor difference one I started to marinate the steaks in Italian dressing at the suggestion of another forum member / work friend.
I soak my steaks in milk the night before prior to cooking. Draws all the blood out and they are great tasting. Just a tip to pass along.
That's why we soak--gets more of the blood out. We change the water often and there is an obvious difference in the color. Doesn't hurt the flavor at all.
I have had zero issues with soaking meat in ice water or in the fridge. Just change the water every day.
I agree with Slasher on paying someone to do it for me. No thanks.
I can do it better and save $$. As I get older, I have come to enjoy the processing, sausage making, smoking and preparation almost as much as hunting.
Slasher-That looks like it'd be worth the drive to GA!!!!