people using saws to cut the hams off of deer!!!!!

[Old Fart]

That's the way we did our bison a few years ago.It took  6 of us a little over 3 1/2 hours to completely skin and strip the carcases of the meat. BUT getting the tenderloin was not quit that simple. That was four 900-1100 pound bison. Coyotes ate good that week. But that was a matter of not having a way to conveniently move the critters, but it worked well. They do it that way in Africa too.  I guess I was just brought up to "get the guts out" now and then cool the meat.

[AndyO]

I was taught long ago to hang all meat in cooler for a couple days prior to butchering. From what I remember you don't want to cut the meat until it's past rigor mortise stage. You want the lactic acids, which are produced after slaughter, to break down, tenderize, and flavor the meat before butchering.

[Creepy-Crusty]

All just PEACHY ideas! I think I'll build a tripod that I can pack several miles into the Alaskan tundra to assemble and hang my caribou/moose from for several days..... NOT! They get skinned, quartered & partially boned right where they drop..... 

[George Roof]

Tom, did you read my post.  Ain't happening in Alaska.

Andy, the MEAT should hang but the guts and the skin should never be a part of that equation.

[Creepy-Crusty]

Tom, did you read my post.  Ain't happening in Alaska.

Andy, the MEAT should hang but the guts and the skin should never be a part of that equation.

I did George. I forgot to put the *sarcasm* foot note.... 

[dsbragg]

How you clean your animal is directly related to where you are, what animal and what you have to work with, that is a given. When you do make it to the hanger whole, I get all the meat without having to gut then ride the rest out to the clear cut. Very simple and quick.  Then aged before processing.

[AndyO]

Andy, the MEAT should hang but the guts and the skin should never be a part of that equation.

I thought that was a given until I read what Dan does

[alan webfoot]

Iv'e cut meat since 1975 and a saw [electric] is the worst thing you can do to a deer or any wild game spreading bone dust all over everything 1 good boning knife and 20 minutes your done with any whitetail except for grinding  boneless is the way to saving freezer space and not sacrificing flavor

[buckfeverallyear]

 The reason a deer is left to hang is to AGE THE MEAT. No different than beef and yes all beef is aged. If is cold enough out side let'er hang. Or at least let it hang in a cold meat cooler.The meat will be more tender. Especially on an older mature buck, the longer it can age the better. This may just be in my head but also believe the taste is better. So the guy you think is crazy for letting it hang. Don't be so quick to criticize he might know something you don't ! As for as cutting the throat that's most likely  what they were taught to do. If there not mounting the thing what difference does it make.


 Every once in a while you'll run into that guy that claims the deer needs to bleed out more and they want to let it hang for 3-5 days, well sometimes that's the same guy that thinks it is necessary to slit the throat too. 

[George Roof]

BULL!!!

When is the last time you went into a slaughterhouse and saw a cow hanging in a cooler with the hair and skin still on? This is the same ignorance I see in hunters who think they need to salt the hide before they take it to the taxidermist.  That skin and hair form an insulation barrier that provides a wonderful environment for bacteria to grow. Stop playing with your ass, skin the deer immediately after recovery and THEN HANG IT if you must.  Better yet, take it to a competent butcher shop and let them do it without destroying half the meat.

[DCon]

cows hang with the skin off because they are in a cooler(controlled temp.). Most hunters don't have one, so it's best to hang them with the hide on if you want to age them a few days, depending on the weather.

[George Roof]

My exact point.  Hunters should stop playing with issues they know nothing about. Leaving the skin on almost ALWAYS effects the way the meat tastes.  In Alberta and Saskatchewan with temps -20 and below, the guides ALWAYS skinned the deer before the hide froze.  I've seen dumbasses hang deer for 3 or 4 days with temps reaching the 50's and 60's here, in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Why would you ruin good venison because of ignorance and stupidity.

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

I found an honest butcher shop,, called "Your deer-Your meat". $60 and they do it all. Their bone pile would starve a buzzard. They clean everything off the bone. I waste so much meat because I get impatient real fast cutting up a deer. I use to can the meat myself, and I did so many deer that I am sick of it, so I just pay to have it done.

[antlerman]

Maybe this is why I seldom eat other peoples home butchered anything.  First off hanging meat in a controlled environment isn't on the hook out in the back yard for christ sakes. All ageing is , is a controlled rot. Key word, controlled. Age it too long and not in a controlled environment your gonna have tender meat I assure you.  The coyotes will love it, but they will probably get sick as would you.  Meat has parasites. Yes even in that beautiful beef steak they exist. There isn't anything more tasty than a medium rare steak, but beware.  Meat that doesn't reach a high enough temp will have living parasites dwelling within, unless previously frozen.  Never heard of anyone using a saw to butcher a deer. Not necessary at all.  And maybe it is a demographic thing, because we live in farm country, but most of our deer here you can back your truck up to to load as we hunt field edges and funnels. The process Dan speaks of is so fast and simple that I wouldn't consider gutting a deer unless I couldn't get to it with my truck or if it had to wait until the next day to butcher. But even so, you leave a gut pile in my woods you won't hunt there ever again. We have a coyote problem as it is. No need to send them an invitation.  Coyotes are bad for the deer, the turkeys and just about everything else. Don't want them around.  For you guys wanting to age your meat, that's fine. Butcher it and let it age in the refrigerator for a couple of days before you package, grind and ect. That is a controlled environment much the same as a meat locker would use. Hanging in the tree in the back yard with the hide on it is a receipt for illness. Cool that meat as soon as possible. ie butcher it.  The meat contains blood and blood will spoil faster than anything. Otherwise, Please be kind and keep your meat for yourself. I don't want any, Thank You.

[George Roof]

SUBJECT: Results: Venison - Beef Blind Taste Test

Controversy has long raged about the relative quality of venison and beef as gourmet food. Some people say that venison is tough, with a strong wild taste. Others insist that venison is tender and its flavor
is delicate.

The U of W Foods Research Department recently conducted a taste test to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions. First, a high-choice Holstein steer was led into a swamp a mile and a half from the nearest road, then shot several times. After only some of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged over rocks and logs, through mud and dust, thrown into a pickup truck box and transported through rain and snow 100 miles before being hung out in the sun for 9 days. After that it was lugged into a garage, where it was skinned and rolled around on the floor for a while.

Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout this test, within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs and cats were allowed to sniff at the carcass, but were chased out of the garage if they attempted to lick or take a bite out of the carcass.

 Next, the steer was dragged into the house and down the basement steps. Half a dozen inexperienced, but enthusiastic men worked on the carcass with meat saws, cleavers, and dull knives while ingesting massive amounts of warm beer. The result of which was 350 pounds of soup bones, four  bushel baskets of meat scraps, and a couple of steaks that were an  eighth of an inch thick on one edge and 2 inches thick on the other.

The steaks were fried in a skillet of rancid bacon grease, along with three pounds of onions. After two hours of frying, the contents of the skillet were served to a panel of three blindfolded volunteers. Every one of the members of the panel thought it was venison. One of the members said it tasted exactly like the venison he had eaten at hunting camp for the last 25 years.

 The results of this trial indicate conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of high-quality beef and the taste of venison.