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

[gunner62]

Good read George, the lesson is there to be learned. I was a professional meat cutter/ Meat department Manager for 21 years, Processing venison that produces quality eating meat is all about the proper care of that meat. Rule number one cool the animal as fast as possible, the best way to do this is to skin the animal ASAP and begin the cooling process, in cold weather not so urgent but it will not hurt, it is much easier to skin a warm deer than a cold one, if you access to cold clean water washing out the chest cavity will greatly help impede bacteria growth. proper aging will only occur in a controlled atmosphere between 34-40 degrees any warmer that bacteria will grow unchecked. The biggest problem with the home butcher is they have no idea what they are doing, the only wild game I will eat is my own. It's kinda like the guy starting out in taxidermy always getting hair slippage, salt the hide throw it in a pickle don't worry about the ph it'll be ok. the only differents is they eat that poorly cared for meat.

[dsbragg]

That is what we do with our boned out meat. It ages 4-5 days in a walk in at 38* on angled racks for blood to drain off. All the processing is done in the cooler as well. All stainless tables and cleaned after every use. My dad has the whole setup in the cooler like a meat shop, been doing it for years and haven't got sick of or from it yet. We only do ours and maybe a couple for family members and friends.

[tem]

when i was a kid i saw my dad and his friends always cut the deers throat. hang it in the tree to add flavor. i also done this growing up. I'm older and wiser now. i guess they didn't know much about it back in the sixty's. but it never killed me. lol. oh well. i shoot it, gut it hang it. till the next day. then its off to the butchers. may not be the perfect way. but its mine. I'm like mr t. tried of doing my own.

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

Hanging in a controlled rot tenderizes the rigor mortis, ever get chewy tough meat? It still was in the rigor mortis stage when butchered. Hanging is a must just for that fact alone, so I have read.

[DCon]

George what you posted does not have a thing to do with proper care of meat..be it cow or deer. Both can be properly aged to get a better product. Heck ask your butcher the date that the Filet mignon he has in the sell box was killed and you'll be shocked to know it wasn't yesterday. No one disputes that you can't ruin venison or any other meat by hanging in the sun or huge temp. swings. If you can't control the temp. some what, then you are better off getting it cut up quickly. Done properly, you can hang deer for 6-7 days and end up with good tender meat. I once killed a moose in Alaska on day 2 of the 18 day drop hunt. What meat we didn't eat in camp didn't get in the freezer until 22 days after the kill. It was the best wild game of any I've ever had, including caribou, elk, deer, antelope. By the way, the cape turned out great as well, and we only had 5 lbs of salt for it as we we're limited to a max of 50 lbs on the fly in.

[George Roof]

" No one disputes that you can't ruin venison or any other meat by hanging in the sun or huge temp. swings. "

DCon, you're wrong. MANY of us do, but nowhere near enough to put a blanket statement like  that on a forum like this.  I've just seen far too many Nimrods doing JUST that and have them tell me they're "aging" their meat.  What they're doing is ROTTING their meat.  I understand the concept quite well and the little story is EXACTLY how far too many "hunters" treat venison.

[DCon]

I guess the difference of opinion would be what is ruined and what isn't. Some people will eat anything and want more, some won't. Still there is nothing wrong with letting the enzymes do their work. Around here, we field dress in the field asap. But I've had hunters from Ga. that don't. What ever turns your crank.

[joeym]

Leaving the hide on during aging???  Several years ago we had three steers slaughtered and butchered at a slaughterhouse.  My wife's uncle (who was a knowitall) was going to get one of them, and he told the butcher to age his with the hide on.  The butcher told him that was a mistake, and ole uncle snapped bck that it was his Gall Darn steer and he wanted it aged with the hide on.   Our meat was great...his tasted like $h!t.  I suspect slow cooling and rapid bacteria growth played a role...plus maybe a little "butchers revenge", LOL!

[tazzymoto]

I have a few customers that Insist on aging their deer for at least 10 day's. I had one guy that would'nt bring his deer until it was moldy inside. My moto is you can eat your's how ever you like it , My personal venison is skinned hung for 1 -2 day's in the cooler and processed boneless, I've never had bad tasting venison since i started cutting my own.

[DCon]

Never ate $h!t.....yet anyway so I can't say what it tastes like. Different kinds of $h!t too, so that could make a big difference to some people?  Anyway, have ate a lot of deer that was hung with the hide on and if you know how to tenderize it and cook it....then it's good and as good as any other.

[joeym]

Never ate $h!t.....yet anyway so I can't say what it tastes like.

You've obviously never milked cows...I've had cow splatter in my mouth more times than I care to remember, LOL!

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

You've obviously never milked cows...I've had cow splatter in my mouth more times than I care to remember, LOL!

Up North here,,we milk cows with our mouths closed.

[Kraig]

Each too their own as the saying goes.
As for aging wild meat I don't buy it. I understand the aging process and why it is done with beef. Beef have marbled fat, (not tallow) through out the meat. The fat is what breaks down and tenderizes the meat. Wild game is lean meat, meaning that there is very little fat inside the meat (marbled) and it is not really fat but tallow. As with removing all bones from wild game you should also remove all fat for the best tasting meat.
Now for aging with the hide on. Beef is/should not be aged with the hide on because it can not cool down fast enough. Even if the temp is -20, the exposed surfaces will freeze creating an insulation barrier which will in effect slow down the cooling of the core. A smaller animal such as Deer will cool a lot faster so in some instances leaving the hide on may work, but it will no doubt cool faster with the hide removed.
My belief in the best tasting wild game = what the animal has been eating and then proper care and handling of said animal. Feed a steer grass or better yet let it free range in a sagebrush environment and it will taste a lot like the wild Deer from that same region.

[George Roof]

Thank you Kraig.  My point as well.  Venison handled properly doesn't NEED marinating or soaking or tenderizing if prepared properly. It's great food, but it's NOT beef and needs to be treated as such.

T, I learned to do that AFTER the first time.  I guess down south it was one of those lessons more meaningful if learned from experience.

[Prodigal_Son]

Here is what Chef Depot sayes...My family has always done it, I do it....however, I have noticed that the meat I prepare is betterthan the meat my father in law prepares...I think the difference is in the handling...we both age the meat, however I take considerable more care than he does...I think it is my OCD.

JW



Aging Wild Game

 

The importance of Aging Meat has often been disputed, here are the facts,

Courtesy of www.chefdepot.net

Aging Meat -

Shortly after the slaughter of an animal the muscles stiffen and the animal goes through a chemical process called Rigor Mortis. This process gradually disappears and the natural tenderizing begins. There are natural Enzymes in the flesh of all animals.

These Enzymes break down the muscle tissue over time depending on the size of the animal.
A side of beef takes 3 to 4 days at 40 degrees F. for this process to begin.

Quality beef is usually aged for 2-4 weeks before it reaches the consumer.

Aging meat does not mean simply hanging it. It is important to control the following conditions, sanitation, temperature, humidity and air circulation.

Aging meat increases tenderness and flavor. Any off taste or bad smell is not

a characteristic of properly aged and butchered meat.

The following are recommended guidelines for aging your game.

 

Deer - Quickly after killing a deer, carefully open the animal and remove all entrails inside the chest cavity (any sharp high quality knife will work if you are careful, we prefer a German boning knife). Take your time to avoid puncturing vital organs. Carefully split the hide open back to the rear, use a Bone Saw to cut open the tailbone (the bone that joins the two read legs together) and remove all entrails.
The bone saw also works well to split open the upper chest cavity.

As soon as possible flush the deer cavity with several gallons of cold water. It is important to cool the animal as fast as possible. This can be done several ways. If it is cold outside, simply use a clean piece of wood to prop open the chest cavity. If it is warm outside place several bags of ice inside the chest cavity. We also recommend keeping the chest cavity as dry as possible, use several towels to wipe it often. Remove any visible hair, sticks and leaves. Now you have a properly cleaned deer that is ready for hanging. We recommend hanging the deer from the rear legs as high as necessary to avoid touching the ground. It is the easiest position for skinning a deer properly. We remove the hide with a Skinning Knife and cut off the head and front legs with a bone saw. (Many hunters need to begin the aging of their deer outdoors with the hide on,

this is acceptable but be careful of insects, animals, dirt, sticks, leaves, temperature and handling).

It is time to begin the aging of your venison carcass. At 40 degrees F. we find that the meat tastes the best after 5-7 days of aging. This aging time will vary on the size of the deer, temperature and individual preferences. We hang our deer in a walk in cooler with a concrete floor. After several days the enzymes break down the venison muscle tissues and you end up with tender meat. After proper aging the venison is ready for butchering.