Meat Hanging Question

[1989toddm]

Hey all, we have two steers we are planning to butcher this week, I was hoping to kill them this afternoon, let hang until Friday morning, and Friday but her them starting early while the meat is cold from the night. The temperature tonight is supposed to be 36, high of 49 tomorrow, low of 38 Thursday night. What do you say, is there any danger letting them hang in my unheated shop from this afternoon until Friday morning? I know it's common practice to hang meat up to three weeks at cooler temperatures but the high tomorrow makes me wonder.
Seeing as it's Thanksgiving day I won't be able to use a cooler but I could kill tomorrow night instead of tonight. I would rather not have to kill tomorrow evening after everyone is full of good food and sluggish moving.
Thanks!
Todd

[Boaz]

Better to be around 35 degrees no more than 40 . Shroud them helps chill quicker .

[jcren]

40 is the standard for aging beef.

[Moonie]

between 40 and 140 is the danger zone

[375RUGER]

Vinegar is a butchers best friend. I would hang it. 2 nights and 1 day, ehh. Do you expect your shop to heat up much tomorrow?

[MT Gianni]

I am not sure that you will get it cool enough. What is the forecast like for the future. I would rather buy hay until you get cold enough temps to hang and age for a week or 3 days minimum than hope I was cold enough for tissues to set. I believe you can taste the difference in aged beef and respect it enough to wait for colder temps.

[1989toddm]

Vinegar is a butchers best friend. I would hang it. 2 nights and 1 day, ehh. Do you expect your shop to heat up much tomorrow?
Vinegar huh? How do I use it? The shop is somewhat insulated, so I wouldn't expect it to get too warm tomorrow. I would think 45 max inside the shop then back down to below 40.

I am not sure that you will get it cool enough. What is the forecast like for the future. I would rather buy hay until you get cold enough temps to hang and age for a week or 3 days minimum than hope I was cold enough for tissues to set. I believe you can taste the difference in aged beef and respect it enough to wait for colder temps.

I would like to wait, but it's one of those deals where several families are involved and to find a day that suits everyone is challenging to say the least.
In the future I think I will foot the bill for the beef and cut it up ourselves then sell what we can't use. That way I can control what and when.

[NavyVet1959]

I seem to remember watching a video on YouTube at one time where I guy was making a walk-in freezer (or maybe it was repairing an old one whose refrigeration unit was completely scrap and too expensive to repair) by taking a window unit air-conditioner, installing it into the wall of the unit, and then disabling the temperature control.

[Plate plinker]

how many hours at 49* would be a good piece of information.

Update I checked your forecast and it appears you will be above 40* for 30 hours. I agree with Mt Gianni you should wait or formulate a new plan.

[johnson1942]

if your worried, pack the inside of the critter with bagged ice and tie the cavity shut. we do that with antelope and should work also with beef.

[Jeff Michel]

Vinegar contains acetic acid, an anti-microbial, a light mist from a spray bottle on all the exterior surfaces. Use white not cider vinegar. Ideally you should hang your beef at 35-40F you can fudge that a bit. As pointed out in a previous post, your internal temperature is over 100 degrees, getting that down quick is imperative. Tough to do in a 40 degree room. I think unless there is some overarching reason, hold off the kill until the daily temperature does not exceed 35F during the day and direct a box fan on the carcasses. that will drag the temperature down pretty quick. Splitting the carcasses will help a bunch too.

[1989toddm]

I seem to remember watching a video on YouTube at one time where I guy was making a walk-in freezer (or maybe it was repairing an old one whose refrigeration unit was completely scrap and too expensive to repair) by taking a window unit air-conditioner, installing it into the wall of the unit, and then disabling the temperature control.
I've seen that, and plan to build one someday, it's a great idea!


if your worried, pack the inside of the critter with bagged ice and tie the cavity shut. we do that with antelope and should work also with beef.
Thank you, for that excellent idea! We will spray down with white vinegar, fill with ice and keep a close eye on it.


Vinegar contains acetic acid, an anti-microbial, a light mist from a spray bottle on all the exterior surfaces. Use white not cider vinegar. Ideally you should hang your beef at 35-40F you can fudge that a bit. As pointed out in a previous post, your internal temperature is over 100 degrees, getting that down quick is imperative. Tough to do in a 40 degree room. I think unless there is some overarching reason, hold off the kill until the daily temperature does not exceed 35F during the day and direct a box fan on the carcasses. that will drag the temperature down pretty quick. Splitting the carcasses will help a bunch too.
Thank you for the info on vinegar. I do have access to a somewhat endless supply of ice (commercial icemaker) so combined with the vinegar I think we will be fine. Thank you!

[1989toddm]

how many hours at 49* would be a good piece of information.

Update I checked your forecast and it appears you will be above 40* for 30 hours. I agree with Mt Gianni you should wait or formulate a new plan.

I agree we should probably wait, but to get the help to butcher, it has to be ready to cut up by Friday.

[osteodoc08]

Sounds like you got the answer you were wanting to hear from at least one person, validating yourself. I'm not trying to be a donkey's rear end, but I'd hate to see you spoil any of that fine eating. Personally, I'd wait.

If you do the ice route, better have a bunch of it on hand as that cow will
melt it rather rapidly.

[runfiverun]

once you get the temp of the carcass down it doesn't do anything more than try to warm back up to room temp.
get it down and get it cleaned and washed.
then ice it up.
the vinegar keeps the microbes away.
wash it again before cutting and get it frozen.

[Hogtamer]

No. Heck no. You will not get carcass temp down nearly enough.

[Plate plinker]

I agree we should probably wait, but to get the help to butcher, it has to be ready to cut up by Friday.
Well a new plan it is get lots of ice and bury the buggers in it. I do this with goats when I kill them. You may need to break down the carcass earlier to help get rid of unwanted material and heat. Maybe have a chunk of plastic available to make a big tub???

[Gofaaast]

You are setting yourself up for failure. Poorly chilled beef and that's what you will have with the temps you are giving, will be very pale and soft (look like pork) and have poor palatability. You need the carcass hanging in temps 34-38 degrees for 24 hours or more to get it tempered. Lactic acid aka vinegar is a great suggestion. Use bleach water diluted down to clean everything and dip your knives to sterilize while skinning. I hope you waited though. If you didn't, please post a picture of the ribeyes once you saw and rib the carcasses.

[MaryB]

When I butchered with friends and their extended family we would kill, skin and gut and halve the carcass then pay a locker for 2 weeks storage to dry age it. The beef I buy now is also dry aged for 2 weeks and that really boosts the flavor over killing, cutting, and wrapping!

[1989toddm]

Sounds like you got the answer you were wanting to hear from at least one person, validating yourself. I'm not trying to be a donkey's rear end, but I'd hate to see you spoil any of that fine eating. Personally, I'd wait.

If you do the ice route, better have a bunch of it on hand as that cow will
melt it rather rapidly.

Please read posts 7&13. I know it's not ideal, but I really didn't have a choice, with all the people involved. It's a learning experience and I appreciate all the helpful advice.

[Jeff Michel]

You might have a meeting with all involved. If this is a learning experience for all involved, I smell trouble. If you have never had to deal with a dead steer, everyone is in for a big surprise. They are big (obviously) and heavy and dirty and full of guts and covered with hide and hair and most times, poop. You have to remove the aforementioned items fast and in a sanitary manner. This requires a bit of planning even if you have done it many times. Converting a live steer into something usable takes time. Killing, skinning, gutting takes time, Chilling the carcass takes time, allowing the carcass to set properly before cutting requires time (beef aging is another matter entirely) As pointed out earlier, it would be a shame if you produced some beef that you couldn't enjoy because you hurried or missed an important step and it turned out crummy. Another contributor also suggested the use a bleach as a disinfectant. This is smart. period. E. Coli bacteria won't stand a chance against it. I would suggest a couple things before using it (important)
Household bleach as a sanitizing agent has to be mixed at 200 parts per million, any more than that it will contaminate your work surfaces. A cap full in a gallon of water is just about right. You should barely detect an odor of chlorine. You can also get test strips at any swimming pool supply company. DO NOT spray directly on any of the product, it's a sanitizer, it is used on equipment only. At 200 PPM, it does not need a potable water rinse prior to contacting product. When you dip your utensils in the sanitizer (knives, saws, gambrels) make sure that you wash any debris off first, having sanitized poop on your knife is not something you want. I don't want to be a drag but there's a reason why slaughterhouses charge, what appears on the surface, a considerable sum for sticking Bosse in the freezer. It's a lot of work and many of the techniques used are not familiar with the majority of people. It is quite doable, even enjoyable, at least some aspects. Plan is advance what you are going to do next and have everyone else ready with the proper tools laid out and you will be good to go.

[Skinny]

If you can......Give us an update 1989toddm, after all is said and done, on what/how you did what you done and how it comes out. Thanks in advance.

FWIW I think you should wait also. Doing things correctly is always preferrable to being rushed and risking a bunch of good beef coming turning out as second quality vs top notch/grade A choice. ESPECIALLY since you are learning and not that familiar with the process. Anything you do will be appreciated by those receiving, unless it is poorer quality and/or possibly contaminated.

I by no means am suggesting that you dont know what you are doing. By your own admission you said it was a learning process.

Good luck !!

[Teddy (punchie)]

You are setting yourself up for failure. Poorly chilled beef and that's what you will have with the temps you are giving, will be very pale and soft (look like pork) and have poor palatability. You need the carcass hanging in temps 34-38 degrees for 24 hours or more to get it tempered. Lactic acid aka vinegar is a great suggestion. Use bleach water diluted down to clean everything and dip your knives to sterilize while skinning. I hope you waited though. If you didn't, please post a picture of the ribeyes once you saw and rib the carcasses.

Gofaaast, This person has past experience. Only things I would add is you better grind it all. Meat will have different taste, texture and tons of liquid.

I will add to use a salt and baking soda mix if you open up the gut by accident. Make a paste and coat any area that may have been exposed.

If it were me I'd try use wind chill but that only works to lower temp to a point, on living things. That one is common sense your colder on a windy day. Use fans to move the air.

Do you have an ice arena around. For cheap ice.

Cover with ice inside an out.

You should let this meat hang to chilled. If still warm it will sour. Temp inside will stay up and sour from inside out, after frozen.

As much as I know about cutting, I would never take a chance like this. Better to have paid to have it butchered. Cutting meat is an art, not just as easy as killing and packaging the meat. Any one the just kills and freezes is the reason us meat cutters call it butchering.

We had a cow go down and needed to cut her up the meat was as gofaaast explained.

Idea you would let them hang for 3 weeks or more. The least you should let it hang is 7-10 days.

Wish you the best and hope and pray you get cooler temps.

Teddy

[Elkins45]

If it were me I'd try use wind chill but that only works to lower temp to a point, on living things. That one is common sense your colder on a windy day. Use fans to move the air.

It works to a degree on anything that is surrounded by air and has a higher temperature than the air around it. The moving air carries away the residual internal heat.

I've let deer hang in my uninsulated barn when temps have gone up into the 50's and 60's overnight and then butchered them the next day. If anything I have found it improves their flavor by accelerating the aging process. I doubt that practice translates well to beef, because the distance from the surface to the bone on a beef haunch is a lot farther than on a deer. The residual heat has a lot farther to migrate before it can escape and the meat nearer the bone might go bad faster than the surface.

A window air unit has a lot of potential. I have one that's just sitting around, so I may build myself a hanging box one day.

[jonp]

We always cooled down deer and moose with bags of ice inside if the temp was much above 40 or so. I don't remember every having one turn. If you have ever been in a third world country you would have seen meat hanging for a couple of days in much warmer temps. I wouldn't recommend it myself but it seems to me that unless you have need to butcher it right away I'd wait until the weather turned before doing it if planning to hang it.

[Parson]

To each his own but after living in Central Africa with no such thing as a cooler, I don't worry about spoiled meat, there are ways to get around almost all obsticals. My grandfather had an ice house, no idea what the temp was in there but he aged beef exactly 27 days, scraped about an inch of mold off and the cut them up, had the best, most tender beef in the neighborhood

[MaryB]

One thing you can do is a trick home brewers use. I would immediately split the carcass into the major quarters to accelerate cooling then wrap each piece in a towel. Set the piece in a tub on a stand then fill water to the bottom of the stand so the towel wicks water up into it. Add a couple house box fans to move air and you can drop the temperature 15-20 degrees or more.

[1989toddm]

Well butcher day is over, and I feel a lot better about it all! I ended up taking the rear quarters off to cool down in the freezer for a few hours. Then I stuffed the gut cavities with ice and laid ice on and around the carcasses. Covered all with plastic, then layers of blankets for insulation. That did the trick. Meat was cold, and firm when we unwrapped it to split into halves. I'm sorry I only got one picture, at the end of the day. I thought the meat looked good, didn't smell sour.
I don't recommend anyone doing it the way we did, but under the time constraints, and outside temps we had, I feel we did the best thing we could.

[1989toddm]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161127/bc2567641932801f9c044fb87f7254b8.jpg

[Lloyd Smale]

I shoot probably and butcher between 25 and 75 deer a year. I experimented more then most here with this aging ****. Ive even done taste tests at camp with deer that was shot and hung for a week, deer that was shot and butchered the next day and meat cut warm right off a deer and cooked. I gave each 3 tags and told them to tell me which was which. Out of a dozen guys not one got it right and not only 2 out of 12 picked the venison that hung for a week as the best tasting. For the most part everyone agreed that it was a pot shot and they all tasted the same. Aging is beneficial with beef that has fat marbled in it to break down the fat and make it more tender. Whats important with venison is having a clean sanitary carcass, insuring theres no hair on the meat and proper butchering (cutting cross grain) Don't much care what your grandpa or daddy did. Mine hung theres too but my dad doesn't anymore because ive shown him that it does nothing. Where a lot of this comes from is butchers. they don't want to admit when they have a backlog of deer sometimes up to a 100 and your deer is going to hang for a week or two that the only reason your deer is getting aged is they don't have time to get it done. Now I'm going to get guys here saying they can tell the difference and hanging is better. I say you can convince yourself anything is good. Do a FAIR non prejudicial test with a dozen guys like I did and your going to find that it honestly doesn't make deer taste worse or better. It does nothing. Like I said this isn't my first rodeo. Ive butchered and packaged 31 deer already this year. More then most guys do in there lifetime.

[kbstenberg]

Thank you Loyd. My inlaws just can't get it through there head that ageing does little.
What do they know. 90% of all there meat goes into lunchmeat and braughts.

[MaryB]

I won't hang a deer, best meat is fresh cut an hour after it was shot!

[shoot-n-lead]

I won't hang a deer, best meat is fresh cut an hour after it was shot!

This is subjective...lots of folks like meat to be hung or cooled before processing.

I prefer to put mine on ice for several days to get the blood out...despite what Lloyd says...I can tell the difference in deer meat that is iced and deer meat that isn't.

[Omega]

I haven't done any "research" per se, but I have had many comment that my venison isn't as "gamey" as theirs. The only difference is that I hang mine for a minimum of four days at around 36deg. Of course, where the cut of meat comes from, age of the deer, whether it was running before or after the shot (lactic acid) plays a part, but there is enough scientific evidence that meat fiber breaks down by aging. Now whether that makes any difference to the taste or texture is subjective, as for me I'll keep doing it.

[M-Tecs]

I shoot probably and butcher between 25 and 75 deer a year. I experimented more then most here with this aging ****. Ive even done taste tests at camp with deer that was shot and hung for a week, deer that was shot and butchered the next day and meat cut warm right off a deer and cooked. I gave each 3 tags and told them to tell me which was which. Out of a dozen guys not one got it right and not only 2 out of 12 picked the venison that hung for a week as the best tasting. For the most part everyone agreed that it was a pot shot and they all tasted the same. Aging is beneficial with beef that has fat marbled in it to break down the fat and make it more tender. Whats important with venison is having a clean sanitary carcass, insuring theres no hair on the meat and proper butchering (cutting cross grain) Don't much care what your grandpa or daddy did. Mine hung theres too but my dad doesn't anymore because ive shown him that it does nothing. Where a lot of this comes from is butchers. they don't want to admit when they have a backlog of deer sometimes up to a 100 and your deer is going to hang for a week or two that the only reason your deer is getting aged is they don't have time to get it done. Now I'm going to get guys here saying they can tell the difference and hanging is better. I say you can convince yourself anything is good. Do a FAIR non prejudicial test with a dozen guys like I did and your going to find that it honestly doesn't make deer taste worse or better. It does nothing. Like I said this isn't my first rodeo. Ive butchered and packaged 31 deer already this year. More then most guys do in there lifetime.

I only average about 5 a year but I have tested the aging verse no aging several times. I agree with you 100% except the I can pick out improperly aged venison 100% of the time.

[Lloyd Smale]

ill give that an amen. Don't need bacteria on my venison.
I won't hang a deer, best meat is fresh cut an hour after it was shot!

[Lloyd Smale]

what makes venison gamey is there diet and how clean you keep your meat. Theres no gamey flavor that breaks down by letting venison age. If anything your rotting it and the bacteria is going to add flavor.
I haven't done any "research" per se, but I have had many comment that my venison isn't as "gamey" as theirs. The only difference is that I hang mine for a minimum of four days at around 36deg. Of course, where the cut of meat comes from, age of the deer, whether it was running before or after the shot (lactic acid) plays a part, but there is enough scientific evidence that meat fiber breaks down by aging. Now whether that makes any difference to the taste or texture is subjective, as for me I'll keep doing it.

[Lloyd Smale]

yes sir. Guys just cant get it into there heads that venison isn't beef. Letting venison rot is about like garbage can diving to me. Funny thing is 90 percent of those that believe in it don't have a clue as to how to do it right. they think all they have to do is gut it and hang it and let is swing for a week. Nothing like the very controlled ageing a butcher does with a whole beef. How many of us have access even to a walk in cooler that can hold a STEADY temperature low enough to do it right. I chuckle when I look around here after deer season and see bucks swinging off trees all over the place. Take a mental note not to eat at there house. I hope you guys that believe in aging at least have the common sense to cook your venison to well done to kill what you started.
I only average about 5 a year but I have tested the aging verse no aging several times. I agree with you 100% except the I can pick out improperly aged venison 100% of the time.

[Hogtamer]

Great insight Lloyd and I agree completely. People who don't like venison prooly tasted meat that was no handled properly. One can enhance the flavor using a brine and the osmosis properties of salt however. My standard red game meat solution is about 1/2 cup salt per gallon of liquid that includes red wine, cola, worcestershire, garlic and onion powder, a bit of cumin and black pepper. Wine and cola are the bulk with just a bit of other ingredients. The salt, just like in your body, takes liquid from the cells of the meat and allows your seasonings to travel into the meat. Rubbing the outside of meat does nothing to season the inner portions. Notice I said enhance, not cover up the natural flavors. The addition of fat is a must for lean game neat while it cooks, butter or bacon fat work well, and never cook beyond medium rare and let it rest a while before serving. Plus the salt is a strong antibacterial in itself. Venison, doves, ducks all get the same treatment. Allowing the brined meat to dry and developing a protein pellicle before adding smoke is a part of developing a rich flavor as well. For white game meat, hogs, quail, pheasant, whatever, I use the same salt and apple cider, white wine or ginger ale, thyme, pepper, generally lighter seasonings. These are techniques I have learned over 40 years of killing, processing and preparing the bounty of the earth. Lots of trial and error in that. But it all begins with good cleaning and butchering at the outset.

[blackthorn]

Hogtamer---Have you written down what works for you? I hope so, because those that come after us may find what we write useful. I know that I wish my parents had written what they did to survive the depression and living what we now call "off the grid". For them it was a way of life, one that I was too young to recall in any detail.

[Omega]

what makes venison gamey is there diet and how clean you keep your meat. Theres no gamey flavor that breaks down by letting venison age. If anything your rotting it and the bacteria is going to add flavor.See, that is where we differ; while I agree about the first part, and I keep mine very clean and hunt where their diet consists of corn, soy beans and yes probably acorns and other wild foods. But aging is definitely not letting it rot, and while it may be done wrong by some, it is an easy process. Here is a good article, out of many by respectable outdoor writers.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/other/recipes/2006/01/deer-hang-time

[Teddy (punchie)]

I haven't done any "research" per se, but I have had many comment that my venison isn't as "gamey" as theirs. The only difference is that I hang mine for a minimum of four days at around 36deg. Of course, where the cut of meat comes from, age of the deer, whether it was running before or after the shot (lactic acid) plays a part, but there is enough scientific evidence that meat fiber breaks down by aging. Now whether that makes any difference to the taste or texture is subjective, as for me I'll keep doing it.


I have seen a deer meat that was so sticky that it was like it had glue in it.

[shdwlkr]

When I was a kid growing up working on a neighbor's farm we killed a few cows for meat sometimes it was being kind to the animal. My dad was an Ag Engineer which meant he understand all aspects of farming and was a Ag Teacher for years and his students raised some really nice beef, milk producers, etc.
We never let meat hang, one day I brought home a hind quarter of beef and we cut it up and wrapped on the dinning room table and into the freezer. When dealing with deer again it was cut it up and wrap no letting it hang and yes I had friends that did let it hang.
The real challenge with dealing with large animals is the cooling down of the meat and doing it quickly. keeping things clean helps.

[Omega]

I have seen a deer meat that was so sticky that it was like it had glue in it.While stationed at Fort bragg, I used the "kill shack" at McKellar's Lodge to field dress my deer, many would use the hose to rinse off the cavity and I would see this. I don't rinse unless for some reason I bust a gut or the stomach. The deer dries leaving a hard thin layer which hair can just be brushed off of. If you do rinse, that same layer absorbs the water and bubbles up making it harder to remove.

[Teddy (punchie)]

Glad to hear you got it cut up.

Aging of meat is up to you and yours.

Seasoning is what most people are doing.

Aging takes time not just a few days, that is called resting the meat. Letting it drain and relax, cool down.

Diet you are what you eat.

Shoot a old deer gong to be an old deer.

Shoot in guts , in rut , after a heavy run (like a mile) , doe to fawn, doe to buck. All do effect the taste.

Deer in general taste okay for they make new meat. Age does effect it some. But take your average 120 pound dressed Thanksgiving PA buck he has lost at least 50 lbs. during the rut. About 20-25 percent of his weight. Over the next few months he may lose more and by next year gain it all back if things are right add an other 20-50 lbs.

True meat cutting is an art, from the way it is cut, to using sharp saws blades, many other ways to season the meat. Just like some people are better cooks.

Me I let them hang if I can. Was shown and taught what to do. One thing I have learned is listen to everyone, watch what they do and how. Doesn't take long to spot the people that have no clue. From the way they cut to what they place in the ground meat, or even skinning. Old Earl , My Grandads work mate ( My Grandad past when I was 1 year old), told me he would show me, all he could and he was a meat cutter. Once he was looking a beef roast and shaking his head, someone he taught. I asked Earl whats wrong all he said was I tried to teach them. Took many more years to put the puzzle together, after working around other butchers. One and most important thing sharp tools. Never had the chance for Earl to show me everything, for he was in his late 70's. I was a young person without the temperament that comes with age, well some never learn temperament. Any way he taught me allot more then I knew at that time. Darn only thing that sticks in my head, that I didn't learn was the roast knot. His old fingers never move slow enough for me to learn and if he slowed down it wouldn't tie right.

Again Glad it all cut up.

[1989toddm]

Teddy, I'm glad too. Still have a lot to learn, but learn more with each animal. That temperament part is a valuable thing regardless of what you are tackling.
Omega, that trick about not washing the animal out is valuable. I was taught to hose it down to get any hair and dirt off but I've seen the bubbles, sometimes lots of them that result and have wondered. Is it easy to brush hair off beef like deer if not washed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lloyd Smale]

I haven't brined venison other them for making hams or for smoking. Don't ask me why I haven't tried it. I guess I just don't see a need to. IF its field dressed, handled and cleaned well and not left to rot there is no wild taste. I do brine turkeys and wouldn't do one any way without brining first again. I also learned that when eating wild hogs brining does wonders to the taste. It wont make a skanky old bore taste good as nothing will but it does help with the small ones and sows.
Great insight Lloyd and I agree completely. People who don't like venison prooly tasted meat that was no handled properly. One can enhance the flavor using a brine and the osmosis properties of salt however. My standard red game meat solution is about 1/2 cup salt per gallon of liquid that includes red wine, cola, worcestershire, garlic and onion powder, a bit of cumin and black pepper. Wine and cola are the bulk with just a bit of other ingredients. The salt, just like in your body, takes liquid from the cells of the meat and allows your seasonings to travel into the meat. Rubbing the outside of meat does nothing to season the inner portions. Notice I said enhance, not cover up the natural flavors. The addition of fat is a must for lean game neat while it cooks, butter or bacon fat work well, and never cook beyond medium rare and let it rest a while before serving. Plus the salt is a strong antibacterial in itself. Venison, doves, ducks all get the same treatment. Allowing the brined meat to dry and developing a protein pellicle before adding smoke is a part of developing a rich flavor as well. For white game meat, hogs, quail, pheasant, whatever, I use the same salt and apple cider, white wine or ginger ale, thyme, pepper, generally lighter seasonings. These are techniques I have learned over 40 years of killing, processing and preparing the bounty of the earth. Lots of trial and error in that. But it all begins with good cleaning and butchering at the outset.

[Elkins45]

I let mine hang overnight if I have to go to work or something like that, but otherwise they get quartered and put in the deer fridge. If I get one on Sunday I will generally have all of it in the freezer before the next weekend. I work on pieces as I can after work during the week.

I have never been able to tell the difference.

[MaryB]

Soon as we got a deer back to the house we would hang it and wash it down with a garden hose to get rid of all dirt and any intestinal spillage(if it happened, I was careful and only did it once. Butt shot Bob usually ruptured them with the shot...). Then I would skin it, break it down into quarters that went into our mini walk in cooler on wire shelves that was built on a trailer(use a room A/C unit with the thermostat bypassed and an external temp controller. It was just big enough to step into and had shelves 3 sides and could hold 6 deer. Same trick I use for my beer fermentation fridge). We would let it cool down then cut it up that night.

Deer here are fat and corn fed, it was common to trim an inch of tallow off a doe... plus being out on the prairie they are a bigger subspecies of whitetail than found in the MN forests and there is the occasional muley and muley/whitetail cross


I have seen a deer meat that was so sticky that it was like it had glue in it.

[Hogtamer]

Lloyd, that's a fairly week brine solution I mentioned and all I'm doing is getting the flavors I want to taste at the table, not cover up any mishandling. Try a piece of strap like that, over hot coals (you know it cooks quick) and brush melted butter with a little garlic and black pepper while it cooks just a few minutes on each side, giving it a little char. Be interested to see what you think. While the meat is resting (this serves to keep juice in meat when you slice it) saute some onions and your favorite mushrooms in a hot pan with a little of the basting butter and spoon over the meat on a platter to serve.

[MT Gianni]

I am a believer in hanging as I believe the enzymes help to reduce toughness. The larger the animal the more it needs to rest and relax.

[NavyVet1959]

I am a believer in hanging as I believe the enzymes help to reduce toughness. The larger the animal the more it needs to rest and relax.

Personally, I suspect it's the rope that reduces toughness...

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/RZZUl0M1sDI/AAAAAAAAANs/70KGkywRCU0/s320/saddam+hanging.jpg

[M-Tecs]

Personally, I suspect it's the rope that reduces toughness...

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/RZZUl0M1sDI/AAAAAAAAANs/70KGkywRCU0/s320/saddam+hanging.jpg

I would have to agree with you on that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jonp]

what makes venison gamey is there diet and how clean you keep your meat. Theres no gamey flavor that breaks down by letting venison age. If anything your rotting it and the bacteria is going to add flavor.

I don't know about the taste but I always thought that ageing a cut of meat was to tenderize it

[NavyVet1959]

I don't know about the taste but I always thought that ageing a cut of meat was to tenderize it

Controlled decomposition...

[M-Tecs]

I don't know about the taste but I always thought that ageing a cut of meat was to tenderize it

Some good basics on dry aging here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-dry-aging-beef-at-home.html

note the highlighted statement.

http://www.askthemeatman.com/dry_aging_beef_info.htm

6.* Dry Aging.
For select customers, those top purveyors also expertly dry-age beef. Only a few legendary steakhouses and even fewer butchers across the country do their own dry-aging because it's expensive and takes meticulous attention and expertise. Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is the only restaurant here to dry age their own beef. Judd Fruia, General Manager, said they have three trained chefs who monitor up to $100,000 worth of steaks in their UV hanging room around the clock.
For Dallas home cooks, Rudolph's Market has been dry-aging beef for over a hundred years, said Brandon Andreason, butcher. "It's the only way to do it and the beef is hands-down superior to that aged any other way. If dried properly, even choice can be as good or even better than prime."
The time-honored process of dry-aging begins with top quality meat. Only a fraction of beef dry ages well: well-marbled prime grade and meat from those exceptional cattle breeds. Extremely lean beef won't age without spoiling as it needs that protective fat coating. The meat is hung in large sterile refrigerators with carefully controlled air flow, humidity, and temperature for two to six weeks. During this ripening period, several key things happen. Enzymes break down the muscle fibers, improving tenderness, until by the third week the meat is positively buttery. A 20 percent moisture loss concentrates the beefy flavors, leaving an intense, almost gamey, taste. The meat's ability to hold onto moisture with cooking is improved, too, making for juicier cooked steaks. Dry-aged beef also develops a crust which has to be trimmed away, resulting in an additional loss of up to 25-percent of the meat's original weight, adding to its cost.
Even though it's an expensive proposition, dry-aged beef has long been considered the best among seasoned steak connoisseurs. They describe its flavor as rich and nutty, decadently tender, and "beefier" than nonaged. Its intensity requires a robust erudite palate.
Still, no one denies that dry-aging is basically controlled rotting, and the meat is an acquired taste. "It has a green taste that's hard for many diners to appreciate, to the point of being offensive," said Chamberlain.
"If you don't enjoy a richer well-marbled ribeye or strip steak, then dry-aged beef wouldn't be something you would appreciate," said Bob Stephenson, Executive Chef at Cool River Cafe. He feels quality beef is of greater appeal to most Dallas diners. "Certified Angus beef or prime are the biggest draws," he said.
Most steakhouses in Dallas sell wet-aged beef. It has been aged, packaged in vacuum-sealed plastic bags while being shipped from the stockyards to the consumer. Although the enzymes still help tenderize the meat, the flavor remains neutral. The meat, because it has been sitting in its own juices, has been described as wet and bloody-tasting.
Whether you believe those who say that dry-aged beef is a romantic fantasy, or those who say wet-aged beef is a ruse, everyone agrees some type of aging makes for a better steak.

If you want more detail.

http://www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/Dry%20Aging%20of%20Beef.pdf

[w5pv]

On deer and other wild game ,I get them skinned and quartered as fast as possible and then let them soak in a salt/vinegar ice water solution until the meat is cooled through and trough and then take the muscles out of the sinew that covers them and then cut the meat into about 1/2 inch steaks being careful to take out the musk glans that is embedded among them very tasty meat that way. The ends and other scrape are ground into hamburger or sausage for later processing usually 50/50 with pork + the seasons that are used.