I know that there are people who do that sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. I've seen people here leave a deer hanging in temps that would get up around 60 in the day, and leave them for several days before butchering. I'm very picky about stuff like that, and am just not going to do it.
I had some neighbors that did that! They were very particular about skinning them, then hanging for no less than a week. They always had the best venison and most people couldn't tell that it wasn't beef. (Side note: They said they learned to do it that way while being Missionaries on the Navajo reservation.)
My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost....
I always gut a deer immediately then a quick rinse of the body cavity. After that they hang on the meat pole for 5-8 days as long as the temperature is under 50. We process everything our self and always receive compliments on the taste. We skin carefully and the wife goes thru every piece of meat to remove hair.
My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost.
It's been said that water and moisture in general promotes bacterial growth. I used to do that, but now the blood drys quicker and helps form a protective barrier and seal against drying and bacterial growth like the scab on ones skin.
Ecc 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I have zero issue letting game hang until that mold grows, if temps allow. I'll trim it off then continue on. I've never seen a downside to it.
I have a cow elk rear quarter poised for the same treatment now...the other rear quarter I cut up 4 days after killing her....and it may as well be shoe leather. Decent flavor, but TOUGH.
Venison isn't beef... anytime after a full day you can cut it up, or a few days, whatever. Get the skin off to get the heat out, get some kind of chill in the meat overnight even if it's 55deg.
I like my meat mild with no strong taste, same with fish. Others like stronger meat and fish.
We have low humidity here which helps control hanging in my opinion more than temperature.
Ice chests after a night's hanging work well if you have them.
Often it takes me a couple days to pack an elk out and there's no problem bagging and hanging in the shade.
I played with extended aging them a couple seasons ago. I prefer it for sure. That said, I admit i pushed the limits and didnt pay attention to the conditions enough and I got mold and some bad meat. Totally my fault.
Fact is I just dont have the room or resources in my house to do it and care for it correctly.
Overall Aged meat >>> unaged IMO.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
I gave up on the video. The echo was so bad inside the cooler that I couldn't understand a word they were saying. Amateur Youtubers. At least they didn't have the camera moving so fast that it would make you seasick like some do.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Sometime ago I bought a 53 foot refrigerated road trailer that had been used as a construction site storage unit and office. It's going on a concrete block foundation with the wheels and landing gear removed as an addition to my machine shop. The back 8 feet with the big doors is going to become a walk-in cooler- - - -garden produce in the summer, deer in the winter. I've already got the compressor/condenser unit and the evaporator out of a big restaurant cooler to provide the refrigeration. The rest of the trailer will become my new gunsmith shop. Jerry
The last few years I've been pushing my aging time a little more each year. This year I let 2 deer age in a cooler on ice for 3 weeks. Last year was 2 weeks. I can't say that 3 was better than 2. Both could be cut with a fork and were/are fantastic. There is a real difference IMO between 1 and 2 weeks however. I'll stick with 2 weeks but its nice to know I have some flexibility if I can't cut right at 14 days. The cooler method works great as long as you can keep it out of the sun and leave the cap off so water can drain out. I do want to try the dry aging in the fridge though and some stakes and roasts.
They say everything happens for a reason. For me that reason is usually because I've made some bad decisions that I need to pay for.
Meat doesn't have to turn green to taste bad. I think we've had this discussion before. Texas A&M has done studies on aging beef and found that that the meat should be kept between 32 to 40 degrees because when meat gets above 40 degrees the bacteria in the meat multiplies rapidly (rots). As far aging deer I sometimes do for convenience but I can't tell if aging it makes it taste better or makes it more tender. If it's above freezing I always skin, quarter and put the deer on ice as soon as possible after I kill it. If I want to age it I'll keep it in the ice chest in the shade with the drain open. Always keep the meat completely covered with ice or it will rot quickly.
The last few years I've been pushing my aging time a little more each year. This year I let 2 deer age in a cooler on ice for 3 weeks. Last year was 2 weeks. I can't say that 3 was better than 2. Both could be cut with a fork and were/are fantastic. There is a real difference IMO between 1 and 2 weeks however. I'll stick with 2 weeks but its nice to know I have some flexibility if I can't cut right at 14 days. The cooler method works great as long as you can keep it out of the sun and leave the cap off so water can drain out. I do want to try the dry aging in the fridge though and some stakes and roasts.
Great information, however, the problem I have with aging in the fridge is due to the additional meat loss from drying out. Dessocation time is reduced greatly, which is a real problem in dry west Texas if the deer is kept hanging long after skinning.
Ecc 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
When I quarter a deer I put each leg,backstraps,tenderloins and ribs in a separate plastic bag.I use the really big ice chest,154qt ones because I like to keep plenty of ice on the meat.I put a good layer of ice at the bottom,then as I quarter I lay each piece in the bag across the bed of ice.Once I'm done,I always keep a good layer of ice on top of that.I keep the ice chest drain open and the opposite end elevated with a block of wood to keep the water drained off.I add ice as needed to keep the meat sandwiched in the ice.The longest I have kept a deer like this was thirteen days.It was the most tender whitetail I ever ate.The meat was perfect,no bad smell and looked exactly like it did the day I put it in.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~ As Bob Hagel would say"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."Good words of wisdom...............
