Ain’t doing that!

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.

In old England pheasants were hung until the bird separated from the beak.

I have had rancid meat in Africa, can’t recommend it.

I’d starve

nah, think I will keep cutting them up un aged

I watched Andrew Zimmern eat rotten hamburger. Friggin yuck. I remember him slapping his head because it tasted so bad.

ya, no. when i was a kid the common practice was to leave them hang with the hide on for a week or so and then butcher them with a bandsaw, bone and all. i always wondered why i wasn't too fond of deer meat in those days. now i skin them hot and hose them out and let them hang over night to chill and thats it. i debone them completely and take off all the fat and silver skin. when i am done, all i am eating is meat. i now like deer meat.

nope..
I've done it like that...
NOW, i cut up gutless method and put pieces in a cooler full of ice for 4-6 days with the drain open for the blood to escape. Best venison I have ever had.

I can let them hang at that in the day a few days in the shade if it's getting in mid 30s at night.

Waldorf hung gutted market hunted ducks by the neck until they fell, I've heard.

Gutted immediately.
Rough butchered in nearest tree.
Plastic bags in backpack.
In veggie bin of refer, within 90 min of kill.
3 days = fine butcher, into freezer.
Never cook roast or steak past 140°•••••••••

I left an ancient buck quartered in my fridge for 11 days because the bum who shot it didn't come get it. It was the best deer meat I ever ate. That deer scored 171 gross and his entire face was white. He must've been a monster when he was 6.

Yep. I do 5-9 days with the cooler in the shade in bow or early warm season. I may add a little salt every couple of days when adding ice. Even meat that gets nearly white from no blood is great.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

I have processed well over a hundred deer, and about 40 wild hogs. In Georgia you can't take a wild hog to the butcher.
After about 60 deer I learned of this technique.
Get the biggest cooler WalMart has, put in 5 gallons of water, mix in 2 pounds of salt, and put in 20 pounds of ice.
Put in the quartered deer meat.
The salt water will draw the blood from the meat. Leave the meat for at least 3 days, all the blood will be gone and the meat will be nice and cold and ready to cut up.

I aged a deer in an uninsulated garage for 5 weeks this fall, another 3 I aged for 3.5-4 weeks during the same time. night temps get in the 20's/30's highest day temp was 60 but average was 40's. checked on meat daily, never saw it get green anywhere or smell "off" at any point. conditions were perfect for aging (with the hair on) and the meat is amazing. not everyone can do it without a walk in cooler. mostly it depends on what the weather conditions are like where you live and if you want to do it. did the same with an elk in september for 3 weeks with the aid of a walk in cooler for about a week.

Dad did that, even with elk. I've btdt. No thanks. It's much better aged, that's why they age beef.

If in hunting camp and shoot even a fat doe, it's back strap that evening tastes a bit gamey. Bucks for sure need aging-bad.

Probably eat out of dumpsters too.

All right. Thanks for that. In south Texas in winter I would skin and hang quarters a few days in the garage with temps just a little warmer than that. I've hung them a week in colder weather outside in the shade with the hide on in west Texas winter, late Dec-Jan does.

Too may worry about the daytime highs, but if inside out of sun and wind they need to remember that mid 40s average. I need to try that longer time with the skin on to keep drying trim down and in a deer bag or army surplus mattress case to keep flies away.

To each, his own.

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.)

It's amazing man survived prior to modern day refrigeration......

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.

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.

James, I wonder how long the best steaks from your beef are aged?

I'm thinking, Too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

The question being, what's too much?

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.

I ate some dry aged meat in Africa

Our host family bragged about the quality and the taste.

What I remember most......it smelled bad and was hard to eat because of it

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.

Kent

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.

There's an old rule of thumb for how long you can hang them. For each 10 degree increase in temp, you cut the time in half

35F 2 weeks
45 1 week
55 3-4 days
65 1-2 days
75 eat it now

Yeah, thanks. Now I remember seeing that.

How about temps for 90 day dry aged beef, I wonder.

Mule Deer has written some interesting things about ageing game meat.


Seems like I remember........that it matters more when you cut it.....rather than just how long you hang it.



Standard up here to hang a beef for two weeks. Two weeks seems to be the happy medium between flavor, tenderness and economics.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Some guys have to butcher them right away so they don't spoil.
Others have to butcher them right away so they don't freeze rock solid.

Location, location, location.

When I was a kid around 1970 or so my dad and I were out hunting in an area in northern BC he guided in at times and knew well. We stopped in to visit this old bush rat who lived alone in a little cabin. This guy was the real deal looking around his place it could have been the 1800s never mind 1970. One thing I remember is his smoke house about 2 1/2 feet square and about 6 feet high. It had fly screen on two small openings near the top and a chimney out the top. The old guy saw me looking at it and said have a look inside.. I got a couple geese in there. I opened the door and just about lost my lunch. No smoke involved he was just using the fly proofness of the thing and there were two geese that stunk pretty bad hanging from their bills. He said they're not quite ready yet, once they fall off they're good and tender.

As far as venison goes, at first I used to hang it a week or 10 days in a cool place cause that's what my grandpas did. That's evolved to no aging at all. Usually debone in the field and they're in the freezer within a day. It tastes good either way.

Moose to me is far, far better after 30 days hanging. Deer we usually hold in saltwater for the duration of a hunt and cut in a week or two after. The differences are huge between aged and fresh meat.

I usually leave the quartered meat in a large cooler, tilted to drain, and ice it daily. Two weeks most of the time. Meat is perfect.

Shoot 'em, and quarter 'em, and cut 'em up on the same day. I have done it lots of times.
And when you pull that steak out of the freezer and thaw it, there is blood running all over the place.
That is why I started putting them in the cooler in salted ice water for 3 days at least. Gets all the blood out.

Paid a deer processing place to let one hand 3 weeks once. I gave him a gallon on distilled white vingar and a bag of clean rags to wipe it down.
As long as temps stay low and bacteria is kept in check 30 days, [bleep]...60 days would be fine.
Like dry aging

Thanks, T. You should have tried chewing the one day old bull elk my day Fed us ONCE on a hunt. You have to chew the juice out and spit out a lot meat to fill up, actually after a while you just break a sweat and wear out.

One day old cow elk isn't much better.

Come to think of it Simon, when you cut that ham or back strap across the grain and a light reflection gives a little rainbow reflection, I guess it's just too fresh to eat.

A skinned hung fresh ham has that sharp, acidic, blood smell that turns into a good kind of nutty smell after a few days, too.,

My wife and I hunted caribou in Alaska last week in August. We flew in a Super Cub and piles of meat had black flies covering it at the airport. I cut the maggots off with a fillet knife.
It tasted good.

Definitely a plus to age moose meat

Went over to my Mennonite neighbors one evening, as they were having their supper. They had a can of meat opened up, and were eating it. I had to leave, as that stuff smelled awful. I know they can their deer meat, and other meats as well, so I don't know what it was, although it did look like either deer or beef. I also know that they often let their deer hang for days before butchering, so I figured that might have caused the smell.

I guess they were used to it, as they were eating the crap out of it.

Great idea. I would have been concerned about the meat being sealed by plastic for that long. I know it keeps the meat with more color, while being exposed to ice and water draws blood and color out.

Also, someone mentioned meat cutters cutting the bone in the meat. I dont need any of that with the marrow on the meat. I guess it could be washed off immediately after being cut if aged beforehand.

As a kid I didnt notice the wild taste of venison without it being aged. Now, I sure can.

Everyone to their own.....but this guy will pass on that idea.

I see no point in soaking meat to get all the blood out,same reason I don't soak a big thick porterhouse steak before eating it.

Ive never understood the "soaking" method either? That which Ive seen takes on a very pale nasty look after that long in the pickle jar. To each their own I suppose, I have always cleaned, skinned, and hung for 3-5 days if weather permits.

If you got to hang your deer the instant you whacked it between the eyes with a hammer and provide a very good blood vent while the heart continues to beat you would have well-drained venison.

I thought that is what shooting them with a good bullet was for.

That was my FIL/MIL. Daytime temps in the Eastern Sierra would go from 15 overnight to 55 to 70 degrees and they would let a deer hang in the tres for 3-4 days. They they would drive 6-7 hours home with the deer int he back of their travel trailer where the temp would be high 90's at home. Their venison tasted like chit. I'm surprised no one got sick. I took a deer right outside their old campsite. Cleaned it up, put a bag of ice in the chest cavity and hauled it down the hill to a processor the next morning. He looked it over when we brought it in, took a sniff and said it would it would eat good. He let it hang for a week before he butchered it and it was a very tasty deer.

So, you cooled it down and aged it a day and the packer aged it another week. Sounds good.

If you age it in salt water for 3 days, the outside of the ham will be white and not to appetizing to look at.
However, that is just the exterior, the steaks you cut will look just fine, believe me.

I do.

This is interesting. Americas best butcher aging steaks to 120 days.

First big buck I shot I did not age. He was tough. Second really big one I shot I lucked out with the weather and hung him for about 10 days, skin off. Turned out tender & delicious. Does and young bucks I don't age - they don't need it. Just getting them gutted, skinned & cooled quickly is enough for them.

When I was a kid, my dad killed a spike bull elk on Halloween. We hung that elk up in our meat cutting room in the barn. It wasn’t cooled. But that time of year kept a temperature of between zero and forty degrees. That elk never froze solid. We cut and ate pieces off that elk till about the first week of January, until it was all gone. Tasted great.

I've had that one time. A deer rump roast made slow in the oven. It was so tender and had a sweet slightly nutty flavor.

For what I do that is a pretty good guideline.
I aim to keep it in the top two.
Skin and cool ASAP, cover with a game bag, and hang. No water.
Elk are usually quartered then treated the same.
I have been known to hang the meat in my 4-horse trailer and park it (locked up) at the proper elevation on the mountain above the house to keep the temperature favorable during warm spells.

venison is not beef. aging does not make it taste any better or tenderize. aging helps beef because it has fat in the meat. deer fat fat should never be eaten.

skin and quarter as soon as possible
place in a meat tube on a rack to drain
goes in the frig until I get around to processing,usually 4-6 days
this firms the meat for easier cutting
and drains it well

soaking in water only opens it up to growing bacteria.plus water in the meet will make it freezer burn faster.

My fresh deer meat has acidic enzymes in it that break down the connective tissue in it.

The bull we couldnt chew killed in the big blizzard years ago in Colorado, where Leo was going into the mountain near Groundhog reservoir in helicopters and snowmobiles rescuing hunters was great after ten days. Aging worked pure magic on it.

In warm temps, fat turns rancid quickly.

https://www.outdoornews.com/2014/09/12/aging-cutting-game-meat/

Great article. Thanks.

When I take the muscle groups off a deer or elk ham, after aging, I cut the separated muscles into meal sized pieces and then seal and freeze them.

To cook, I start slicing the pieces for cooking when they are still partly frozen, and across the grain.

Typically I will cut an aged back strap in half to freeze it in two packages. Then to cook it I slice across it while still a bit frozen..

No, I shot it at about 6:15 PM, dressed and skinned then packed to keep it cold overnight. Went to the processor first thing next morning.It was actually a little over a week before he got to it. Not classically aged but it pretty good. Based on past experience, we grilled some chicken when we first cooked it in case it tasted gamy. Our nights were in the 40's and days in the 60's. My in-laws were too damn cheap to pay so they ruined their meat to save money.

Ok, so hou dont think it started aging the day you cooled it down. Then, the packer had it aging a week.

So, instead of it being aged 8 days you prefer 7 days. Sounds good.

I killed a 8yr old red stag a week ago.A couple of days after I killed it,I went ahead and ground up the neck and front shoulders and put that in the freezer.Today I broke down the hindquarters leaving the whole muscles intact.I can tell that week on ice has really helped.Muscles are relaxing and the meat cuts really easy.I may keep it a few more days yet.I used to be skeptical about ageing the meat,but not anymore.

For sure, BH. I've done it with and without aging.

It's not done for the fun of it. I can taste the whang and a bit of toughness in a does fresh backstrap killed that day and I dont care for it.

After a week quartered and on ice the meat loses the whang and tastes sweet.