Aging/hanging those deer

[Uncle Lou]

I have been a self butchering deer guy for a longtime, since I shot my second deer in 1995.

I always liked to hang them for a while and heard and read many things on the subject for some time. But I stumbled on an article a few years back and it really helped my hanging routine. I think it was chef Milo in Michigan WoodsNWater, if not I apologize to the author, but it was very scientific on the aging of venison before you cut it up. Even as a scientist I cant remember the details, but I remember the important part.

14 days

That is how long you should hang them before you cut them up and eat them. Ideal hanging temp is 38-40 degrees.

Now granted you cant always do this without the proper facilities, but November in the upper Midwest it is pretty good hanging weather. I hang them in my shed and I have had them freeze, and have had weather in 50s. But with the hide on and temps +/- 40 degrees is excellent hanging weather. I also have an infrared thermometer I use to help monitor. You can pick them up in many local auto parts stores.

One other thing I do is rinse out the cavity with vinegar and water most times. Clean meat is key. I bone my meat, and never take it to a place where there are a lot of deer. I walked in a local processing shop a couple years ago, as a guy in town that sells beer always asks me to take him my deer and was eager to show me his processing facility. I obliged and when I entered the area about puked with the smell of rancid gut shot deer. I really like the guy but will never take a deer anywhere near where many deer go.

Anyway, that is a couple things I do and I just butchered Sunday and Tuesday the two deer I shot on November 15. Delicious, and cut with a spoon tender. My neighbor said the shoulder and 2 necks I slow oven cooked where better than prime rib.

Any tips anyone wants to share here on making the best of your hard earned venison is welcome here. From Field to Table lets hear it.

[checkerfred]

I hear ya! I took one to my local processor...only one.. It stunk and they weren't clean. The meat didn't smell or taste fresh. My buddy too one to a processor close to a club we were in. They bulk assembly line processed them and made me wonder of you even got your meat back. Another processor close by requires them to be quartered.. I figured if I do that I might as well process them myself. So that's what I do now.

My process is i put the meat quartered up in a cooler on ice.. I let it sit for a week or a little longer draining the water off each day. We don't have long period of cold temp so I have to do it like this. I'm wanting to get one of those drink coolers and hang them in there.

Then I bone out the quarters. The front I'm not particular with as I grind it up. The rear I bone out in nice roasts. I cut the loin into sections. I make all kinds of sausage. Some great books are the Marianski books on sausages as well as the Rytek Kutas book. I make fermented sausage and these books have been invaluable. There's also a website to go with the Marianski books.

If you just like basic summer sausage you can buy spice mixes. You can also buy high temp cheese to go in them. You can bake in your oven on low or smoke in a smoker. I have found the A.C. Leggs spices to be some of the best. I also like the Cabelas line of commercial grinders. You can usually get them on sale at some point during the season. I did not like the LEM grinders. I had two burn up.

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[Bucky]

Last doe I shot I let hang for just shy of a week... back strap was super tender and delicious! Nothing better than butchering your own meat and cleaning all the membranes and tallow off... super clean super lean red meat. The key IMO for cooking venison is cooking it in butter! Yum yum

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[checkerfred]

Last doe I shot I let hang for just shy of a week... back strap was super tender and delicious! Nothing better than butchering your own meat and cleaning all the membranes and tallow off... super clean super lean red meat. The key IMO for cooking venison is cooking it in butter! Yum yum

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I had some home raised pigs that we had butchered. They made some smoked bacon. It had lots of smoke flavor. I mixed some with my ground deer, toasted a bun, topped with smoked cheese... Man oh man was it good

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[Bigburner]

I do the 14 days . I have a donation cooler at my office so it makes it nice. When you have that time to age it makes a huge difference. It can turn a big mature buck about as palatable as a yearling. No different than a dry aged steak from a high dollar restaurant.

[hunter_mike]

I have never let one hang that long, might have to try it

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[oldrank]

U guys r making me hungry. I let em hang for a week minimum if possible. I butcher my own if I can. Clean fresh delicious cuts. My burger is clean meat..no junk in it. Back straps r like butter. Inners n heart r saved for special grilling occasions...n sometimes cooked up the night of the kill. Upper hams r steaked out for various meals...yum yum yum. I havent tried the ribs yet but been looking at em lately.

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[GRUD]

I quarter mine out and put it in an old fridge in the barn for 1-2 weeks. I wrap it with plastic wrap so it doesnt dry out. This keeps the meat right at the 36-40 degree sweet spot, and you can buy an old fridge for like $40.

Also, I always try to let meat sit out and get up to room temp or close before cooking.

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[Uncle Lou]

Good stuff guys.

The article I poorly referenced had very good data supporting 14 days. I used to try to age them for 1-2 weeks, but I was so convinced after reading it, I don't cut it before 14 days unless hanging weather isn't good.

[seazofcheeze]

No different than a dry aged steak from a high dollar restaurant.

This. Enzymes in the meat break down the muscle fibers a.k.a. tenderizes it.

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[bigwoodsmn]

Gold Metal Master Chef Milos Cihelka - these are amazing.

http://www.wildharvestvideos.com


Georgia Pelligrini on venison that wasn't aged... http://www.georgiapellegrini.com talks about what you can do if you weren't able to age your venison. For steaks, chops, etc. you can put them in your fridge in paper for 5-7 days which allows the meat to tenderize. If you want to tenderize a roast in the fridge, she puts it in uncovered 5-7 days, then trims dried meat off the outside before roasting.

In the past, if I left a package of veni in the fridge 7 days, I'd think about tossing it out. Now I know it tastes better that way. She's right.

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[exojam]

Interesting with the 14 days of hanging.

I wish I could test that out but first I need a deer and than I would need a place to hang it for that long.

No way the better half would go for a deer hanging in sight.

[JoeRE]

To each their own, I am glad its a free country. That being said I think the key to great tasting (not gamy) venison is cooling it down quickly, processing it quickly, and correct preparation. I gut, skin, cut up and freeze as quickly as possible and end up with great tasting meat with proper preparation and cooking. Leaving the hide on slows the cooling process, in my opinion that always should be removed ASAP.

Venison is much leaner than beef and should not be cooked the same way, it dries out quickly. I would rather have properly prepared venison than any other meat, no aging necessary.

Most of the aged venison I have eaten has been poor - probably because it just got hung in a tree for two weeks under fluctuating temperatures and pretty much all the experts agree precise temperature control is the key to aging. Temps rarely remain between 37-40 F for 2 days straight let alone 2 weeks.

No worries, just my two cents!

[PLB]

To each their own, I am glad its a free country. That being said I think the key to great tasting (not gamy) venison is cooling it down quickly, processing it quickly, and correct preparation. I gut, skin, cut up and freeze as quickly as possible and end up with great tasting meat with proper preparation and cooking. Leaving the hide on slows the cooling process, in my opinion that always should be removed ASAP.

Venison is much leaner than beef and should not be cooked the same way, it dries out quickly. I would rather have properly prepared venison than any other meat, no aging necessary.

Most of the aged venison I have eaten has been poor - probably because it just got hung in a tree for two weeks under fluctuating temperatures and pretty much all the experts agree precise temperature control is the key to aging. Temps rarely remain between 37-40 F for 2 days straight let alone 2 weeks.

No worries, just my two cents!

X2 This is how I have always done it. Never had an issue with meat quality so why change what works? To each their own though. K.I.S.S.

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[Stanley]

To each their own, I am glad its a free country. That being said I think the key to great tasting (not gamy) venison is cooling it down quickly, processing it quickly, and correct preparation. I gut, skin, cut up and freeze as quickly as possible and end up with great tasting meat with proper preparation and cooking. Leaving the hide on slows the cooling process, in my opinion that always should be removed ASAP.

Venison is much leaner than beef and should not be cooked the same way, it dries out quickly. I would rather have properly prepared venison than any other meat, no aging necessary.

Most of the aged venison I have eaten has been poor - probably because it just got hung in a tree for two weeks under fluctuating temperatures and pretty much all the experts agree precise temperature control is the key to aging. Temps rarely remain between 37-40 F for 2 days straight let alone 2 weeks.

No worries, just my two cents!

You are 100% correct on cooling the meat down ASAP. You are also 100% correct on not having great hanging temps in most instances. It can be 70 degrees one day and 40 the next. Happens every year. That said if you can hang the meat it is much better than meat that isn't hung. Those tender great tasting steaks you get at the restaurant are from aged beef.

Those gut shot deer are never as good as a fast clean double lung shot buck. A gut shot deer has poison pumping through its system until it expires. It then often lays around for hrs until found with the guts keeping the meat from cooling down fast. That is why some people don't like venison they get a taste of rank stank deer that were not recovered quickly and taken care of quickly.