Quartering a deer after multi-day hanging

[J.W.83]

The general feeling I'm getting is that if you remove the hide and then hang for multiple days in an environment with low-medium humidity and good air flow, you're going to get dried out tissue and it will be a pain to cut. Hhhmmmm I think I'll just have to experiment next time then. Maybe I'll leave the hide on the next one I'm able to hang for a few days and see how it turns out. Then maybe the next one I'll take the hide off but try one of those large antimicrobial bags that some people mentioned.

But let's say for argument's sake that no matter what I try the carcass gets a little dried out the next few times. Are there any tricks for cutting that you guys know of? My biggest issue was that the small layer of fat on top of the back got so dried out, I could no longer see the natural seams that outline the backstrap. Normally if you kill and hang a deer for 24 hours then skin it and immediately start cutting, if you poke and push and prod on the backstrap the muscle itself will give a little, revealing where its edges are. But I wasn't able to see that with the thin fat layer so dried out.

Do you just have to learn to guess well? I thought about maybe removing that thin fat layer next time this happens to me, but that seemed too daunting of a task.

I would say that aging for more than a couple days without perfect temp control regardless of what else you do is going make all things difficult. If it gets too dried out, then a little trimming before boning it out completely would aid in locating the muscle seams, but it’s always going to be easier to clean a fresher animal. Also, aging is a bit of a lost art, and the guys that do it probably know anatomy like the back of their hand.

[Chuck B]

Yes, if aging you need to leave hide on, or try one of those game bags (I have never tried one). Is it tougher to cut up with aging? Yes. Is it worth it in my opinion, yes. I did my longest aging this past season on my buck (I think it was 7 days) and I had some non hunting buddies over one evening and grilled up some steak. They mentioned that they have never even really liked the taste of venison steak before, but they LOVED my steaks, they couldnt get enough of it. One of the guys is even interested in hunting now because of the taste of the venison. So, I am a believer that it makes a difference.

[checkerfred]

Here in the south we don't have the liberty of hanging deer up (typically). The temps fluctuate so much that it could go from mid 30s to high 50s or 60's in a day. What we usually do here is skin/quarter immediately. Place a layer of ice, then meat, then ice, then meat etc. in a big drink cooler. I have an RTIC cooler and it works great. I leave the drain plug open and then just add ice to the top as needed. I'll let it go for 7-9 days and then process. I never have a problem with dried meat or being too tough. If you try this, what you don't want to do however is let the meat soak in the water. I see lots of people doing that and I don't think it's good for the meat or taste. I want the clean melting water to filter through and out. Sometimes I even spread the processing over two days. I'll do one hind quarter that's usually on top, then move the other on top and wait a bit. This lets the outer surface dry down some. Then I'll do the same for the other two.

Using the cooler method, my meat always comes out great and has a good flavor. I started doing this because of the process I took one to. It tasted and smelled horrible like they had it laying down on the deer hide or something. The only other option for a processor required you to have it already quartered and in a cooler. Well at that point, half the work was done!

[J.W.83]

Here in the south we don't have the liberty of hanging deer up (typically). The temps fluctuate so much that it could go from mid 30s to high 50s or 60's in a day. What we usually do here is skin/quarter immediately. Place a layer of ice, then meat, then ice, then meat etc. in a big drink cooler. I have an RTIC cooler and it works great. I leave the drain plug open and then just add ice to the top as needed. I'll let it go for 7-9 days and then process. I never have a problem with dried meat or being too tough. If you try this, what you don't want to do however is let the meat soak in the water. I see lots of people doing that and I don't think it's good for the meat or taste. I want the clean melting water to filter through and out. Sometimes I even spread the processing over two days. I'll do one hind quarter that's usually on top, then move the other on top and wait a bit. This lets the outer surface dry down some. Then I'll do the same for the other two.

Using the cooler method, my meat always comes out great and has a good flavor. I started doing this because of the process I took one to. It tasted and smelled horrible like they had it laying down on the deer hide or something. The only other option for a processor required you to have it already quartered and in a cooler. Well at that point, half the work was done!

This is a really great option, regardless of where you live. Even in colder temps, fluctuation is bad. When I lived in Georgia, we skinned deer as soon as we got them home, washed them, and if it was cold enough, let them hang overnight, if not, went ahead and processed them. Wrapping the meat in cheese cloth may or may not improve the texture of the meat for you, especially if you decided to go a little longer than 9 days. Then again, there’s something appealing to the brevity of this guy’s method:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubxppdxfx0w

[Ognennyy]

Then again, there’s something appealing to the brevity of this guy’s method:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubxppdxfx0w

Haha judging by that intro music I would've guessed that this vid was shot in the early 1980s!! He's cutting an animal he just killed so he makes it look very easy. But he does mention a lot of anatomical guidelines (e.g. "cut near along the rib here, peel this away") that should prove helpful. Thanks man.

[KRONIIK]

Here in the south we don't have the liberty of hanging deer up (typically). The temps fluctuate so much that it could go from mid 30s to high 50s or 60's in a day. What we usually do here is skin/quarter immediately. Place a layer of ice, then meat, then ice, then meat etc. in a big drink cooler. I have an RTIC cooler and it works great. I leave the drain plug open and then just add ice to the top as needed. I'll let it go for 7-9 days and then process. I never have a problem with dried meat or being too tough. If you try this, what you don't want to do however is let the meat soak in the water. I see lots of people doing that and I don't think it's good for the meat or taste. I want the clean melting water to filter through and out. Sometimes I even spread the processing over two days. I'll do one hind quarter that's usually on top, then move the other on top and wait a bit. This lets the outer surface dry down some. Then I'll do the same for the other two.

Using the cooler method, my meat always comes out great and has a good flavor. I started doing this because of the process I took one to. It tasted and smelled horrible like they had it laying down on the deer hide or something. The only other option for a processor required you to have it already quartered and in a cooler. Well at that point, half the work was done!

^
I've been reading an awful lot lately about this method within the last year or so.
Seems like it's very popular among you experienced Southern boys.
On other forums somebody will pipe up about how bad their wild hog meat tastes, and lots of guys will recommend your ice/cooler method.
It must work very well; the guys that try it are pretty consistent in their praise of what a difference it makes, especially with hogs.
No reason it wouldn't work just as well on venison.
I think the moisture level in the cooler is a big thing in preventing excess drying of the meat.

[Redman232]

Every deer i take gets aged. If I have the time and it's warm I've used the cooler method(most time consuming but it works great), when it's cold I hang them in an insulated spare garage with a fan. The best tasting venison I've ever had was a rutty old buck that I let hang for 10+ days. You could almost stick your finger it. I leave the hide on and pack it full of ice as soon as possible to jump start the cooling process. If you don't have somewhere to hang a deer, the easiest thing to do, is to find a butcher shop that only cuts deer 1 or 2 days a week. (This is typical around here). Stay away from the places that only pop up during deer season, because they run them thru as fast as possible. The butcher shop I occasionally take deer to, only cuts deer on Wednesdays. I try to plan my doe harvest for a friday or saturday, so the deer can be dropped off and I know it's going to hang for 3 or 4 days before being butchered.
I believe meat spoilage is way over blown, people leave western game in and around cool streams for days.

If you have to cut up a deer and throw it in the freezer, when it's time to cook it, let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple days on some kind of rack so it can bleed out.
These are just my opinions/observations from cleaning 40 or 50 deer. We do the same thing with hogs both feral and domestic.

[Weaver.b]

Here in the south we don't have the liberty of hanging deer up (typically). The temps fluctuate so much that it could go from mid 30s to high 50s or 60's in a day. What we usually do here is skin/quarter immediately. Place a layer of ice, then meat, then ice, then meat etc. in a big drink cooler. I have an RTIC cooler and it works great. I leave the drain plug open and then just add ice to the top as needed. I'll let it go for 7-9 days and then process. I never have a problem with dried meat or being too tough. If you try this, what you don't want to do however is let the meat soak in the water. I see lots of people doing that and I don't think it's good for the meat or taste. I want the clean melting water to filter through and out. Sometimes I even spread the processing over two days. I'll do one hind quarter that's usually on top, then move the other on top and wait a bit. This lets the outer surface dry down some. Then I'll do the same for the other two.

Using the cooler method, my meat always comes out great and has a good flavor. I started doing this because of the process I took one to. It tasted and smelled horrible like they had it laying down on the deer hide or something. The only other option for a processor required you to have it already quartered and in a cooler. Well at that point, half the work was done!

This is a really great option, regardless of where you live. Even in colder temps, fluctuation is bad. When I lived in Georgia, we skinned deer as soon as we got them home, washed them, and if it was cold enough, let them hang overnight, if not, went ahead and processed them. Wrapping the meat in cheese cloth may or may not improve the texture of the meat for you, especially if you decided to go a little longer than 9 days. Then again, there’s something appealing to the brevity of this guy’s method:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubxppdxfx0w

Where can I find a flannel trench coat!?

[Luke Carpenter]

My Dad and I never liked ageing our deer because it was so hard to keep the meat at a consistent temp in a garage no matter how we did it. However about 5 years ago we had a really good retired butcher offer to teach us some tips for processing deer meat. One of the biggest things he said was to age venison at a consistent temperature because it breaks down the meat and makes it more tender. So for the last few years we process the deer as fast as possible after getting it home and put in the fridge for 4-10 days. When putting it in the fridge he told us to set the meat on trays and to avoid stacking the meat. After we've let it age we get it out , clean it up, and package it. Every deer we've done this to has turned out great. We have had several people say that its the best venison they've ever eaten because its so mild and tender. So since then we age all our venison because it makes the meat so much better. I would definitely recommend getting an extra fridge and aging deer this way. It will keep the meat at a perfect temperature the entire time and is an easy, fast, and pretty cheap way to age meat effectively .

[KRONIIK]

Not to suggest such extremes, but it's worth noting that the standard for the finest French/European cuisine for centuries has always been well-aged meats and poultries.

By "well-aged" they meant that your fat Mallard duck was hung, ungutted, by the neck.
Until the belly turned green and the neck pulled away, causing the rest of it to fall to the floor.

Then it was considered ready to draw and otherwise prepare for the feast.

(It should probably also be noted that the average life expectantcy of seventeenth-century Europeans was probably about twelve years...)

[J.W.83]

One thing to always keep in mind when breaking down a muscle into smaller cuts is to always cut across the grain of the meat. Makes a big difference in how tough the meat gets and how well it cooks.

[BAS4109]

I always skin and quarter them within a day if I can. Then like Luke C mentioned, I put them in an old refrigerator for at least 7 days. I can cut it up when I have time and do a quarter at a time if I need to.