Hanging Meat....

[VTdeerhunter]

Once again this year my to-do list ended up much longer than my all-done list :idunno: so the new meat cooler is not done, and with hunting season already on us, I'm not gonna even pretend that it's gonna be this year...

I have been forced to butcher many animals the same day they dropped cuz a the weather, but I hate to do it. My preference is to let them hang in 35-40 degrees for 2 weeks then do the job. If that is not possible I have used a few tricks to get the job done...sheets of plywood stacked around the deer like a teepee and my portable AC units sitting on the floor inside keeps the temps pretty low, not perfect but seemed to work ok...

Finally to my question, those of you that also don't have a hanging cooler for your deer, do you have an alternative way of hanging meat????

 

[Black Hand]

I hang in my garage.
Never really paid much attention to temperature, but I do keep an eye (and nose) on my meat. If warm, I butcher sooner as the process is accelerated. If cold, you could leave them hang for much longer.

Daytime temps during MT hunting season are usually in the 30s to 50s.

 

[silly goose]

I butcher the same day, as I've never seen the temp stay within 35-40 degrees for more than a few hours.

When its time to buy a new fridge, the old one is going in the basement so I can skin and quarter and take my time with the butchering.

 

[Richard J.]

Never had much of a problem in Pennsylvania. Now that I am in the panhandle of Florida I found out that a lot of the people down use a large igloo cooler. They pack the bottom with bags of ice, then lay the quarters on top, then bags of ice on the top of the quarters. You need to drain the water of a couple of times when you first put the meat in, then more ice and drain once a day after. They butcher after 7 days. The meat comes out with a whiteish color. Would be ok if you have a lot of ice around. One friend freezes a large quantity of ice blocks just for hunting season. Blocks would last a lot longer. Hope this helps.

RJ

 

[Sperit de bois]

Here in Maine,,more often than not I have to thaw mine to cut it up....Last year it was in the low 20's the last part of the season,first part was short sleeve weather,,miserable......
If I wanted to hang the meat,,contact a wild game/meat processor and see what it will cost for them to hang it in their cooler for you.

 

[Vaino]

What is the benefit of hanging a deer for 2 weeks in 35-40 degree temps?....Fred

 

[Black Hand]

The same thing that happens when you age beef. It tenderizes and "flavorizes" the meat.
See: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/other/recipes/2006/01/deer-hang-time http://www.noble.org/ag/wildlife/propercareofvenison/ http://www.chefdepot.net/agingwildgame.htm

 

[rabjr]

I have a 20' x 20' Cooler built to hang and process deer in as we avg 20 to 25 deer a year between my crew here. When its on the warm side like now and the first archery deer come in, they usually are skinned, quartered and laid out on racks in an old frig tucked into one corner. You can regulate the temp this way better in warm weather and turn the pieces over once or twice a day to make sure everything is cool evenly and whatever blood is there, drains off.

Think of that, next time you see an old unused frig just sitting there...put it to good use. :thumbsup:

 

[hoochiepapa]

I don't like letting mine hang that long, out here where it is so dry, the meat gets a rind on it that in MHO wastes meat.
I let mine hang 2 or 3 days when it is warm and maybe longer if it's freezing, but weeks? No. The nights in the mountains get down to 30 or 40 degrees, and if it's hung in the shade it will cool out really well which is the reason to start with.

 

[Black Hand]

Mike,
MT is quite dry in fall/winter. I get around the "rind" by aging with the skin on. Keeps the drying to a minimum, and I hardly lose any meat.

Unless it is "very warm", I age with the skin on. Since I don't hunt during the early bow season, and big-game season doesn't start until late October, "very warm" has never been an issue.

P.S. - "Cooling down" and "aging" are two separate (yet related) issues.

 

[pab1]

For big game I have taken deer (whitetail & mule), elk, antelope and bighorn sheep and always cut them up the same day. The only exception was an elk taken at 11,500' elevation and 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Half was packed out that day, the other half was hung overnight and packed out the next day. Both halves were cut as soon as I got them home. They have all had excellent flavor. I think the most important thing is field care and how you cut the meat.

 

[stormcrow]

Here in KY our temps have been 50-60 degrees the last few years over deer season. Is it a similar or next best result to aging if you thaw and drain frozen cuts in the refrigerator for three days before cooking? Anyone tried this route?

 

[cynthialee]

I did exactly that this week.
I thawed the steaks and let them sit in the fridge for three days before I cooked them.

 

[rabjr]

Here in KY our temps have been 50-60 degrees the last few years over deer season. Is it a similar or next best result to aging if you thaw and drain frozen cuts in the refrigerator for three days before cooking? Anyone tried this route?

Always, before cooking..

 

[Sperit de bois]

I've hung them for two weeks and eaten them before they realized they were dead,,,can't say as there was any difference,,, What ever way you want to lean,,never ate bad venison..................

 

[dave n]

Usually cut them up as soon as I can get to it . Use to let them hang , but I couldn't tell any difference in eating quality .
Was also told by a butcher that hanging meat is a processes used to break down the fat that's marbled within the meat , like beef . Says it wouldn't help any with deer because they don't have the fat content .

 

[Vaino]

Evidently a small temperature range and humidity are important factors in "aging" meat and most don't have the facilities to maintain such "close aging conditions".

Of primary importance is proper gutting {no urine or stomach contents} and then quickly relieving the carcass of body heat. Have killed a number of elk in warm weather and the first thing that ensures good meat, is to skin the animal so the heat dissapates quickly. Our elk quarters and meat have hung in the shade wrapped in cheesecloth for sometimes 8 days and has yielded prime eating despite 65-70 degree daytime temps.

In England, some hunters hang ungutted pheasants for 3-4 weeks and say the taste and texture of this aged meat is outstanding.... while some hunters in South Dakota use a small guthook to pull the intestines out through the anus while hunting because they don't want the meat to acquire a "bad taste" in their gamebags. So....whatever suits one's taste, is the way to go, but starting w/ "good meat" is mandatory....Fred

 

[elkslayer]

Idaho usually has near freezing temps throughout deer and elk season.

My main meat prep goal is to
1) get the guts out as soon as possible
2) get the hide off as soon as possible

It is amazing how long the hide will retain heat in the body of a deer after it is dead even if it is below freezing outside. I believe that getting the meat to cool as soon as possible is very important. The amount of meat that dries on the outside is negligible.

I typically let it hang for only a couple days. Once the meat is cool and stiff it is as good as it gets. I see no difference between hanging 2 days or 4 days which is I believe the longest I have let one hang.

I do not butcher the same day because I like to let the meat cool and I've found that on small game that I have eaten the same day the meat is tough but if you let is cool before preparing it is tender.

Although I have never had to use ice and coolers that would be an option if tempuratures were too warm to let hang.

 

[Black Hand]

Was also told by a butcher that hanging meat is a processes used to break down the fat that's marbled within the meat , like beef . Says it wouldn't help any with deer because they don't have the fat content .

Based on the ample evidence available, the butcher was incorrect.

 

[cynthialee]

I was told that with a lean deer there is no benifit to ageing but if you get a fat well fed deer ageing will improve the meat.
:idunno:

I do not have the experiance to say one way or the other. Just relating what I have heard on the matter.