Gamey Taste?
11-05-2002, 07:44 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Greenville SC USA
Posts: 656
Gamey Taste?
I hear alot of folks talking about "gamey taste". I've eaten deer most of my life along with my wife, and now of course my 3 boys. We've never complained. I never experience anything different about deer, beef, chicken, etc. They each have their own taste. I've had a 3 year lapse from eating deer meat due to living overseas so there has been gaps (time to forget the taste). But my question is; what is all of y'alls experience with "gamey taste"? When I shoot a deer, I make sure it cools for a couple days whether in cold weather hanging, a walk-in freezer, or a cooler of ice before cutting and wrapping. Also, before I wrap it, I trim all fat, and the shiny stuff from the muscles that I can. Am I just programmed on the taste or is there really differences? Thanks.
11-05-2002, 07:48 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Front Royal VA USA
Posts: 52
RE: Gamey Taste?
I can tell the difference. Next time you cook some steaks up soak 1 steak in some warm salt water for an hour or two and cook em both. You'll taste the difference with the blood drawn out. I do anyways.
11-05-2002, 08:08 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Palmyra PA USA
Posts: 292
RE: Gamey Taste?
I can taste it, much more so with mountain fed deer over farm fed deer. As a cure, we try to marinade our venison overnight when possible. There is marinade we use frequently called Game Tame, which works very well. My wife also makes up her own marinades, and we sometimes use pickle juice (yes, right from the pickle jar).
11-05-2002, 09:46 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Gamey Taste?
It tastes like deer to me - GOOD.
However - a couple of times over the years we've processed our own deer (we are talking hundreds of deer) - a few have had a bad taste. I tend to think that its more likely from bad bullet (or arrow) placement or improper field care - or hanging in too warm (over 40 degrees) for too long. Its a real shame when this happens, once we discarded a whole doe - though we were never sure of the cause for the "gamey taste" (I call it spoiled - not gamey).
Venison has a unique flavor - I think if you expect it to taste like beef - some might call that gamey. Also, I've noticed that many people who do not like venison very much, insist on cooking it well done - which does tend to give it a stronger (tougher too) flavor in my book. I like it best Medium rare - to Rare.
However - a couple of times over the years we've processed our own deer (we are talking hundreds of deer) - a few have had a bad taste. I tend to think that its more likely from bad bullet (or arrow) placement or improper field care - or hanging in too warm (over 40 degrees) for too long. Its a real shame when this happens, once we discarded a whole doe - though we were never sure of the cause for the "gamey taste" (I call it spoiled - not gamey).
Venison has a unique flavor - I think if you expect it to taste like beef - some might call that gamey. Also, I've noticed that many people who do not like venison very much, insist on cooking it well done - which does tend to give it a stronger (tougher too) flavor in my book. I like it best Medium rare - to Rare.
11-05-2002, 10:05 PM
#5
RE: Gamey Taste?
I agree with jetblast. Venison has its own flavor. I have never . . . I repeat . . . NEVER . . . had any of my deer taste gamey. Even an old 4X5 blacktail I took a few years ago.
Personally I think that gamey tasting meat is a result of how the animal is cared for, handled, and processed.
Bowhunter
Personally I think that gamey tasting meat is a result of how the animal is cared for, handled, and processed.
Bowhunter
11-05-2002, 11:13 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Altmar New York USA
Posts: 1,247
RE: Gamey Taste?
If venison is gamey its a taste I certainly enjoy. To me gamey taste is a bunch of crap! Different meats have their own taste, thats just the way they are. Curing, draining of blood, marinading is to each his own, to eat to their liking. But gamey DOESN"T exist!
11-05-2002, 11:29 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,862
RE: Gamey Taste?
Oh, but a "gamey" flavor does occur! It is caused by particular acids that build up in the system due to a rise in adrenaline caused by fear and stress. The longer the deer remains alive under stress, the worse the meat flavor can become.
Other things add to the "gamey" taste. The deer's primary diet is one. The fat on a deer carries a rancid taste. Blood can become rancid and cause a bad taste.
Of all, the acids cause the "gamey" taste most often.
Other things add to the "gamey" taste. The deer's primary diet is one. The fat on a deer carries a rancid taste. Blood can become rancid and cause a bad taste.
Of all, the acids cause the "gamey" taste most often.
11-06-2002, 12:36 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903
RE: Gamey Taste?
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Oh, but a "gamey" flavor does occur! It is caused by particular acids that build up in the system due to a rise in adrenaline caused by fear and stress. The longer the deer remains alive under stress, the worse the meat flavor can become.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> From my experiences , I'd have to chalk that one up as another ol wives tale.
dick_cress nailed it! It's all in how you cared for , handled , and processed the meat.
---Doug
Oh, but a "gamey" flavor does occur! It is caused by particular acids that build up in the system due to a rise in adrenaline caused by fear and stress. The longer the deer remains alive under stress, the worse the meat flavor can become.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> From my experiences , I'd have to chalk that one up as another ol wives tale.
dick_cress nailed it! It's all in how you cared for , handled , and processed the meat.
---Doug