Pro-Line

SwampMonster...Good post. I have a question, though.

Why leave the hide on when you age the meat? I' ve butchered hundreds of animals in my live, and have never seen an animal aged with the hide on...beef or venison.

Just wondering if I' m missing the boat here. THANKS!

jerseyhunter

Pro line I know you asked swampbuck but I leave the hide on to protect the meat from flies ,dust, whatever Also the meat won' t be exposed to the air to dry out the surface area, which in my opinion could make it harder to butcher and will have to be cut off anyway. Also once cooled the skin helps insulate and regulate the temperature. Where as if the hide was off and the temperature warmed some the meat would start warming up immeadiately. All this is my logical and personal opinion. Everyone has their own way I guess, as long as the meat is not wasted there is no right or wrong way. Also I' m refering to meat hung in a garage or outside not in a meat locker.

Swampmonster

Yeah Proline. Jerseyhunter pretty much summed it up as I see it. I leave the hide on when I age the meat because it helps keep the carcass from drying too much.

But sometimes I take the hide off. I neglected to say that in cases where the weather is just too hot, I have taken the deer home, skinned, butchered it and then let it age in my fridge. First I let the meat sit in the fridge, uncovered a few hours to cool it through and through. Then I wrap it and let it sit for about a week or so before freezing. Not ideal, but it kinda works.

All in all, I like hanging the deer in cool weather with the hide on. I let it hang in a breathable cloth bag.

Lady Arwen

I' m no expert compared to everyone else here, but from our own personal experience we have found that soaking steaks in vinegar and salt water for a few minutes helps with the gamey taste. You can also cook the meat with onions and that helps too. Don' t panick if you puncture the stomach while gutting either. The first deer that I gutted I accidentally ruptured the stomach with my knife and I worried about having ruined the deer meat all the way home. We washed the cavity out as soon as we got home about an hour later and dried it with paper towels. None of the meat had a bad taste. However, I don' t think I will ever, ever forget the horrible smell and the psshhh sound from the stomach! Yuck!!

Lady Bow Hunter

Soak frozen or thawed out meat in apple juice for 24 hours or up to 2-3 days in apple juice and italian dressing, add your favorite spices,, yum-yum, doesn' t get any better and tenderizes also. Works for chicken, beef, or any meat.

bowtechgirl

Along with some of the other mentioned marinades or soaks. My family also soaks tougher cuts in beer for a few hours.

MarkIIVT

This is the best way to make butterfly chops. This is called " Brining" and works GREAT. Alton Brown of " Good Eats" get' s credit! Brining is liquid (water), with salt (kosher) and a sugar (molassas or honey would work), which pushes flavor and moisture into the meat. Try adding some Jack Black, too!!

Baggy or bowl use either one.

Brine:
Teriaki or soy 1/2 C.
Salt (Kosher) 2 T.
Brown Sugar 1/4 C. White sugar will work too
Horesradish 1 T.
water to cover 1/4 C.
crushed chilies or red peppers 2 t.

Glaze/sauce: 1 T. Dijon Mustard + 1 T OJ Conc.

Brine 2-5 hours

Take chops out of brine and rub with olive oil

Turn over to 500 degrees put in cast Iron skillet, when it reaches temp.
Turn top stove burner to high, place skillet on top burner, place in chops, 30-45 sec. per turn,

Then into the oven (Still at 500 degrees to finish) 2min turn 2 min done let rest for 4 min. (This is med rare) if you want med 3 min on turns

After the meat is rested apply a thin layer of glaze or sauce.

Prepare to be amazed, venison never tasted so good!!

Striper Phil

Great ideas about helping the meat after the fact, marinades and all. Venison does pick up the flavor of the feed. Our local butcher has shown me via smell tests deer that come from swamps and have been eating swamp plants you can smell swamp in the meat. The deer I shoot have been eating my apples all summer and have a distinct apple flavor. After all the great ideas herein this string of posts are tried and venison is still gamy to your wife there is one sure fire solution. Shoot a 3-4 month old bambi . You can not beat the mild flavor and all cuts are tender without any fuss or muss.

phishook

....but anyway you fix it, clean it, or pack it. If the person doing the eating has it in their mind, that they are not going to like it, don' t force feed them. Give them a few bucks and send them to McDonalds for some good eating.

mross

"Gamey Taste" - a taste one is not used to, if someone had never tried beef before chances are they wouldn't much care for it.

It's a matter of getting used to it, only then should you experiment with spices only to improve it.