badshotbob

I stared butchering my own deer last year. It was fun and not too difficult. I didn't hang the buck to let him age at all, and it was probably the tastiest venison I've had yet (probably due to me taking the time to take all the silver skin and talo off).

I've heard varying opinions on aging - hang with hide on for a week, hang with no hide on for a few days, butcher as soon as rigamortis sets in, etc...

Couple of questions here:

- What do you do prior to butchering?
- How warm can it be to hang a deer safely or, what's the ideal temp to hang?

Alsatian

I have heard that to hang your deer the temperature of the deer should not rise above 40 or drop below freezing. That seems a little narrow.

Personally,if possibleI will leave the deer hang over night with the hide on. After the next morning's hunt, assuming I still have an unfilled tag, I will get about skinning and cutting up the meat. It is possible that longer aging would improve the meat, but it tastes pretty good this way anyway so what the heck? If I bagged my deer at 7 AM and have it hanging a 8 AM and it is going to be an 80 degree day, I won't leave the deer hanging until the next day but will skin and cut up pronto. In this case, however, I leave the meat on ice (in plastic bags to keep the water off the meat) overnight. My idea is to let the rigor mortis phase to occur.

It just isn't that critical a decision in my mind. Don't let the meat spoil because it gets or stays hot. If you don't make this mistake, you are probably going to have good tasting meat.

GSPsnFORDs

We do all of our own butchering & sausage making, etc. After skinning a deer, we will let it hang in halves for a day or two in the machine shed IF the temp. is between 32 and 40 degrees. If that's not possible (like last years shotgun season) we hang them in a huge walk-in cooler that one of our friends has. After letting them hang for a day or two we bone out all the meat into small strips/chunks and freeze them to kill any bacteria. About a month or two later we make sausage out of the cut meat.

I also agree with getting as much of the silvery part out of the meat.

one on one

here in al, we mostly kill it, go skin it & quarter it up, then put it in a ice cooler for about 4 days,draining the water and adding fresh ice daily, this will drain all the blood out for processing,(ready to eat)

il coyote

We've been doing our own for about 10 years now. Usually we just get to it as soon as soneone has time. never really let them hang to age them, and still have great meat. what we have found is that the meat is much better if packed in ice, if only for one night, then to hang in air.

having a lot of ice can offset higher temps.

skeeter 7MM

You will always hear differing opinion on aging vs not aging. IMHO once rigor has done it's thing the only thing you accomplish by hanging is drying of the meat, as fat content in the meat is not present like in domestic animals. If possible hang the animal for 24 hrs for this process to be finished. I personally like hide off and make sure the pelvic area is split and opened to ensure proper cooling of the entire carcass. I then will let it hang for a day and debone. The only time I will not let it hang is if the temperature of the carcass can not be maintian below 50 or above 32. If either case is not possible the animal is boned out asap. You can fridge age it, cool it in ice cooler (but try to keep the meat from sitting in water as this can introduce bacteria) or simply wrap it for the freezer. When freezing lay out your meat(not stack) and turn it daily until completely frozen thoughout. If you can keep the carcass temperature 32-40 it can be hung for several days without issue, the only thing you'll notice is a dark dry skin of the exposed meat to the air(skinning over). This can easily be removed when butchering your game or even left to help protcet the meat in the freezer than removed prior to cooking.

Couple of questions here:

- What do you do prior to butchering?
Gut, skin, remove the t loins(they won't get any better with age hence the name TENDER LOINS and are subject skinning over quickly), cut the pelvic bone, remove any blood shot or damaged areas from the carcass, wipe down the animal with water and vinegar with clean clothes &hang via a spreader bar head down (if possible for 24 hours). I debone in quarters from front to back, never using a saw but remoiving with my boning knife. All fat, silver skin is removed prior to packaging.


- How warm can it be to hang a deer safely or, what's the ideal temp to hang?
50's intially as the body core temperature is much higher, so it will cool the carcass without spoiling. Ideal temperature is 34-37 degrees for aging meat but anything above freezing to 40 can be hung for extended periods. The warmer the temperature the faster the rot, which is aessentially iswhat aging meat does...breaks down the fibres to create a more tender cut. If the carcass should freeze aging is stopped, freezing and thawing is never a good practice for meat!


Hope it helps you some, best of luck!

jcchartboy

I posted this response to a question about ageing in another thread.....I think it suits this thread as well


[blockquote]quote:

For venison follow the same general guidelines as those used to age beef. Either "dry ageing" the entire animal, or "in the bag ageing" the individual cuts in the refrigirator.

How to Age Beef
If you are personally aging a beef carcass, remember some important considerations about aging. The beef carcass or side should be aged in sanitary surroundings. Also, the aging area should be free of products such as kerosene, gasoline, paint, onions, and fish, since the carcass will absorb these undesirable odors. Because meat is a perishable product, it can spoil at temperatures of 40 to 60 degrees F. Therefore, maintain the temperature at 30 to 35 degrees F while the beef carcass is being aged. Sawdust should not be used on floors because it will contribute to air contamination. Carcasses and wholesale cuts should be properly spaced to allow complete circulation of air around the product. Freezing the carcass temporarily stops the aging process and should be avoided.
Recently interest has increased in short-time (12 hours) aging at 60 to 66 degrees F to speed up the aging process. The carcass is then placed in a 32 to 34 degrees F cooler to chill and complete the aging process. This procedure benefits cow beef more than steer or heifer beef, because cow beef is usually less tender. Apparently, carcasses with a thin fat covering would benefit more than fatter carcasses. However, the effect of this short-time, high-temperature aging on bacterial growth on and in the carcass is not understood fully.
Also remember that fat protects the meat from dehydration. Therefore, if you are aging a beef carcass with very little fat, you can expect a higher weight loss during the aging process than would occur normally with a fatter carcass. Maintaining the aging cooler at 85 percent relative humidity will keep weight losses down during prolonged aging. Carcasses with little external fat are more likely to pickup undesirable cooler odors and should thus be aged no more than five days.
Because of the drying process that takes place during aging, molds often grow on the carcass. If this occurs, merely trim off the mold (and accompanying fat or lean) at the time of processing and discard it. Do not use this trimmed-off portion in ground beef.
Some believe that it is possible to age beef in the refrigerator in the unfrozen, retail cut form. Research concerning the effectiveness of this practice is lacking. However, if you try aging beef in the refrigerator, eat it before an off-odor or off-color develops.



Dry vs. 'In The Bag'
The previous discussion has centered on aging carcasses and wholesale cuts (e.g., ribs and loins) in a cooler of some type. This process is referred to as "dry" aging. If you have an animal slaughtered at a plant or buy a side of beef, aging would likely take place in this manner.
Currently, about 90 percent of the beef shipped from the point of slaughter is shipped as boxed beef. Boxed beef is wholesale cuts packaged into vacuum packages (bags) and placed into a box for shipping. The retailer stores boxed beef under refrigeration until meat is needed for display and sale. The bag is opened and the meat cut into retail cuts. During the period meat is in the bag, it does actually age and is referred to as "aging in the bag."
There is considerable debate in the industry as to which process results in the most desirable flavor. Most people agree that dry aging results in a unique flavor. However, persons not familiar with dry aged beef often describe it as slightly "musty" in flavor when eaten for the first time. One study (J. Food Sci., 50:1544) observed that dry aging resulted in a more intense beef flavor compared with aging "in the bag." However, overall eating satisfaction was higher in cooked steaks aged "in the bag" because of fewer off-odors and off-flavors. It is known that the predominant microorganisms present after dry aging are the pseudomonads whereas the lactobacilli are the most prevalent in beef aged in the bag. It is also well-known that less shrinkage occurs with beef aged in the bag as compared with dry aging.
[/blockquote]

WrackMaster

I skin and debone right away.Then put it in garbage bags and leave in a fridge for 3 weeks.It'll stink when you remove from the bags, but thats just the blood and impurities that have drained from the meat.Rinse off and it smells fine and is ready to cut into nice tender steaks and roasts.

jcchartboy

No actually that is the result of.....

Buckstopshere

Also, don't store your cuts in garbage bags as the bags are not food safe and leach out bad stuff.
Can anybody tell me if there is any advantage or disadvantage to putting meat in a ( food safe) bag while aging in the fridge for a week or two, instead of aging without a bag? I'm wondering if some air circulation is beneficial, if there is no problem with other fridge odors.