doetrain

In the early Bow season if you take a deer in the evening and have to store it overnight until it gets processed,how do you keep it from spoiling? Do you process it right away or do you let it hang overnight or as some recommend for at least 4 to 5 days. I would hate to lose my meat by not presserving it correctly or have it be tough or taste bad because I did'nt let it hang long enough to let the blood drain.

Rhody Hunter

In the warm weather i process right away . I'll debone the whole animal and get it in the fridge or on ice . then you can age as is or package the next time you have time.
I don't notice any bad flavors or lack of tender because i process right away, i do trim the fat and silver skin more than most butchers do though.
If this isn't possible and you need to bring to a butcher the nxt day. put it in a cooler or pack with ice to get the temp down. I have also froze bootles of water to stck in the cavity when i am going to be a while before i get it home .
It wood be great to have my own meat locker but i haven't got around to making one of those, plus my wife won't like that idea. she has to many other projects for me

WrackMaster

Down here in SC lots of guys don't even dress the deer if they can get it to the processor within a couple of hours. (August, 100-110 degrees)

I field dress right away and put ice in cavity until I get home. If I don't have time to process, I'll put it in a cooler with bottles of ice over night.

country1

+1 Debone and put in the fridge with temp no higher than +40F, prefer +36F. Fat, silver skin and not field dressing and cooling the meat ASAP are what can give venison an off taste.

Whitetailmadness

In the early bow season I field dress the deer immediately (same year round) and as soon as I get to the first store I buy about 3-4 bags of ice and put them into the body cavity for the 30 minute trip home. I have the leisure to take it into the basement where I skin it and quarter it imediately then pack it on ice in a cooler of ice for a day or two. Then I'll bone it and seam it all out for packaging. Dont worry about the (draining) You'll be surprised at how much it will drain in the cooler and if you feel it needs more then after taking it out of the freezer and thawed soak it over night in water. Naturally if it's cold out you can hang it for a couple of days but only if the temps dont exceed 45 degrees.

Rhody Hunter

45 degrees is to warm. when they dry age beef it is between 33-38 degrees.
no more than 40 with a higher humidity. you can get away with higher temps but you
are putting your meat in the danger zone.
there is a small window to aging that is why i process rigt away
below 33 it freezes,no ageing. Above 38-40 you are rotting, not ageing.
ask a butcher what they keep ther meat at in the super market they will tell you the same

marquismarc

what I have done is dress it right away and pack the cavity with as many bags of ice as possible and then wrap the entire body with a tarp as tightly as possible and tie it down with rope so it does not unravel and keeps everything nice and contained. Then I put it in a spot that sees constant shade until I leave to go home. The butcher was amazed at how good the meat held up with this method, he said there was no spoiled meat.

doetrain

Thanks for your input everyone,I'll be reviewing these things if I get one early in bow season if it is as hot as last year.

7.62NATO

Do not worry about aging the meat. The meat can be aged even after it's been frozen. Pull it out of the freezer and leave in it's packaging, throw it in the bottom drawer of your fridge and let it thaw over the next several days. Once thawed, leave it in the bottom drawer as long as you can stand it...about 10 more days. It's hard for me to wait longer than 4 days after it's thawed.

Also, keep those front shoulders with first half of front leg WHOLE. I learned a secret about them. If you cook 'em right, they can be THE most tender part of the animal. Hard to believe with all those ligaments and sinew, I know. I used to HATE dealing with that part of the animal. I'll post the recipe later down the road. Hopefully they'll make it a sticky!

Deer Hunted

I agree, I think it tastes much better when it's dressed and 'preserved' right away.