What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I am not talking about the normal taste of venison, I enjoy that, but the real strong gamey taste that some deer have. I used to think that it was the age and the sex of the animal (bucks in rut) and even if it was a farmland deer vs one that wasn't, but now I am not so sure. Last year I harvested a young 8pt not grain fed one week into the season well before the rut and it had a very strong gamey taste (I made lots of sausage) , this year I took a much older 12pt also not a farmland deer during the peak of the rut and it made great table fare. The only difference is the the 12pt dropped in its tracks and the young 8pt ran aways and took me about half an hour to track and take the final kill shot. Which leads me to believe that it maybe adrenaline that causes the strong gamey taste??? I suppose they all have something to do with it, but I was just wondering if anybody else has any other opinions or experinces with this!

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

You can marinate the steaks in milk overnight to help with the gamey taste. As to why some have it, I don't know.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I have noticed the older the deer the more gamey. Usually older bucks.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

TT,

I would say it was because the deer did run off and lived til you may the final shot, stress, etc.

I have noticed this deer and hogs, the ones' that drop on the spot seem to have the best taste.

No help, just an opinion.

dog1

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

When you drop a animal in it's tracks and kill it instantly it shuts down the body fluids. You are correct in saying that the adrenaline has run throught the tissues and tainted the meat.Most of the time it is with rifle shot game as they know they have been hit as there is pain. I believe most archery shot game that has run away does not know they are hit and just run away as there isn't much pain therefore not as much adrenaline. My opinion is based on my experiances at harvesting game with bow and rifle.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I can't say for sure either. I do know that none of the grain fed does I have taken,( a lot ), ever had a Gamey taste. I do know that quite a few bucks I have taken do have a stronger gamey taste. I always though that part of it is the diet they have. During the rut, I would not shoot a buck in our area for food.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I'm convinced some hunters receive deer from the processor that aren't even their deer...an animal improperly cared for/transported/stored/processed could all lead to this dilemma. I suggest tending to the entire experience and going with a trusted processor exclusively, or butchering the animal yourself.

It's also fairly common knowledge that the younger/female deer tend to taste the best.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

That gamey flavor, in my opinion, can be avoided in the following ways:
1. Making a good, clean kill.
2. Field dressing the deer immediately following the kill.
3. Allowing the animal/meat to cool quickly after field dressing.
4. Removing all "silver skin" before cooking.
Do all of the above, and the meat will taste great.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Something I've noticed over the years, the longer you let your deer hang before butchering the less likely it is to have that strong "gamey" taste to it. I usually let my deer hang 1-2 days (refrigerated) before butchering.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I always do my own meat. I had a buddy who worked at a meat processing plant. His stories finished me on letting someone else do my meat.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

same here but if i can i let them hang 5 days if the temp allows

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

The weather has been so warm in the early season that I have been unable to let them hang longer than over night. So the next morning I quarter then up and place then in a cooler on ice for 3-4 days before processing. I also bag it in garbage bags to keep the water away from the meat. This has worked wonders in the taste for me. Even the garbage I grind up Hardly has any gamey taste to it.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Lots of things contribute:

Age and sex of the deer
Shot placement(dead right there vs. a 100 yard runner)
Stage of the rut
Field dressing
Handling of the meat from field to freezer


You can't influence #3(except by choosing your hunting times), but the other things you can have an impact on. In my experience bucks and older deer tend more towards a gamey taste. Taking doe and younger deer mitigates this. Shot placement is crucial, as was mentioned here, a deer that has enough life to run has adrenalin coursing through them and that stiffens the muscle fibres. I shoot a high shoulder shot that breaks the shoulders and hits both lungs. I haven't had a deer take a step since I started doing so and have tasted the difference. Field dressing can make or break your deer. I do it quickly and as soon after dropping the animal as possible. We normally are able to start dressing the deer within 15 minutes(or less) of the shot. Be carefull to keep urine, bile, feces or milk(milk seems especially bad for some reason) off the meat. Keep several gallons of water handy and wash the carcase out as soon as you are done, or if you get any of the above mentioned items on your meat. I have a big 5 gallon Culligan water jug with a hose on it that I keep in my truck, it works perfect for this. What to do after field dressing varies in opinion to opinion, I can only tell you mine. The quicker you get your meat to the fridge the better it will be. I don't care for hanging or storing overnight, we go straight to the processor. I'm normally looking at about an hour and a half from the shot to dropping the deer at the processor and out meat never has any gamey taste. If you don't use a processor or can't get to them this quickly I would hang the carcass in a fridge or outdoors if it will be nice and cold. If you are taking a longer drive to a processor I would pack the cavity with ice and place the carcass in a cooler, truck box, etc where it can be kept nice and cool. Good luck and happy hunting!

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT put your meat in garbage bag-- the inside is coated with a chemical to keep odors from developing and is not good if ingested -[:-] if you want more on it i will find the article. i used to do the same thing--- i dont remember who posted it but if you can air condition a small place-like a garage or shed and get the temp down to 40-45 degrees-- it was a great idea

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I always do my own deer meat and learned from a butcher who was a neighbor. It is important to thoroughly clean blood out of the inside of the body cavity and I try to let it hang in a cool place for 3 to 5 days if possible. I bone all the meat and trim all fat and tallow from the meat. No saws are allowed top touch the meat, just sharp knives. As far as the question of a deer being hit and dying a slow death which taints the meat I can only share my last kill. I hit the deer at 7 am and didn't make a particularly good shot. I had good tracking snow and followed it for over 6 hours. I jumped it multiple times but couldn't get off a good shot. It was getting noticeably weaker and I finally caught up to it in a bed and finished it off. The meat was really dark and I figured it wouldn’t be that good but was surprised at the wonderful flavor when I finally got the nerve to cook some up. It was a 2 1/2 year old buck. I have harvested dozens of deer and the only bad ones I have had were ones that were bow shot through the guts and didn't find them until the next day and it was warm.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I've never had any gamey tasting meat that I've processed in 20-25 years. I've killed them and let them hang in a walk-in cooler, I've quartered them and thrown them on ice in a cooler. I've tracked them aways and had almost instant bow kills. The only common denominator I can see for all of them is that I trim all fat and slimey stuff before I wrap in plastic and freezer paper.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Bingo, jetblast.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I think it can be a combination of things gone wrong can take it from "a little gamey" to untolerable.

Bad shots that let it run live or other wise saturate the meat with adrenaline. I just don't think this can be fixed by marinating or anything else.

Trim off all the fat.

Assuming everything else is at least addressed in a reasonable manner I've never had any gamey taste at all. It still taste like venison but none of that bitter or at least that's what I call gamey taste.

Many times I've cooked a neck roast from one like this in a crock pot and cooked just like beef most people can't tell it from beef even when both are right there at the table.

Steaks still taste like venison but I don't do a thing different to them than I do to beef steaks.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I believe it has alot to do with the cook and overcooking. I personally have only had one strong nasty tasting deer and that was a roadkill fawn that I pickup up in March after a winter where they were eating nothing but cedar and they were very stressed.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I don't have that problem anymore. A meatcuter i know told me to make sure the deer is cleaned well and cool it off. When you cut the meat there is some small glands inside of the hind quarters and front shoulders that look like small gray lima beans, get them out, if you cut them open anything the knife, your hand, or the gland touches will be contaminated and have a strong gamey taste. This can also happen with store bought meat such as lamb or beef. I've shoot deer in east texas and california, in texas the weather is cool to cold70 or lower in calif. it was near 100 and all my deer always run, good shots just bad luck so I don't think that running has much afect on the taste

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I believe a lot of the quality can be traced to the care given as well. Cleaned carcass, allowed to cool asap is very important. I make sure the animal is gutted/skinned asap and internal cavity is wiped clean. If the guts, etc are distrubed I believe it should be thoroughly rinsed off with clean cool water. Before cutting and wrapping I also believe the muscle need period to relax (rigor to be removed upto 24hours) if temps allow hang, if not quartered and fridged or iced. At the butcher table debone(no need to saw) all silver skin, talc, etc should be removed. When wrapping one should try to prevent the cold air from touching the meat, ways this can be done is double wrap, saran then butcher wrap or freeze pack(foodsaver). Finally the freezing process I spread my meat out vs stacking in a deep freezer to ensure it freezes continuosly not spot freezing.

The next is the actually preperation of the meat, wild meat should not be cooked anymore than med, med-rare is even better. The lack of fat means the meat will dry quicker than domestic meats, so reduce the cooking times and pull off while it still has juice and colour. If you must cook it well done then use merinades, bacon, etc to infuse fat or juice to your dish.

Like mentioned do not store your meat in garbage bags, use meat safe bags instead. Any butcher supply store will have clear meat bags you can buyin a variety of sizes. If you ice and no meat safe bags washed plastic milk or pop jugs filled with water and froze work in lieu of cubed ice.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I have had just the opposite experience it seems the quicker I get it home skinned and butchered the better it taste. I never liked the taste of deer until a friend of mine had me over for a roast and I told him thats the best beef roast I had ever had thats when he told me it was venison so I asked why it didnt taste gamey and he said the longer you let it hang with the hide and fat on it the worse it is, so since then I butcher as soon as possible and I love my venison now!

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Blood in the meat can give it an off taste. The reason why bow deer taste better is because they always bleed out.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

blood and fat are my theories. on deer you dont want to mount, cut all the way up the neck and get that windpipe out. carry two knives,on bucks use one knife to cut off the tarsals and the other to to do the guttin'

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

I cut up my deer the next day after I harvested it. I also cut off all the fat. Every one says my deer meat taste great.

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Never had a gamey tastin deer! I had a deer steak last night with some angel hair pasta that would make your toes curl!! It even had the round bone in it, like a.........what is that called? A ribeye?, not a t-bone but it just has the round small bone in the steak? I dunno, but man i was chewin on that bone like dag-gum lion on a carcaus!!:D

RE: What makes some Venison taste Gamey?
 

Adrenaline is what contributes to that strong taste. Field dressing a deer promptly and letting it bleed out as well makes a difference . If possible the time it is hung priior to butchering makes it more tender doesn't really remove the gamey taste. I notice that archery killed Deer and Elk taste much better then gun shot deer.