Aging, Hang Time and Preservation of the Harvest

[356]

How long to hang a deer? Does it really need to age? How old is too old?

These are questions as a hunter I had no answers for despite having hunted for many years. In 2015 I had the opportunity to hunt with the lead butcher at Springfield‘s (MO) famous Harter House market. Based on his extensive life’s work processing beef and venison, going from field to freezer in four hours was his preferred method of ensuring quality meat, when possible. This works for venison harvested at home, and I had opportunity to do this a few times this year. It does mean the celebrations need to take place after the deer has been boned and the major cuts are in the freezer. I will freeze large portions from the hind quarters and shoulders that will be ground later. This allows me to grind semi-thawed chunks at a later date, which keep the grinder cool and the meat fresh when doing final processing.

Aging was recommended for any deer that would not be in the freezer before four hours. Two days was his recommendation, with “the longer the better” for those with a place to hang the deer. We aged my deer with skin-on, rib-cage spread open for four days. The temps ran from a low of 34 to a high of 55 during those days. I then took it to a processor (something I no longer do) and enjoyed some great venison.

In 2021 I aged a deer 28 days in a converted morgue that was now used for aging. The quality of the cuts was excellent, but there was some waste. I used the backstrap from this harvest to introduce three non-venison eating friends to quality venison, and all became believers after feasting on this “cut with a spoon” main dish.

When processing this year’s harvest I found a package of venison from 2020 that had been misplaced in the freezer. After thawing, it smelled ok, so I cut off the freezer burn and made it into jerky, clearly identifying this batch from the others. It came out great. 2020 was the last year we used “freezer bags” and did not vacuum pack our meat, so it was a good test of “how long.” Starting in 2021, I have vacuum packed our venison.

Looking for other ideas, impressions, but most of all, practical real life experiences that will help us all enjoy our harvests more.

 

[goatman]

When I first deer hunted 55 years ago deer were hung for at least a week with hide on. I've went back to that tradition with temps as you described. Hung in the open not in a closed shed. Back then you waited till you were 15 to deer hunt. My grandsons started at age 7. And they killed bucks in the youth season. Oh how terrible.

 

[Telemark]

I age my deer as long as reasonably possible. I like to keep the skin on for at least the first 24 hours, but two or three days is good if temperatures are low. We generally go by "day degrees", and it's about 50 days degrees in Celsius. That would mean hanging a deer for 10 days if the average temperature is 5 degrees Celsius. (10x5=50).

Humidity is a concern. High humidity can cause mold to form on the meat. Low humidity can desiccate the outer layer. Leaving the hide on can help with issues of low humidity, but then the hanging time should likepy be adjusted down.

Leaving the hide on the deer makes it more difficult to remove later, but the protection it gives is worth the extra work. If I'm going to transport an entire deer, I much prefer to leave the hide on until it's hanging in the spot where it will be butchered.

This year I hung my whitetail deer for two days with the hide on, and one more day with the hide off. Temperature was rather warm, probably around 10 degrees C (50 degrees F). It was the second deer gun season in Ohio. The red deer in Norway hung about a week at 7 degrees C in a cooler made for aging deer.

Results have been excellent so far. Tender meat with no off flavors.

 

[Telemark]

With regards to vacuum bags, I still use them when storing food long-term, especially mushrooms and vegetables. For meat and fish, I mostly use plastic wrap and zip lock bags now. Plastic wrap is essential no matter what, and it should go on a slightly damp surface so that it really sticks to the meat. This keeps the air off the meat.

Air is the enemy of frozen food. It will cause meat to become freezer burned and fat to go rancid.

Large fish I gut and then freeze whole, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Small fish get fileted, and the filets are frozen in a zip lock bag full of water.

The problem I have with vacuum bags is they can be unreliable when jostled around in the freezer. They get punctured, and then the food inside suffers. However, if I know something will be frozen for 6 months or more, I will tend to vacuum pack it and place it at the bottom of the freezer to prevent it from being jostled by people searching through the freezer.

 

[SwampCat]

Hanging and aging a deer - what is that - southern hunter wanting to know

We quarter and put in an ice chest covered with ice for a few days. Southern temps not kind for hanging deer - unless you like the extra protein of maggots with your deer meat

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

It all depends on what we have time for as far as deboning goes. I like to hang (hide off) for 1 week when possible.

 

[back4me]

How long to hang a deer? Does it really need to age? How old is too old?

These are questions as a hunter I had no answers for despite having hunted for many years. In 2015 I had the opportunity to hunt with the lead butcher at Springfield‘s (MO) famous Harter House market. Based on his extensive life’s work processing beef and venison, going from field to freezer in four hours was his preferred method of ensuring quality meat, when possible. This works for venison harvested at home, and I had opportunity to do this a few times this year. It does mean the celebrations need to take place after the deer has been boned and the major cuts are in the freezer. I will freeze large portions from the hind quarters and shoulders that will be ground later. This allows me to grind semi-thawed chunks at a later date, which keep the grinder cool and the meat fresh when doing final processing.

Aging was recommended for any deer that would not be in the freezer before four hours. Two days was his recommendation, with “the longer the better” for those with a place to hang the deer. We aged my deer with skin-on, rib-cage spread open for four days. The temps ran from a low of 34 to a high of 55 during those days. I then took it to a processor (something I no longer do) and enjoyed some great venison.

In 2021 I aged a deer 28 days in a converted morgue that was now used for aging. The quality of the cuts was excellent, but there was some waste. I used the backstrap from this harvest to introduce three non-venison eating friends to quality venison, and all became believers after feasting on this “cut with a spoon” main dish.

When processing this year’s harvest I found a package of venison from 2020 that had been misplaced in the freezer. After thawing, it smelled ok, so I cut off the freezer burn and made it into jerky, clearly identifying this batch from the others. It came out great. 2020 was the last year we used “freezer bags” and did not vacuum pack our meat, so it was a good test of “how long.” Starting in 2021, I have vacuum packed our venison.

Looking for other ideas, impressions, but most of all, practical real life experiences that will help us all enjoy our harvests more.

 

[back4me]

I hang deer in cooler at 38degree hide off the time in cooler 10-14 days varies during hunting season sometimes longer or shorter

 

[356]

Hanging and aging a deer - what is that - southern hunter wanting to know

We quarter and put in an ice chest covered with ice for a few days. Southern temps not kind for hanging deer - unless you like the extra protein of maggots with your deer meat

The “Southern Approach” is becoming more common further north due to transport regulations for CWD zones. This year I boned out every deer we harvested, going from field to freezer in most cases, or field to cooler in the other. On these quick “field to freezer” kills I have not found the quality of the meat to have deteriorated due to lack of aging.

 

[roymunson]

Meat Eater did a podcast with a meat scientist and it was very interesting.

In the end, I see it a lot like watching barometric pressure, etc for hunting. If I have the chance to hunt, I'll hunt, regardless of the "other factors"

I hang my deer and butcher it as I have time. There's weeks when I only have a certain day to butcher. If its not aged long enough, that's as good as it's gonna get.
That's the practical side of it. That said, I'd love to try it longer if I can.

 

[Telemark]

I hang my deer and butcher it as I have time. There's weeks when I only have a certain day to butcher. If its not aged long enough, that's as good as it's gonna get.
That's the practical side of it. That said, I'd love to try it longer if I can.

Sometimes it just has to be like that. I wanted to hang my Ohio deer a bit longer, but my parents wanted it done and out of the way since we were preparing to host a big party that Friday. The results were excellent, so I don't regret doing it when I did it. In my experience, taking care not to taint the meat will give great results no matter how long the deer is aged. I focus more on ageing deer now (when I have that luxury) because I eat a lot more of the meat as steaks now compared to years past.

 

[R.E. Gould]

I quarter in the field, put half a deer in 4 mil food grade bags. I got a lifetime supply from Uline. I used to put them in a 5 day cooler on ice for 7-10 days, but now I have a spare fridge. Little difference in the meat quality from fat doe to rutted out buck.

 

[Mortenson]

Have you guys tried aging deer roasts in the fridge? Any tips?

 

[356]

Have you guys tried aging deer roasts in the fridge? Any tips?

While I have not personally aged roasts in the fridge, this was a topic during our Field 2 Fork event, and the butchers highly recommended the process--especially if you had a net cloth to hang the roast.

I have aged tenderloins in the fridge and it worked great. I used a wire rack, not a net cloth. When the cut's weight dropped about 10% the proteins should be broken down just right. That took about one week. I salt the cut before weighing. I don't do this often because of limited refrigerator space, but it definitely works. Place the cut near the circulation fan, if possible.

 

[TenPoint]

Have you guys tried aging deer roasts in the fridge? Any tips?

I wet age back strap for a month in fridge. Not sure why you couldn’t do it with a roast too. I’ve never dry aged venison.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

I dont hang/age. More often than not I'm deboning in field if possible.

Sometimes if I feel itneeds it I will leave it in a cooler and ice age it for a few days. Otherwise I try and process the next day.

(Edit: 1000th post I guess. Took awhile. But here we are, about 7 years later, wtf does time go, ha)

 

[T-Max]

This ought to be a good test. I shot a doe on the 7th. She is currently hanging, skin on, in a big elm in my dad's yard. I went to skin her, and she is froze up good. We are in single digits until next Wednesday the 17th. I am trying to rig up a way to hang her in my shop, but it is unheated and probably won't help her thaw at all. I'm pretty sure I don't gain or lose anything by her hanging there frozen solid. Thoughts? Once I get her to the shop I guess I could run a heater some weekend and see if I can ger her loosened up a bit.

 

[356]

T-Max, I had this happen to a deer last year...hung it in the shed with the skin on, and it froze up solid....I used a buddy heater and improvised a tent with a couple of tarps to help bring the temp up to "frosty but not frozen." Skinning was a pain by "typical standards" but it was more of a "smaller bites at a time." Be patient.

If you can get her to the shop and a heater, that will work. Sadly, I am not sure if "ice aging" as you describe counts! The venison on my deer was fine--I just made sure I did not make the same mistake this year!

 

[T-Max]

1 day. I waited 1 day too long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Skye King]

I bought an upright beer cooler from a guy who won it in a drawing with the intention of making it a deer hanging cooler. The temp. stays around 34 degrees and it has been great for hanging a deer. I do have to quarter the deer because it is a real PIA to hang a whole carcass. The last deer I killed this year hung for a little over two weeks before we processed it. I have had the cooler for a couple of years and all the meat that has been hung in it tastes great. We are very particular processing the meat making sure to take all of the silver skin off and get rid of any fat. My meat is pure meat and always tastes great.

Oh yeah, I did cook the tenderloin from that deer the same day I killed it and it was a little tough. Reason for cooking the tenderloin so soon was to test a cherry wine sauce recipe that I found. The meat might have been a little tough but that sauce certainly made the meat taste great.

I personally would rather hang and age my venison.