Aging, Hang Time and Preservation of the Harvest

[T-Max]

Update. I got her skinned and in the shop yesterday finally. Just finished butchering her. I think with the exception of a little more pellicle, she was nearly the same. I ate a little tenderloin last night and had a couple strips of sirloin tonight. Man she is good…


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[Skye King]

Nothing better than fresh venison.

 

[356]

I am resurrecting this thread due to posts that spoke about gaming tasting deer. Well prepared venison is a delicacy. Aging the meat I grind one week (in the fridge) makes a huge difference. When I serve aged venison to friends, they cannot believe it is not the finest beef.

This post began with an experience from a couple of seasons ago, but I recently encountered this Bearded Butchers podcast that put aging of venison into perspective.

 

[c2ranch]

Being in Texas, we don't really have the opportunity to hang deer either, unless you have a separate walk-in cooler. I expect we'll only have had a single week where the temps were below 45 this entire season.

I like to quarter, ice, and then wait at least a day before butchering to let the meat relax. Afterwards, most of the cuts get vacuum packed and wet aged from 1-2 weeks. The rear hind quarters, however, we almost always dry age.

I have a little mini fridge attached to a temperature controller. Add a little rv fridge fan and a pan of salt with water added for humidity. I hang the hind quarters in there and then age for 21 days. (Longer or shorter tends to not come out as well) Lose some meat due to the pellicle, but everything else is turned into steaks with just a bit of stew meat left over. Everyone who eats it says it's the best venison they've ever had.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

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

I'm on the other end of that. Like this year's doe, the option was throw it in the truck and take it to the processor before they close, or butcher it myself tomorrow. At which point it will be frozen solid. Done that too many times before, trying to skin and cut up a frozen block of ice by hand is no fun.

(it's not really aging if it's frozen)

Before I started doing them myself and well before we found someone "local" to camp to do them, they aged for how many days were left to the trip. I will say, there's something I miss about that. Seeing the deer hanging, looking at them the rest of the week. I guess it signaled some sort of accomplishment. Some enjoyment I didn't realize I was getting until it was gone. Rushing the deer off to get cut up so quick seems to have changed the whole experience and lessened it.

 

[Mtyhunter]

Oklahoma fall and winters have changed over the decades, and it's never cold enough anymore, imo, to hang a deer for days. Kinda surprised that some here are ok with hanging for days at 50 degrees. I'd feel way more comfortable hanging with temps in the mid 30's, but, since I don't ever do it, I'm not sure what's right. Last thing I want is to make someone sick eating my food.
I just skin/quarter them up, and put on ice and salt in a cooler for 3 days. I'll use 1 backstrap for a meal or two, but all the rest of it goes towards jerky and ground venison. Usually will jerky up 2 deer every year, 40lbs of meat, making an average of 15 pounds of jerky. Takes me 3 days start to finish, and I'm worn ass out.

 

[Telemark]

Kinda surprised that some here are ok with hanging for days at 50 degrees.

I've hung deer for 3 or 4 days at 50 degrees as long as the humidity is low.

 

[356]

I’ll be picking up the one from deer camp that has been aging for six weeks on Thursday.

 

[T-Max]

Those 50 degree days are the reason I never skin my deer until I process them anymore. Way easier to skin when they are warm, but I think that hide insulates the carcass if I need to make it through a couple warm days. My doe earlier this year made it through two 50 degree days (not consecutive) and when I processed her everything was great! Other than those two days she had lows in the mid 20’s and highs right at 40. Perfect hanging weather IMO.


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