I've had good results hanging a deer that size 3-4 days, longer is fine too, as long as the temperature is below 40 degrees. IMHO, letting the blood and serum drain out of the meat is what does away with any "gamey" flavor. Blood saturated meat will have a liver taste.
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Dropped deer off at butcher 2 weeks ago......not ready.....should I be worried?
- Thread starter whacko
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I let both my does hang head down for about 7 days, skin on, with the head half decapitated to drain the blood in a cement mixing bin. This was in the upper 30’s to low 40’s and the meat was/is still excellent. One doe was about 10 years old and 160lbs dressed. The other was younger and I didn’t get an age or weight on that one. Still have a lot of meat so no need to kill another this year nor do I have the time to.
one-eyed Jack
Manufacturer
I've "aged" many a deer in the warm weather by cutting it up and putting the quarters in the big old beer fridge in the basement for a week. Works fine. Jack.
45collector
NES Member
If there is no option to hang the deer in a controlled environment cooler, then yes that would be the next best thing if you were going to have to quarter it.
Dennis in MA
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How long can you wait? Fine steakhouses go 30 days or more.
Thats dry aging at the steakhouse not hanging. There is a difference. When dry aging the temp as well as the humidity is controlled (low humidity). Also dry aging develops a "pelicose" on the outside of the meat which needs to be trimmed off. Your losing ALOT of that meat after 30 days as much as 25%.
I watched a vid on hanging deer and in a standard cooler at 34 degrees after 21 days your losing a high percentage due to what has to be trimmed off and you not gaining enough flavor or texture to justify the loss due to what has to be trimmed.
Dennis in MA
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I watched a YewToob on aging venison. Butcher left the hide ON. Significantly minimized waste.
I don't have time to hunt, so I'm just SWAG'ing this. LOL. But what I've seen - you CAN age venison like beef. Although I was very surprised at how LITTLE meat is on your average deer.
I don't have time to hunt, so I'm just SWAG'ing this. LOL. But what I've seen - you CAN age venison like beef. Although I was very surprised at how LITTLE meat is on your average deer.
45collector
NES Member
I don't expect to get Delmonico steak quality out of a deer my buddies shot and butchered ourselves.
For each deer you kill, there's a perfect amount of cooler hang time somewhere after a few days and before a few weeks. I wish you could just weigh the gutted deer and that would tell you how many days to hang but it's not that simple. Some deer are skinnier than others. Some are older but not necessarily fatter than younger ones etc... Between deer that we've brought to butchers in previous years and ones we've butchered ourselves, I don't think any of them hung long enough to have had any substantial amount of meat trimmed away as scrap.
If it's not a "quarter the animal in the field and get it on ice for the trip home" kind of hunt, yes definitely leaving the hide on for the hang is optimal. All the deer hunting I've done has been in close proximity to civilization. No more than a half hour drive to the bait shop where we can pay to have the deer hung (which is now $10/day per deer).
Maybe some day I'll go elk hunting in Montana or something but I highly doubt it. A trip like that would be I dunno, several months' salary? A buddy of mine does stuff like that a few times a year.
But back to how long to hang deer, I thought even those little doe should stay in for at least 3 to 4 days to be perfect. A bigger deer, 150lbs or so would probably do well at 10 days to two weeks.
Mark from MA
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Im surprised anyone would do bone in anything on a deer. Its not like a cow. Marrow/Silverskin/Fat is gross and taints the meat. Silverskin in between does not break down unless you slow cook it. No one slow cooks steak.
I killed a 200# buck one year and had to have it butchered as I was still hunting hard. The guy sawed huge steaks out of the rear hams. Ruined them, everything around the bone area tasted aweful. First and last time I went to that guy.
totally.
Mesatchornug
NES Member
Not that I have to worry about it this year, but is he in MA so I can avoid him if I have anything to get processed in the future?
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
Most butchers will process a deer boneless. You just have to specify that you want it that way. It will likely cost a few dollars more.
Bob
I don't know where you guys get the idea bone in tastes bad? And how is it any different than a beef? I've had them cut bone in, from 110# to 193# and NEVER had any off taste. Are you letting your deer simmer in the sun before gutting them? Boneless is great if you like jerky on the barbeque' . A 1-11/2" bone in steak or chop is perfect for grilling, charred on the outside, rare on the inside. The bone keeps it from drying out, and overcooking. I suppose you also cut all the fat from the chops? Marinade the shit out it? Drown it in A1 steak sauce? You should stick to McRibb sandwiches.
peterk123
NES Member
I have been on a quest the past few years to use as much as possible when it comes to animals I harvest. I agree, deboning everything is not required, and in cases will lead to meat loss. For example, the neck. I used to debone it. Hardly got any meat off of it. Then one day I saved the entire neck, using a bone saw to separate from the head and body. I through it in the slow cooker and made a stew. Oh my god...... the amount of meat on that thing was staggering. The tendons and sinewy stuff just cooked away releasing some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten off of a deer. The taste was spectacular.
Then there is the rear leg. I debone most of the hind area, following the muscles. I used to debone the leg as well. This time I kept it bone on. I must confess, I stole the idea from a cooking show I have been watching, A Taste of History (highly recommended). Brazed it, then slow cooked in pot filled root vegetables and a red wine stew mixture. Meat fell off the bone. Taste was spectacular.
This year I started canning my own stock. I have gallons of chicken and turkey. I made stock with the venison bones as well, because beef bones are just too expensive. It came out fantastic.
Oh and I almost forgot; the ribs. Do not debone! Saw them off, throw it into a pressure cooker for ten minutes, then use the 3-2-1 method and your favorite rub and sauce in a smoker. I have posted pics of it before. It is to die for. My wife's favorite part to eat, and her favorite type of ribs.
My recommendation is to debone the parts of the animal that provide you with choice cuts. Add some fat using pork and clarified butter to enhance the flavor. Instead of grinding everything else up, try some bone on recipes. It all comes down to how you prepare it. Slow cooking and alcohol, or a good demiglaze, is the secret to flavorful meat especially when it comes to challenging cuts.
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
Aging the Best Deer Meat with a Walk-in Refrigerator
Read our tips for aging and hanging deer in a walk-in refrigerator such as the Game Locker. These fridges provide proper conditions for the best venison.
www.uscooler.com
