Chewy Meat.........

[Lawdwaz]

Last year's archery buck was a big SOB.......dressed at 204 lbs.  Funny thing, the ground has been very chewy.  Each package from that deer is dated 11/10/2015 as all my meat is dated the day its processed by me. I killed the buck 11/7/2015 so it only hung for a few days.  We (my wife) has treated it the same as any other deer but each time we make something with the ground;meat sauce for spaghetti, stuffed peppers, chili, tacos etc all come out with some chewy chunks every third or fourth bite.  Some we had to spit out (give to the dog) but half again as many you are able to choke down after a few extra chews.

I've killed more than a couple of these big hogs and never had one as chewy.  One thing that I should point out is that this past winter I bought a 3/4hp Cabela's grinder to utilize the smaller holed plate and get smaller grind as my old grinder struggled with the meat sometimes. We don't have much of this ground (or any other) and my wife sure won't be sad to see the last package used up!

Thoughts or similar stories??

[Zag]

I've never had one tip the scales that much but when I do ill send most of it to wilsons.

[Uncle Nicky]

That's odd. I've never heard of ground meat being tough, not arguing, but just saying. I have butchered deer before where I noticed the muscles were extremely stiff, in every case it was a deer that died hard (didn't die immediately). 

[2012_taco]

Lawd, give me some of that big ass buck meat for jerky and i'll let you know if it comes out chewy!!

[airedale]

Use it up for Soup-Stew  in a crockpot and slow cooked for a day will solve that problem.

 

Al

[growalot]

I'd take chewy over the STANK buck I got in bow last year . He only weighed 174 field dressed....just opening a freezer bag to defrost in milk puts me off...it's like chewing on a tarsal gland...

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I've never had ground be tough. Almost sounds like the grinder was pushing through the plate and not cutting it as it went. I wonder what would happen if you reground it in the new grinder just before you used it?

[virgil]

Did you trim it well?  Maybe you have some silver skin and connective tissue mixed in there.

[grampy]

Just wondering if the knife inside the grinder was nice and sharp? We will touch up the blades, after each use.

[moog5050]

19 minutes ago, grampy said:

Just wondering if the knife inside the grinder was nice and sharp? We will touch up the blades, after each use.

My grinder has an auger than pushes the meat though holes in a flat plate.  Just want to be sure I am not missing something, does one sharpen that plate or the edges of the holes in the plate?  Mine seems to work just fine, but maybe I am failing to do some require maintenance.  or maybe, our grinders are of a different design.

LOL - just remembered that there is a "knife" between the auger and plate.  Shows how long its been since I used it.  Never mind.  Make sense to sharpen that knife.

Edited September 27, 2016 by moog5050

[deerpassion]

My grinder has an auger than pushes the meat though holes in a flat plate.  Just want to be sure I am not missing something, does one sharpen that plate or the edges of the holes in the plate?  Mine seems to work just fine, but maybe I am failing to do some require maintenance.  or maybe, our grinders are of a different design.

LOL - just remembered that there is a "knife" between the auger and plate.  Shows how long its been since I used it.  Never mind.  Make sense to sharpen that knife.

There in fact is a good routine to get in the habit of doing once before every season no matter what the quality of the grinder u have .. More powerful grinders will get by but u could get better performance out of it...

The plate with whatever size holes and the cutting blade that rotates on the plate are not in most cases a flat match ... Once before every season I take 3 diff grits of sand paper and lay the wheel with the holes that will be against the blade flat on the paper n sand down through the three diff grit papers with a couple drops of water on the paper , and repeat with the blade to make sure they are a true fit throughout the rotation for the best cut and reducing bogging down from tough sinu and connective tissue... Your supposed to use a sharpy to cover the surface of each to reveal uneven spots as you sand , and when sharpy is gone you know it's level , but a couple minutes with each grit usually suffices ..

Hope this helps n makes your grind that much easier n refined ... Joe


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[BizCT]

7 hours ago, growalot said:

I'd take chewy over the STANK buck I got in bow last year . He only weighed 174 field dressed....just opening a freezer bag to defrost in milk puts me off...it's like chewing on a tarsal gland...

sounds gross. I wouldn't even want to cook something that smells that bad. For me, venison goes on the grille with salt and pepper only. If it smells and/or needs milk, no thx.

[growalot]

First deer in darn near 40 years that ever had that problem...he was heart shot so didn't go over 25 yards. Shot during bow season...he was just an old rank deer...like a rutting goat...now a buck goat will urinate in his mouth and then flem...and I don't know if buck deer do that, but he sure tasted like he'd marinated his flesh in urine. to be honest the boys have seen a lot of him....sshhhh that would drive Mr. B nuts to hear...

[moog5050]

Way more than I want to know about a goat or speculate about a buck.  Lol

[growalot]

Moog...but if you ever wondered why a billy goat smells so bad...now ya know!...hahahaha

[rachunter]

i have a cabela's grinder and had the same problem with chewy venison,but not with other meats[beef,pork,chicken] i always thought it was the cuts of meat shanks being the main culprit,so i ground up a backstrap to try hamburger no more chewy meat.i now pick the grind cuts very carefully.

[wolc123]

I have noticed that the grind is chewier if I don't age the venison. With older deer, that is very important (you are now learning that lesson the hard way).  It takes about a week at 40 degrees for rigermortice to break down on a 1-1/2 year old deer, and 10 days for a 2-1/2.    Your buck was likely 3-1/2 or older, which means he should have been aged for 2 weeks or more.  

Last season I ground a 2-1/2 year buck two days after he was killed and the grind is a little on the chewy side (that is the one we are eating now).  At 3 days after killing, you ground and froze that older buck right about when the rigermortice had the maximum effect on the meat.   Also, your grind probably consists mostly of the lesser parts, including the lower legs, front shoulder, rib meat, etc..   How were the tenderloins and backstraps?   As someone already mentioned, the crock pot will take care of it.  I like venison-barley soup made that way.  

This season, find an old refrigerator and take the racks out of it.  Skin the deer, cut it in half, just ahead of the rear legs, and hang in the fridge prior to processing (1.5 yr = 1 week, 2.5 = 10 days, older 2 = weeks).  6 month old deer can be processed immediately.  You won't have any more trouble with chewy grind, or other cuts.   Those who don't age their venison just don't know no better, and they have no clue what they are missing.  Red meat is red meat, and it can all be improved by aging (google it if you don't buy what I am selling).     

When it comes to sharpening the grinder, it is not worth my time these days.   The plates and knives are mostly standard sized (#10, #12, etc) and you can buy them new at Bass Pro or other large retailers very reasonably priced.  A plate and knife costs less than $20 and may grind 100 deer before they need replacing.  I know I have put close to 50 deer thru my last set and they are still chopping as good as new.  The grinder has not plugged since I put them in.  That old grinder takes the chunks of meat as fast as I can drop them in.  It probably started out as a hand-crank model, but my grandad fitted it with a gearbox and 1/2 hp motor about 70 years ago.   Prior to putting in the new knife and plate, I had to take it apart and unplug it once or twice on every deer.        

 

[Zag]

13 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I have noticed that the grind is chewier if I don't age the venison. With older deer, that is very important (you are now learning that lesson the hard way).  It takes about a week at 40 degrees for rigermortice to break down on a 1-1/2 year old deer, and 10 days for a 2-1/2.    Your buck was likely 3-1/2 or older, which means he should have been aged for 2 weeks or more.  

Last season I ground a 2-1/2 year buck two days after he was killed and the grind is a little on the chewy side (that is the one we are eating now).  At 3 days after killing, you ground and froze that older buck right about when the rigermortice had the maximum effect on the meat.   Also, your grind probably consists mostly of the lesser parts, including the lower legs, front shoulder, rib meat, etc..   How were the tenderloins and backstraps?   As someone already mentioned, the crock pot will take care of it.  I like venison-barley soup made that way.  

This season, find an old refrigerator and take the racks out of it.  Skin the deer, cut it in half, just ahead of the rear legs, and hang in the fridge prior to processing (1.5 yr = 1 week, 2.5 = 10 days, older 2 = weeks).  6 month old deer can be processed immediately.  You won't have any more trouble with chewy grind, or other cuts.   Those who don't age their venison just don't know no better, and they have no clue what they are missing.  Red meat is red meat, and it can all be improved by aging (google it if you don't buy what I am selling).     

When it comes to sharpening the grinder, it is not worth my time these days.   The plates and knives are mostly standard sized (#10, #12, etc) and you can buy them new at Bass Pro or other large retailers very reasonably priced.  A plate and knife costs less than $20 and may grind 100 deer before they need replacing.  I know I have put close to 50 deer thru my last set and they are still chopping as good as new.  The grinder has not plugged since I put them in.  That old grinder takes the chunks of meat as fast as I can drop them in.  It probably started out as a hand-crank model, but my grandad fitted it with a gearbox and 1/2 hp motor about 70 years ago.   Prior to putting in the new knife and plate, I had to take it apart and unplug it once or twice on every deer.        

 

Heck you about have me sold. We usually cut it up within a day or two after. Maybe ill give it a try but I couldn't throw one in the fridge for 2weeks.

[stoneam2006]

Heck you about have me sold. We usually cut it up within a day or two after. Maybe ill give it a try but I couldn't throw one in the fridge for 2weeks.

I don't pr9cess my own but I do believe what he is saying...I don't know if time table is correct or not but aged red meat is quality and expensive when Boughton.

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[Lawdwaz]

22 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I have noticed that the grind is chewier if I don't age the venison. With older deer, that is very important (you are now learning that lesson the hard way).  It takes about a week at 40 degrees for rigermortice to break down on a 1-1/2 year old deer, and 10 days for a 2-1/2.    Your buck was likely 3-1/2 or older, which means he should have been aged for 2 weeks or more.  

Last season I ground a 2-1/2 year buck two days after he was killed and the grind is a little on the chewy side (that is the one we are eating now).  At 3 days after killing, you ground and froze that older buck right about when the rigermortice had the maximum effect on the meat.   Also, your grind probably consists mostly of the lesser parts, including the lower legs, front shoulder, rib meat, etc..   How were the tenderloins and backstraps?   As someone already mentioned, the crock pot will take care of it.  I like venison-barley soup made that way.  

This season, find an old refrigerator and take the racks out of it.  Skin the deer, cut it in half, just ahead of the rear legs, and hang in the fridge prior to processing (1.5 yr = 1 week, 2.5 = 10 days, older 2 = weeks).  6 month old deer can be processed immediately.  You won't have any more trouble with chewy grind, or other cuts.   Those who don't age their venison just don't know no better, and they have no clue what they are missing.  Red meat is red meat, and it can all be improved by aging (google it if you don't buy what I am selling).     

When it comes to sharpening the grinder, it is not worth my time these days.   The plates and knives are mostly standard sized (#10, #12, etc) and you can buy them new at Bass Pro or other large retailers very reasonably priced.  A plate and knife costs less than $20 and may grind 100 deer before they need replacing.  I know I have put close to 50 deer thru my last set and they are still chopping as good as new.  The grinder has not plugged since I put them in.  That old grinder takes the chunks of meat as fast as I can drop them in.  It probably started out as a hand-crank model, but my grandad fitted it with a gearbox and 1/2 hp motor about 70 years ago.   Prior to putting in the new knife and plate, I had to take it apart and unplug it once or twice on every deer.        

 

I've aged many deer but don't anymore.  2+ weeks is just fine IF IF IF you can control the temps.  I can't so I don't...........

Just to give you an idea of some of the things I've done with aging, how about aging ringneck's in the fridge for two weeks.......un-gutted.

Years ago in Europe they'd hang them until the body fell away from the head.

I've butchered older deer and don't remember chewy like this.  I doubt I have your experience with deer hunting and butchering but I'd guess I've probably butchered 125+ at this point and just don't recall the ground this chewy.  Not a big deal at all, just thought I'd give the members here something to chew on..........

[Lawdwaz]

11 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I've never had ground be tough. Almost sounds like the grinder was pushing through the plate and not cutting it as it went. I wonder what would happen if you reground it in the new grinder just before you used it?

At this point I'm not going to do that as I'll need a 2 wheeler to get it up the basement stairs.   One package would kill me.............

You could be right though on the grinder just pushing it through.  I have sharpened the blade before and it did seem to help.  The new grinder should hopefully eliminate these issues when I have the first one to run through it.  I hope I can run it through the small plate one time, we'll see.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I've heard of guys hanging ducks on a fence by the head until they drop to the ground, never had the "guts" to try that

[wolc123]

Most of my butchering is done during gun season, when the temperatures are more favorable for "out of the fridge" aging.  I just keep the widows covered in my insulated garage by day, and leave the hides on the carcasses.  I use the fridge or cut up and grind right away if the outside high temps are predicted to be above the lower 50's in the 10-day forecast. The fridge is real nice for late summer "nuissance-permit" and early archery season deer however.  Controlling the temperature is easy for me.  

 

[BigVal]

Man i don't think I'd have the stones to keep my meat in those temps for that time then eat it but what do I know 

[Arcade Hunter]

12 hours ago, wolc123 said:

I have noticed that the grind is chewier if I don't age the venison. With older deer, that is very important (you are now learning that lesson the hard way).  It takes about a week at 40 degrees for rigermortice to break down on a 1-1/2 year old deer, and 10 days for a 2-1/2.    Your buck was likely 3-1/2 or older, which means he should have been aged for 2 weeks or more.  

Last season I ground a 2-1/2 year buck two days after he was killed and the grind is a little on the chewy side (that is the one we are eating now).  At 3 days after killing, you ground and froze that older buck right about when the rigermortice had the maximum effect on the meat.   Also, your grind probably consists mostly of the lesser parts, including the lower legs, front shoulder, rib meat, etc..   How were the tenderloins and backstraps?   As someone already mentioned, the crock pot will take care of it.  I like venison-barley soup made that way.  

This season, find an old refrigerator and take the racks out of it.  Skin the deer, cut it in half, just ahead of the rear legs, and hang in the fridge prior to processing (1.5 yr = 1 week, 2.5 = 10 days, older 2 = weeks).  6 month old deer can be processed immediately.  You won't have any more trouble with chewy grind, or other cuts.   Those who don't age their venison just don't know no better, and they have no clue what they are missing.  Red meat is red meat, and it can all be improved by aging (google it if you don't buy what I am selling).     

When it comes to sharpening the grinder, it is not worth my time these days.   The plates and knives are mostly standard sized (#10, #12, etc) and you can buy them new at Bass Pro or other large retailers very reasonably priced.  A plate and knife costs less than $20 and may grind 100 deer before they need replacing.  I know I have put close to 50 deer thru my last set and they are still chopping as good as new.  The grinder has not plugged since I put them in.  That old grinder takes the chunks of meat as fast as I can drop them in.  It probably started out as a hand-crank model, but my grandad fitted it with a gearbox and 1/2 hp motor about 70 years ago.   Prior to putting in the new knife and plate, I had to take it apart and unplug it once or twice on every deer.        

 

I cannot agree with this more.  I butcher my own since 1985 and ALWAYS hang for at least a week.  Not only is the meat tender, it has an added flavor that is supurb.