? to those who hang/age deer

[JFB]

I was fortunate to shoot a 4.5 old 9 point but unfortunately it took about an hour to expire. It didn't run hard but it was stressed for that hour due to the injury so I'd like to age the meat and temps will be right in my attached garage. 

The animal had to be skinned for the taxidermist so I went ahead and extracted all the steak cuts and kept them whole for now. My questions are these:

1) I didn't want the cuts to dry out so I wrapped them in plastic and poked a few holes for some air to escape. Is that a smart way to store the meat in controlled temps for a few days? 

2) Would the meat age just the same if I made the steak cuts and sealed them in sealed plastic bags while they aged? (how important is it for the meat to 'breath') 

(I know some don't believe in aging but would like info from those who do). Thanks

 

 

 

[nodeerhere]

I keep them whole. I us a tote in the fridge. With a rack about 2 inches off the bottom. So blood can drain. And I use 1 inch sticks to keep the top about an inch off the tote so air can circulate. This has worked well for me. Put it in there 5/7 days. 

[JFB]

The other thing I should have mentioned is that before covering the meat in plastic I patted them down with paper towel to be sure they were not real bloody when wrapped. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I know guys that age after they thaw the meat. on a rack in the fridge. 

[growalot]

I avoid ever wrapping in plastic... just quarter and place in cooler with the frozen water bottles around it...

BTW I got news...but won't count chickens until hatched ...this is in our future...Not same one, used, but big enough for two whole with legs cut off...Last time I got excited  they sold the walk ins...hhmmm

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Maxx-Cold-X-Series-49-cu-ft-Double-Door-Commercial-Reach-in-Upright-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-MXCR-49FD/203353626?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-206792398-_-203353626-_-N

Edited December 9, 2016 by growalot

[ATbuckhunter]

Well in theory is should be the same as letting it hang for the second question, but im not sure about the plastic on the first questions. Should be fine, but ive never heard of anyone doing it. Congrats on the deer btw. Have any pics?

Edited December 9, 2016 by ATbuckhunter

[Culvercreek hunt club]

8 minutes ago, growalot said:

I avoid ever wrapping in plastic... just quarter and place in cooler with the frozen water bottles around it...

BTW I got news...but won't count chickens until hatched ...this is in our future...Not same one, used, but big enough for two whole with legs cut off...Last time I got excited  they sold the walk ins...hhmmm

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Maxx-Cold-X-Series-49-cu-ft-Double-Door-Commercial-Reach-in-Upright-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-MXCR-49FD/203353626?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-206792398-_-203353626-_-N

It kills me. 7 years ago I was doing a project at a college in CT. had to demo a cafeteria and there was an 8x8x8 free standing walk in cooler with 100% workign compressor, all stainless. didn't have a spot for it so it went for scrap. wish I had it now. 

[Doewhacker]

1. perfect

2. That does the same thing as hanging it only with out the waste and nasty mold. shhh dont tell the HNY experts lol

[growalot]

Culver...you can guess he keeps very tight lipped around me on this stuff...I haven't forgotten the walkins...neither will he ,until I get an Archery warm weather system here. He said we need to rent a storage unit until he figures out how to get it in the basement...I told him to FINALLY put in the new garage or barn we need...lol...nagnagnag

Edited December 9, 2016 by growalot

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

This may help ..

http://mwoutdoors.com/how-long-should-i-let-my-deer-hang-aging-vension/

[JFB]

Thanks all. I didn't want it to dry out which is why I wanted the plastic contacting the meat. But based on responses I took it out of the plastic wrap and slipped it into clean pillow case which should allow

it to breath and not get crusty. 

[vizslas]

4 hours ago, Bowshotmuzzleloader said:

This may help ..

http://mwoutdoors.com/how-long-should-i-let-my-deer-hang-aging-vension/

thats not how to cut your meat off the rear leg. that guy is a hack.

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

42 minutes ago, vizslas said:

thats not how to cut your meat off the rear leg. that guy is a hack.

It was a example of hanging and aging ..

[vizslas]

i know but what he was doing to that hind quarter was just a dirty shame...slicing through all those different muscles to get a steak I used to hunt with a couple fellas that cut up the hind quarters like he did in the video. My buck from Monday is still just hanging around.tenderizing as we speak....

[nodeerhere]

When he sai butcher I didn't think he ment BUTCHER!!! Them poor hind quarters!! 

[ATbuckhunter]

Not how I would butcher it, but if he likes it then why not. I know someone who grinds literally the whole deer...backstraps and tenderloin included. 

[Uncle Nicky]

I worked in the meat business a number of years. Cryovac meat did not improve with age, actually the blood started to get sour and gave the meat a gassy smell if it got too old. Aging meat, unfortunately, involves drying it (on the outside) and a lower yield, that is the price you pay for fork-tender steaks.

[turkeyfeathers]

51 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

. I know someone who grinds literally the whole deer...backstraps and tenderloin included. 

Yikes !!!

[ATbuckhunter]

1 hour ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Yikes !!!

That's what I thought, but he loves it that way so who am I to say anything about it. As long as its enjoyed by someone, its fine by me. 

[JFB]

5 hours ago, Uncle Nicky said:

I worked in the meat business a number of years. Cryovac meat did not improve with age, actually the blood started to get sour and gave the meat a gassy smell if it got too old. Aging meat, unfortunately, involves drying it (on the outside) and a lower yield, that is the price you pay for fork-tender steaks.

When you say a "lower yield", I assume you are saying because you have to cut off the dried part and you then get less? 

Thats kind of why originally I was keeping something in contact with the meat, such as the cloth pillow case that will allow air to get to it and breath.? Seemed logical lol 

[Uncle Nicky]

9 hours ago, JFB said:

When you say a "lower yield", I assume you are saying because you have to cut off the dried part and you then get less? 

Thats kind of why originally I was keeping something in contact with the meat, such as the cloth pillow case that will allow air to get to it and breath.? Seemed logical lol 

You will get a lower yield not only because you have to trim off the black crust that will form, but a little moisture is going to evaporate from the edible meat also. The pillow case idea sounds good, I've never heard of it, but you may be on to something!  Let us know how it works out. Also, here are a couple pictures of what dry-aged beef and venison are supposed to look like. 

[wolc123]

Keep us posted how it turns out.  The slow death and old age are not in your favor when it comes to taste and texture.

I have am old GE non-frost free refrigerator/freezer from the 1950's in the garage that does a good job of aging venison without drying it out too much.  I think a modern frost-free one might not work as well.  I have removed all the internal racks and installed hooks on the top.  In warm weather (when the long range forcast is predicted to be above 50 degrees for extended periods), I skin the deer ASAP and remove the rear section with a saw.   I rest the front part on the neck against the bottom of the fridge and hang the rear from the tendons by the hooks on the top.  Close the door, leave it in there for a week for a 1-1/2 year old deer or 10 days for an older one.   Then you are ready to process, all the riggermortise is out of the meat, and it is not dried out at all like those pictures up above.   

[Doc]

My idea of aging is to sling it into the truck bed as soon as it comes off the hill and drive over to the processor. Usually before the day is out, I am on my way back to the processor to pick up the packages of meat.

Yeah, I know that is heresy, but I have no walk-in coolers to do the hanging the right way, and I am still remembering the old days when it was standard practice to hang the deer from a tree limb in the front yard where it can freeze and thaw and freeze and thaw and dangle in the sun. And then people tried to call that food.....lol. So depending on the luck of the weather, your venison could taste somewhere between reasonable and rotted garbage. I have never had bad venison since we started the instant processing. Even when we were processing our own, they were reduced to little packages before nightfall.

[wolc123]

I doubt that aging has any effect of the flavor, but it sure does change the texture.  In red meat, whether it be beef, moose, elk, or whitetail, riggermortice starts within a couple hours of the kill. That is what makes the legs stick straight out on the road-kills when you see them on the shoulder.   You got to be very fast with your processing if you want to get ahead of it.   If you process them later the same day or early the next, then freeze, you are just about maxing out the "toughness" of the meat.   Even the grind is chewier if you do that.    

The old refrigerator makes controlling aging fairly easy but I still like it when the outside temps are predicted to be in the 30 - 50 degree range over the week to 10 day aging period.   Then I can just hang them, inside my insulated garage, with the hide on until the day prior to processing.  That hide does a great job of insulating against daily temperature extremes and keeps the meat from drying out (except for the tenderloins which should always be removed the day of he kill and put in the fridge for a day or two before consumption).

[Caveman]

Wolc, you are a huge proponent of aging meat here, and that's cool.  I'm not going to contest your experience in meat handling.  But, every single time you write "riggermortice" I physically cringe.  It's like nails on a chalkboard for some reason.  It's "rigor mortis."  It's just a pet peeve of mine, but its driving me nuts.