? to those who hang/age deer

[Chef]

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).

Dry aging for sure changes the flavor of the meat.... for one moisture leaves the meat there for the dilution is gone and that concentrates the flavor. Also that black crust on the outside usually contains healthy safe molds which give the meat a nutty flavor. Properly aged meat for sure changes the flavor. Trust me it's my job to know


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[Doc]

8 hours ago, chefhunter86 said:

 

 

Dry aging for sure changes the flavor of the meat.... for one moisture leaves the meat there for the dilution is gone and that concentrates the flavor. Also that black crust on the outside usually contains healthy safe molds which give the meat a nutty flavor. Properly aged meat for sure changes the flavor. Trust me it's my job to know


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If it takes an expert to tell the difference, the effort is wasted on me. I have had "un-aged" venison, "properly aged" venison (by a professional), and "improperly aged" venison. It all tasted the same to me except for one of those categories.....and guess which one that was. Damn that stuff was rank and even at the risk of offending my host, I left the rest of it on the plate to be thrown away. In his attempt to "age" the meat, he might as well have just taken it to the dump. So my recommendation, if you don't know what you are doing, turn that critter into little frozen packages as quickly as you possibly can and forget you ever heard the term "aging". I'm sure there are beneficial differences or slaughterhouses and professional butchers wouldn't bother doing it with beef and such. But I am also convinced that there are a lot of people who claim they are aging the meat and all they are doing is turning it into foul-tasting, half rotted, meat that every dog in the neighborhood wishes they could roll in.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Doc

[Chef]

If it takes an expert to tell the difference, the effort is wasted on me. I have had "un-aged" venison, "properly aged" venison (by a professional), and "improperly aged" venison. It all tasted the same to me except for one of those categories.....and guess which one that was. Damn that stuff was rank and even at the risk of offending my host, I left the rest of it on the plate to be thrown away. In his attempt to "age" the meat, he might as well have just taken it to the dump. So my recommendation, if you don't know what you are doing, turn that critter into little frozen packages as quickly as you possibly can and forget you ever heard the term "aging". I'm sure there are beneficial differences or slaughterhouses and professional butchers wouldn't bother doing it with beef and such. But I am also convinced that there are a lot of people who claim they are aging the meat and all they are doing is turning it into foul-tasting, half rotted, meat that every dog in the neighborhood wishes they could roll in.

Oh I agree completely with you! I don't age my venison. I don't have the proper space fans or refrigerator. And I also don't think anyone here should ever attempt to truly dry age meat at home. I'm just saying properly aged meat for sure tastes way different


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