So I shot a small buck this season, little spike horn. We let it hang in my garage for 7 days. We butchered it up, vacuum sealed the meat and put it in the deep freeze. For some reason, the last two roasts we cooked had a pasty texture. The flavor was fine, but the texture was almost like liver. Anyone know what causes that?
Pasty/mushy venison
- Thread starter Bulldog26
- Start date
FatCatsDad
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Freezer Burn ?
I don't think so, the meat looked great going into the freezer, and looks great coming out. We did have a couple of warmer days while it was hanging in my garage. Not extreme warm or anything. day 1-3 were cold, day 4 and 5 warm, 6 and 7 back to cold. Not sure if that would cause it or not. so far both roasts have been from the hind quarters, so i'm not sure if its the same for the other cuts
as far as i know it shouldn't have....I've hung deer in that garage in much colder weather in the past and never had a problem. It was a clean double lung shot, and a clean field dress. Everything was done the same as every other time, the only thing i can think of is temp fluctuation. This is the first time i've ever had meat with this texture.
The meat smells normal, looks normal, and no one has gotten sick....its just the damn texture. Pasty, almost like biting into play-doh
350tracker
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Interlake Manitoba
So when it's ready to cook it looks normal ? Maybe it's in the cooking procedure. The oven is working 100%
Have you tried other cuts ?
Have you tried other cuts ?
Wife does all the cooking, one was cooked in the instant pot and the other in a regular slow cooker. so far we have only tried the two roasts from the hind quarters. (and some burger, but that was in chili) I might get her to try some of the chops from the back straps. I really hope the whole deer isn't like this
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
Just a few thoughts from my point of view. While I definitely believe in aging venison, for spikers or does it seems to me less important, as they're much more tender from the get go compared to a big ole rutted up buck. Take something that by all accounts is usually tender and age it a week "could" cause the texture to seem mushy. As for the temps, I believe that slightly warmer than optimal temps speeds the process up (not recommending this at all) as this also happened to me once.
A slow cooker or instapot wouldn't give you a real feel for the texture, because you can turn shanks or any part of the front leg/shoulder into absolute mush given enough time. Cook a steak in a cast pan with high heat and short time to find the true texture. As for the suggestion of it being freezer burnt while being vac sealed and then causing a mushy texture...well...smoke some more weed lol.
A slow cooker or instapot wouldn't give you a real feel for the texture, because you can turn shanks or any part of the front leg/shoulder into absolute mush given enough time. Cook a steak in a cast pan with high heat and short time to find the true texture. As for the suggestion of it being freezer burnt while being vac sealed and then causing a mushy texture...well...smoke some more weed lol.
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Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Never had that happen before but I don’t hang or age wild game, I don’t see the benefit as it’s not beef marbled with fat.
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
My experience sure doesnt agree with this comment. I started out ageing/hanging deer because that is "what I was told was the best thing to do", however one fall 20 yrs ago or so a very warm spell blew in and I had a couple new deer hanging that due to the warm-up needed to be cut & put in the freezer immediately. One of those deer was a 7 yr old 210" shot in the full rut buck, the other a mature doe of unknown age. I fully expected that old buck to be a lot less desirable to eat than the doe but we soon realized that old boy was just as good as the doe.
Well, we thought that that was just a "one off" but it wasnt. We started butchering and boning, trimming (by "trimming" I mean removing every speck of fat from the meat before it goes into the sausage pot or freezer bag as a roast) our deer immediately that they hit the ground. Now , I want to take a breathing animal into the sausage pot or freezer within 4 hrs of hitting the ground. I realize that wont be possible for a lot of you hunters but for me it is, the last 10 or 12 deer I have harvested have been within 200 yrds of my house.
I say that I thought it a "one off" thing but it hasnt been, I have killed a couple more 200" inchers and other full mature animals and they all turn out the same since i started this butchering style...I dont even try to "pick a good eater" out of a bunch, just anything that is suitable for the tag I have at the time.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
I'm not here to change anyones mind on hang time or not, just offering my opinion. Your experience doesn't invalidate my experience though, as I've done both as well. The real wild card here, whether anyone wants to admit it, is the person cooking.
A funny story. I'm not throwing shade, but my mother has always been a lousy cook. Her mother hated cooking, and so does she, and she makes no bones about it. You can imagine growing up and everything cooked to death and tough as a boot, you might learn the ins and outs of cooking pretty quickly, because having a sore mouth from eating should never be normal as a child. I can almost say with certainty that I could go head to head, her cooking a wagu beef steak, and me a big stompin' blade steak, and I would probably still end up with the more tender piece of meat.
Moral of the story? Sometimes it's not the wand, but rather the magician. If aging venison doesn't do anything for you, I believe you.
I agree. I think that they hung it too long and just caught it before it turned sour.
OK,
The reason I sk is I once had a deer that froze solid during a cold spell while hanging it.
I had to wait for warmer weather to thaw it a bit for butchering but not longer than I woudl have hung it anyway.
On some of the cuts, i noticed a slight change in texture but I don't think that coudl account for a pasty texture out of the instant pot or slow cooker.
What species of deer and where abouts did you get him?
Is this in BC?, AB, ON, NB?
You got CWD out there?
P.S. I just did a quick google search. Most articles point to overcooking (length of time, not temp) or use of a tenderizing agent. CWD is an unlikely cause. Phew
Try pan fry.
Little sel and poivre.. pan fry with lard or butter to desired pinkness, then if im not lazy ill make a balsamic reduction but I usually just cheat and use nona pias reduction.
I use the slow cooker for stew, and some tougher cuts. But thats it.
Little sel and poivre.. pan fry with lard or butter to desired pinkness, then if im not lazy ill make a balsamic reduction but I usually just cheat and use nona pias reduction.
I use the slow cooker for stew, and some tougher cuts. But thats it.
Slow freezing is likely the problem. A big piece of meat will freeze way more slowly than a thinner cut. Slow freezing results in larger ice crystals which propagate through the tissue and destroy the muscle cells. This is called syneresis. It is why commercial food packers have big blast freezers.
I believe that to be correct. I have taken a few “fawns” on antlerless tags and yes they lack the robust muscles you find on older animals.
