MEAT hunters !!!!

[tokguy]

By some weird twist I've a daughter that works at Deerview Meats and a son who is marrying a daughter of the family that owns Premium Sausage, direct competitors who are about 10 miles apart.
Even the professionals do it somewhat different, one has told me that hanging venison is absolutely not necessary and the other has said it's beneficial. If it works for you and no-one gets sick; keep on doing what you like I guess.
Some folks like the gamier taste; me not so much, but hey...it's only my opinion.

 

[Suther]

If you are already vacuum packing and seasoning cuts and really want to go "over the top", check out a process called "sous vide".

A friend of mine invested in the equipment and this method is incredible for both flavor and tenderness. I am planning on getting my own set-up before hunting season so I can experiment with the process further.

"It is possible to duplicate some effects of sous-vide techniques with the use of a beer cooler filled with warm water, checked with an accurate thermometer, and ziploc bags with the air sucked out to package the food for cooking."

Boy I love the internet.

 

[45ACPKING]

I normally butcher my own meat, wrap and vacuum pack.
I had a mulie and a moose done years back at a butcher and was all bone in. it was good but I've noticed since I learned to cut my own meat that I prefer the flavour of deboned meat.
I always do burger and roasts as well, slicing steaks when needed.
I keep all my trim and lesser cuts frozen , vacuum sealed until late spring. then I grind and mix the moose and deer and add 20 to 30% lentil fed farm raised pork butt and I make a load of sausage just in time for summer BBQ season.
we feasted on moose/deer blend spicy smokies and my favorite bratwurst tonight ....... mmmmmm yummy
I think that the first two things that affect meat flavour is shot placement causing fast death and care of the carcass immediately following the kill. get er clean and cold as fast as possible, don't compromise on this and if you take care of your meat, it will be pleasing on the table.

 

[canadian hunter312]

I always clean out the blood with water im pretty sure it says it somewhere in the Ontario hunting guide

This part?

Do not wash game in lakes or other water sources
in the bush. These are prime sources of bacteria
that can contaminate the meat. Instead, carry
some paper towels to wipe out the carcass. They
are inexpensive, light and can easily be folded to
fit into a clean pocket.

every beef and pig. chicken and all other meat is washed before it leaves the kill floor .as long as your water is clean and you let ot dry right away like in a brezze it will be nice and clean .cold water also starts the meat cooling way faster then just hanging at outside temp .Dutch

That's sort of an apples vs oranges thing, no? Unless the livestock in your area are shot in the vitals (or gut) with a gun or bow, dressed in the bush, dragged through grass, leaves or water with an open body cavity, and hung in some random garage or shop at uncontrolled temperatures While there is likely no worry about using water most of the time, you cannot ignore the fact that water will definitely spread any harmful nasties should the meat be contaminated before it's processed.

 

[hunter148]

Have boned and processed all our deer since a butcher told me he keeps 5-10 lbs off every deer and he does not eat round steak. Guess that is why he sells RED deer pepperettes all year

It is not rocket science but caring for the carcass from the time it hits the dirt is paramount. If a shot is a little or a lot back make sure you remove ALL the contaminated meat and double check. We appoint one guy to be in charge of the hanging deer and if it ain't clean you go back until he says it is. There are times, not often, when the hit is so bad the butchering takes place that night on the rail to stop further contamination.( 50 cal makes a hell of a mess sometimes) This was after a new (no longer with us) guy said his gut hit deer was fine. Two days later the whole thing was rotten. Take the time before and after and you will have the best tasting meat you have ever had. I am to the point that by myself I can skin, cut, clean up and package a deer in about an hour and half. Six of us process 9-10 deer(gotta love extra tags) usually Saturday and Sunday and we are done by noon Sunday

I have fed boned out venison we process to people who would not touch it had the known and smack their lips and say what a great cut of beef they just ate. I shoot in southern Ontario so corn fed government beef it is until I tell them otherwise. LOL

 

[looch]

We gut deer and drag out whole, skin on. Moose we quarter, skin on, and put in "game bags" (stretchy cheese cloth). For moose we keep a spray bottle of vinegar handy to keep the flies off the meat. Once home, everything gets hung in the cold room for at least a week - again, skin on. We then skin, debone, butcher and vacuum seal ourselves. Offcuts are cubed and frozen for stew or sausage. We did try some moose T-bones once and they were very good, so not against leaving the bones in. Moose osso-bucco is delicious - especially the knee cartilage - but it's ridiculously huge.

 

[Brad34340]

We started de-boning our deer ourselves a few seasons ago. Mostly with a few youtube videos as guidance. There are guys that don't care about the "gamey" taste of venison --- But I'm generally not one of them. I can say that our experience on maybe 10-12 animals has been terrific. No bone cut wit a saw or anything else, practically all of the fat removed has translated to tastier meat by everyone's estimation. What does that mean ? Well I remember one evening we were having a post kill feed (to be fair we grilled the tenderloins so yes it was a better cut of meat) and one of the guys said "man My wife would eat this!" ..... She has been all over deer meat ever since .. where before the smell of the stuff cooking would send her out the door.

We cut some steaks, roasts and chops ...... Then leave some for jerky and grind the rest with some beef suet for burger ...... We also get some sausage made.

After the first couple were done we've got a lot more efficient with our technique.

We dress our deer immediately, Drag them out with the hide on ---- Endeavour to skin them out within 24 hours if possible and depending on the weather / location we hang them for a bit (maybe a week or longer ) ..... We de-boned a couple practically immediately however and I didn't notice any difference in the taste.

I do have a hopefully related question .

Our sausage guy takes 15 lbs of deer meat .... then adds pork and spices to do a batch.
Last season one of our party took and bagged about 30lbs of scrap cuts from the ribs, front quarter and neck (4 big Zip locks). This remained in his fridge sealed for about a week, and he couldn't get to the sausage guy right then so he froze it in his freezer. It's been there ever since --- So since late November. He mentioned the other day that he wanted to take the meat over and get some sausage made up. Good idea or not so much do ya figure?

Thanks guys

great thread

 

[tokguy]

Likely freezer burnt. Won't make you sick but might taste a tad off.
Our previous season is gone by mid year. The smaller the pieces, the more likely it's 'going towards the light' Roasts last longer, grind is 'off' first.
As far as gamey, each to their own. Napoleon used to send word to Josephine to cease bathing a week before his return...me, not so much. Maybe; a french thing, no?

 

[looch]

Likely freezer burnt. Won't make you sick but might taste a tad off.
Our previous season is gone by mid year. The smaller the pieces, the more likely it's 'going towards the light' Roasts last longer, grind is 'off' first.
As far as gamey, each to their own. Napoleon used to send word to Josephine to cease bathing a week before his return...me, not so much. Maybe; a french thing, no?

I have a very old English cook book that states: "Game birds should be hung by the neck, fully intact, until the body falls freely from the head". Yeah - probably not for me.

 

[GunGuy34]

I prefer moose with no bones, cut up into small fryable pieces and frozen. Id do that if i hunted anything eles as well. Other then roasts, thats how we like it.

 

[GunGuy34]

Brother freezes rabbits and fish as well as murres in water to prevent freezer burn.

 

[Wired leader]

No Bones

 

[tokguy]

I have a very old English cook book that states: "Game birds should be hung by the neck, fully intact, until the body falls freely from the head". Yeah - probably not for me.

Touche, a very stylish retort at that.
Does anyone cook worse than the English though? Boiled beef!
My father told me of an Englishman doing that when they were kids; dad just shook his head at the memory. Overnight in cold salted water and cook; that's the Southern AB way.

 

[medvedqc]

I have a very old English cook book that states: "Game birds should be hung by the neck, fully intact, until the body falls freely from the head". Yeah - probably not for me.

that is a way it was done in most of European countries including France we called that ( in French faisander). you never do that with duck or geese and that name came from the pheasant never tried personally but some like it lol ....

 

[looch]

Touche, a very stylish retort at that.
Does anyone cook worse than the English though? Boiled beef!
My father told me of an Englishman doing that when they were kids; dad just shook his head at the memory. Overnight in cold salted water and cook; that's the Southern AB way.

Touche? Retort? For the record I'm a 1st generation Canadian - my mother is British and my father is Italian.

 

[nw mb]

DUCKS?

...thanks for asking!

...i shoot a lot of ducks...for meat...

...a few years ago i started hauling up a freezer chest with milk jug ice blocks and a 5 gallon jug of fresh water with adjustable spout...as soon as possible i skin my ducks and rinse them off with fresh water leaving one wing intact for i.d....i bag my ducks and leave the wing outside the bag and put them on ice...and it makes all the difference in the world...clean...easy to skin...cools them right down...better tasting (some will ask if there is such a thing as a better tasting duck? lol)

 

[tokguy]

Touche? Retort? For the record I'm a 1st generation Canadian - my mother is British and my father is Italian.

LOL, if you can give me a better term than touche' in English I might consider using it. And retort is English. But enough of the grammar nazi.
Italians, they can cook. French as well. Strangely enough the 'mericans melting pot produced some good recipes. British; dry well IMO. And great Grandmother / Grandfather were English so no prejudice here. My mother said her father adopted the use of Garlic from his French neighbors; and his venison roast was renowned in the local rural country he lived in.
And I'm only 3rd generation myself BTW

 

[45ACPKING]

We started de-boning our deer ourselves a few seasons ago. Mostly with a few youtube videos as guidance. There are guys that don't care about the "gamey" taste of venison --- But I'm generally not one of them. I can say that our experience on maybe 10-12 animals has been terrific. No bone cut wit a saw or anything else, practically all of the fat removed has translated to tastier meat by everyone's estimation. What does that mean ? Well I remember one evening we were having a post kill feed (to be fair we grilled the tenderloins so yes it was a better cut of meat) and one of the guys said "man My wife would eat this!" ..... She has been all over deer meat ever since .. where before the smell of the stuff cooking would send her out the door.

We cut some steaks, roasts and chops ...... Then leave some for jerky and grind the rest with some beef suet for burger ...... We also get some sausage made.

After the first couple were done we've got a lot more efficient with our technique.

We dress our deer immediately, Drag them out with the hide on ---- Endeavour to skin them out within 24 hours if possible and depending on the weather / location we hang them for a bit (maybe a week or longer ) ..... We de-boned a couple practically immediately however and I didn't notice any difference in the taste.

I do have a hopefully related question .

Our sausage guy takes 15 lbs of deer meat .... then adds pork and spices to do a batch.
Last season one of our party took and bagged about 30lbs of scrap cuts from the ribs, front quarter and neck (4 big Zip locks). This remained in his fridge sealed for about a week, and he couldn't get to the sausage guy right then so he froze it in his freezer. It's been there ever since --- So since late November. He mentioned the other day that he wanted to take the meat over and get some sausage made up. Good idea or not so much do ya figure?

Thanks guys

great thread

if the packages aren't full of air and ice crystals and yellowing on the fat...... it could be just fine. I've done mixed game meat sausage right before season starts with meat that was bagged/wrapped properly. depends on the freezer too. mine holds everything at -18 so things stay good and frozen

 

[rednekhuntr]

We debone ours, we also remove all the fat and silverskin before we wrap and freeze. With the ground we remove as much fat as possible pre grinding. We've found that we get the best flavored meat this way.
My mother renders the fat and mixes it with bird seed, keeps her feeders going all year. It also makes good bear bait

 

[doc25]

I will either gut in the field or at home (usually hunting no more than 5 minutes from home). Do all my own butchering. If shot during the warmer ML season skin it and usually throw it in the unplugged freezer overnight (freezer is plugged in prior to that). Butcher next day if possible if not play plug/unplug freezer till i can, remove all traces of fat and as much silverskin as possible. Debone the meat when possible. If shot during rifle season skin and hang outside usually freeze in a matter of hours and saw with bone in. I do not intentionally age any game meat, it seems unnecessary as the meat I get tastes fantastic allready. Wrap in plastic and then wrap in butcher paper.

I haven't noticed any real taste difference with the bone in and cutting it that way makes it easier to achieve nicer round steaks. I haven't had a gamey deer that I have shot and butchered myself yet, but I have had some crappy tasting beef! I agree that rare to med rare is the way to go. If cooked to well done texture and taste seem affected.

I rinse chest cavity with the hose and don't mind spraying the whole deer down if necessary and really try to rinse any blood shot meat as well. We used to butcher and sell chickens and they were all rinsed in cold water to clean and start cooling process.