"Controversy has long raged about the relative quality of venison and beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison is tough, with a strong "wild" taste. Others insist that venison is tender and that the flavor is delicate. To try and resolve this issue, a blind taste-test panel was conducted. A certified research group was empanelled to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions.
First, a high-choice 1100 pound Hereford x Holstein steer was selected and led into a swamp approximately a mile from the nearest road. It was then shot several times in various locations throughout the carcass. After most of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged over rocks and logs, through mud and dust, thrown into the back of a pick-up truck and transported through rain and snow approximately 100 miles before being hung in a tree for several days. During the aging period the temperature was maintained at between 25-60 degrees. Next the steer was dragged into the garage and skinned out on the floor.
PLEASE NOTE: Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the processing within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs were allowed to sniff at the steer carcass, but were chased out of the garage if they attempted to lick the carcass or bite hunks out of it. Cats were allowed in the garage, but were always immediately removed from the cutting table.
Next half a dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic individuals worked on the steer with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 200 pounds of blood-shot scrap, 175 pounds of soup and dog bones, 125 pounds of meat for stew and hamburger, four roasts and a half a dozen steaks that were an inch and a half thick on one end and an eighth of an inch on the other.
The steaks were then fried in a skillet with one pound of butter and three pounds of onions. After two hours of frying, the contents of the skillet were served to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers who were asked if they were eating venison or beef. Every one of the panel members was sure they were eating venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had been eating at the hunting camp for the last 27 years. The results of this trial showed conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of beef and venison".
First, a high-choice 1100 pound Hereford x Holstein steer was selected and led into a swamp approximately a mile from the nearest road. It was then shot several times in various locations throughout the carcass. After most of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged over rocks and logs, through mud and dust, thrown into the back of a pick-up truck and transported through rain and snow approximately 100 miles before being hung in a tree for several days. During the aging period the temperature was maintained at between 25-60 degrees. Next the steer was dragged into the garage and skinned out on the floor.
PLEASE NOTE: Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the processing within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs were allowed to sniff at the steer carcass, but were chased out of the garage if they attempted to lick the carcass or bite hunks out of it. Cats were allowed in the garage, but were always immediately removed from the cutting table.
Next half a dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic individuals worked on the steer with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 200 pounds of blood-shot scrap, 175 pounds of soup and dog bones, 125 pounds of meat for stew and hamburger, four roasts and a half a dozen steaks that were an inch and a half thick on one end and an eighth of an inch on the other.
The steaks were then fried in a skillet with one pound of butter and three pounds of onions. After two hours of frying, the contents of the skillet were served to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers who were asked if they were eating venison or beef. Every one of the panel members was sure they were eating venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had been eating at the hunting camp for the last 27 years. The results of this trial showed conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of beef and venison".
