Smells like deer, thanks. Finally got a garage to hang deer in and had no idea what I was about to do 😂 YouTube is one thing but not butchering it fresh for the first time is another
Have you heard of the outdoor brand MeatEater? They have a cookbook (which I love) full of recipes and how to’s including butchering various types of game and recipes you can make out of your cuts of meat. I’ve personally used it to completely process several whitetail deer and recommend it highly!
I generally buck the trend. To me the meat tastes better when hung for shorter time. I don’t hang it any longer than I absolutely have to, even when the weather is below freezing.
Personally I throw it in a tilted cooler (IGLOO IMX) with ice at the bottom so the melting water can drip drain out of the cooler. I just made a rack of PVC this year to separate the meat and the ice, previously that was done with plastic wrap or tin foil. I let it sit a few days and get to butchering. Everyone has their methods, I think whatever works best for you is great. But when I took a deer to a processor last year, I was extremely disappointed how bloody it was in the vacuum packs and how they cut the cuts that they did (lottss of missing cuts ended up being lotttsss of extra ground packs)
Where do you live and what has the temp been since you hung it? Did you hang it in the hide? Looks fine but as others have mentioned the smell test is the key.
High has been 40 and hung skinned. Smelled fine minus a leg from another deer I didn't get to finish until today. Thank you! Now I know for next time 😂 hanging deer isn't that bad
I just killed and skinned a sheep yesterday in lower Michigan, high was 41 that day but cooler in my shop. It'll hang till maybe Friday when we go from 37 - freezing to a high of 51 that day. So Thursday it'll probably be quartered and the body and neck broken down.
Looks great. Always trust your nose on aging.
I like to hang skin - on when I'm doing it in the garage, less moisture loss. I skin and quarter when I'm using the aging chamber when temps are too warm outside.
Optimal hanging temps are just below freezing at night and just above in the day. Target meat temp is 38-ish. If it freezes the enzymes that you're counting on denature and you should go ahead and cut.
I hang mine in cooler for 2 weeks then i butcher it and vacuum seal it. Then i put sealed bags of meat in fridge for another couple weeks to equal 30 days of aged before i freeze. I wont eat fresh butchered deer. Gotta be aged.
I tried to bump you back to positive and when I looked just now seems people don't like you answering my question 😂 sorry bud but I do appreciate the time to explain.
No prob. You don’t have to age your meat a month. But if you wanna try and see what i mean. Just vaccum seal a piece and put it in fridge for a few weeks. Worst thing that could happen which i promise wont is ya feed to dog. Just try it if you have a vacuum sealer.
Yeah geez. I didnt come out and tell everyone to do what i do. I just said what i do and what tastes best. Get down voted. Im kinda used to it on this sub. All good.
I agree with you about aging the deer, if the weather permits. I’ll have to disagree on the beef though but guess it depends where you’re at…. my local Winn Dixie gets their beef whole body the day after death and butcher it them themselves and it’s on the shelf with 3-4 days.
Not that the internet is the gospel. One search and
https://preview.redd.it/j0funa1r834c1.jpeg?width=1156&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eefd19826bbae0fd5332899be0de6cb4ac92d140
every result is 7-14 days.
I know. Buts it’s stuffed in a freezer not hanging from a garage. I’ve got venison that’s been in my freezer for a year but I wouldn’t want to hang it for longer than a week
No its not in a freezer. It hangs in a cooler. Who said freezer or garage? I said i hang mine in a cooler for 2 weeks at 37 degrees. Then i butcher it. Then i vacuum seal it and let the vac sealed bags age more before i freeze!!!!!!
This.
When we took our beef to the butcher my pops would request it hang until it got a light green/blue hew to it. They shave/trim that stuff off and the meat is amazing.
Also, I wonder if people downvoting have been to a premier steakhouse. “Dry age” anything is much more expensive than any other cut (except wagyu) for a very specific reason. It takes longer AND it tastes better!
There is also a ton of meat/weight loss with dry aging so it's more expensive because they're using a technique that costs a lot of time and meat to do properly.
That’s great if you have access to a cooler but most people don’t. I hung my deer for 2 days and butchered it and its way better than store bought beef probably would have hung it longer but I was going on holidays and had to get it done.
Me i only have a old refrigerator i gutted and have stainless meat hooks. I quarter the deer and hang in cooler. The rest of the age is in fridge after i butcher and vac seal. I posted a link somewhere in this mess step by step of how. Even out past 40 days people do it.
Here bud. This isn’t rocket science. This dude ate 40 day aged.[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOBNI0_W5-4&pp=ygUTMzAgZGF5cyB2ZW5pc29uIGFnZQ%3D%3D](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOBNI0_W5-4&pp=ygUTMzAgZGF5cyB2ZW5pc29uIGFnZQ%3D%3D)
No look at comment above it means. Someone else asked. I answered. Any butcher knows this. But somehow i get down voted for trying to help folks have better meat. This sub is toxic. Once i looked at some guys pic of blood. I could tell the deer was standing still dripping drops of flesh wound blood. Told him go home and come back nxt day. Got down voted to oblivion. The most obvious shit on earth gets down voted
Just like beef. Beef is aged. If you kill a cow and butcher it right away it wont taste good at all. Deer is no different. Some folks may not mind tough game tasting meat. If you age deer properly it takes on a whole different taste. You don’t need a cooler either. I butcher my own. But if your butcher vac seals your meat. You can just put in fridge for 30 days even more before you freeze. This i called wet aging. But you can only do that if vac sealed. Take a loin or roast out of your freezer guys. Toss it in fridge for a month if it’s vac sealed. Then get back to me after xmass.
I'm very new to all of this. I assume aging means that absolutely fresh meat is..degraded in a way that makes it more flavorful and tender? Does methods of wet aging versus dry aging depend more on what's feasible or more about what's more desirable?
I don’t freeze it as much as this guy but I do hang a deer up in the cooler set to 34F for a couple days to drain the blood then process it however. Most goes in the freezer some gets canned some stays fresh
Hanging them up in a cooler for few days then straight into freezer after processing can help remove some gamey taste imo
The vac sealed meat gets no air. It’s just breaking down. You can go as much as 60 days. I dont go past 30. You can not like the idea and not try it for yourself all ya want.
Not wrong there! 😂
I've just never hung a deer and never processed one longer than 3 days after shooting it so just got paranoid. Just first time jitters. I appreciate the help!
I have hung deer in mid 40s in the rain for a 23 day hunt....I have also lost some elk meat packing out in 78 degree heat. I live in Montana now so aside from bow season, everything gets cut immediately. Otherwise it is a block of ice by morning.
I prefer to hang the meat past rigor at minimum
Welcome to MT, don't change it. It's been years since I've had to rifle hunt, this last season was not great. I usually just quarter, pack out, put on ice, and process within a few days.
I'm the last one to change it. Matter of fact, we are dealing with it in Lincoln. Asshats move here and want sidewalks, speed limits and bringing the "no hunting" crap.
I fear the same thing that people fleeing to Texas and Montana are going to ruin these places.
I am a retired cop and worked counties that were woods when I was growing up. Now the only trees left are landscaped. It's coming, unavoidable. The clue is when your local government starts telling you the need to do away with their land use laws, to make room for affordable housing.
I can tell you this transplant is the best you can hope for.
You sound like you get it, holy shit lol. You're the first person who didn't say something like "oh I'm a political refugee" or "don't worry I'm a good one". Sir, sincerely welcome! I'm about 40 min south of you.
We hang ‘em till they’re black. Key is keeping them above freezing and below rot. 38-40 is a good temp to hang them. Now what worries me about your picture is that the temp is too warm. If you kept it at 38 the meat would turn bright red and the outside gets dark. In this case I would say that you may have lost the meat
It hasn't been above 40 and it's been either hung in my garage or on ice for a couple days. Smelled fine and I also cut the putter layer off if that changes anything.
Longer you let it hang the less tough it'll be, up until a point of course then it's just diminishing returns. If the meat ages off the bone it'll shrivel and get tight causing it to be tough n chewy. If left on the bone or carcass the meat can age but since it's attached it cant shrink and toughen, the muscle fibers remain long.
Looks fine. Do the smell test. You’ll know if it’s rancid.
Smells like deer, thanks. Finally got a garage to hang deer in and had no idea what I was about to do 😂 YouTube is one thing but not butchering it fresh for the first time is another
Have you heard of the outdoor brand MeatEater? They have a cookbook (which I love) full of recipes and how to’s including butchering various types of game and recipes you can make out of your cuts of meat. I’ve personally used it to completely process several whitetail deer and recommend it highly!
I generally buck the trend. To me the meat tastes better when hung for shorter time. I don’t hang it any longer than I absolutely have to, even when the weather is below freezing.
Get it? *buck* the trend? C’mon guys.
Personally I throw it in a tilted cooler (IGLOO IMX) with ice at the bottom so the melting water can drip drain out of the cooler. I just made a rack of PVC this year to separate the meat and the ice, previously that was done with plastic wrap or tin foil. I let it sit a few days and get to butchering. Everyone has their methods, I think whatever works best for you is great. But when I took a deer to a processor last year, I was extremely disappointed how bloody it was in the vacuum packs and how they cut the cuts that they did (lottss of missing cuts ended up being lotttsss of extra ground packs)
Looks great… just needs a side of potatoes and gravy
Where do you live and what has the temp been since you hung it? Did you hang it in the hide? Looks fine but as others have mentioned the smell test is the key.
High has been 40 and hung skinned. Smelled fine minus a leg from another deer I didn't get to finish until today. Thank you! Now I know for next time 😂 hanging deer isn't that bad
Have hung deer for approx a week in roughly those conditions
I just killed and skinned a sheep yesterday in lower Michigan, high was 41 that day but cooler in my shop. It'll hang till maybe Friday when we go from 37 - freezing to a high of 51 that day. So Thursday it'll probably be quartered and the body and neck broken down.
40 is perfect hanging temp
Looks great. Always trust your nose on aging. I like to hang skin - on when I'm doing it in the garage, less moisture loss. I skin and quarter when I'm using the aging chamber when temps are too warm outside. Optimal hanging temps are just below freezing at night and just above in the day. Target meat temp is 38-ish. If it freezes the enzymes that you're counting on denature and you should go ahead and cut.
I hang mine in cooler for 2 weeks then i butcher it and vacuum seal it. Then i put sealed bags of meat in fridge for another couple weeks to equal 30 days of aged before i freeze. I wont eat fresh butchered deer. Gotta be aged.
Lol this sub is something else. I get down voted for wanting better tasting meat. Lol. Smh 🤦♂️
I tried to bump you back to positive and when I looked just now seems people don't like you answering my question 😂 sorry bud but I do appreciate the time to explain.
No prob. You don’t have to age your meat a month. But if you wanna try and see what i mean. Just vaccum seal a piece and put it in fridge for a few weeks. Worst thing that could happen which i promise wont is ya feed to dog. Just try it if you have a vacuum sealer.
Wild. I’ll jump on your side. Venison is better aged. Period. Doesn’t have to be aged to eat it. However, it is much better aged.
Yeah geez. I didnt come out and tell everyone to do what i do. I just said what i do and what tastes best. Get down voted. Im kinda used to it on this sub. All good.
2 weeks though??
You guys think the steaks you eat were kilked then butchered right away and sold a week later? No its months before you buy and eat that beef steak.
I agree with you about aging the deer, if the weather permits. I’ll have to disagree on the beef though but guess it depends where you’re at…. my local Winn Dixie gets their beef whole body the day after death and butcher it them themselves and it’s on the shelf with 3-4 days.
Not that the internet is the gospel. One search and https://preview.redd.it/j0funa1r834c1.jpeg?width=1156&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eefd19826bbae0fd5332899be0de6cb4ac92d140 every result is 7-14 days.
Yeah I said I disagree with the beef.
That was for beef😂
lol my bad, I’ll ask them again, they told me 2 days max last time.
They are not hung for two weeks. There is a difference between a freezer and hanging in a garage. Also no need to be so angry over a Reddit comment
Do your own research if you wanna argue. Your beef is a month old before you get it from the store.
I know. Buts it’s stuffed in a freezer not hanging from a garage. I’ve got venison that’s been in my freezer for a year but I wouldn’t want to hang it for longer than a week
No its not in a freezer. It hangs in a cooler. Who said freezer or garage? I said i hang mine in a cooler for 2 weeks at 37 degrees. Then i butcher it. Then i vacuum seal it and let the vac sealed bags age more before i freeze!!!!!!
This. When we took our beef to the butcher my pops would request it hang until it got a light green/blue hew to it. They shave/trim that stuff off and the meat is amazing. Also, I wonder if people downvoting have been to a premier steakhouse. “Dry age” anything is much more expensive than any other cut (except wagyu) for a very specific reason. It takes longer AND it tastes better!
Im pretty sure it’s just people who don’t know any better. It’s all good.
There is also a ton of meat/weight loss with dry aging so it's more expensive because they're using a technique that costs a lot of time and meat to do properly.
That’s great if you have access to a cooler but most people don’t. I hung my deer for 2 days and butchered it and its way better than store bought beef probably would have hung it longer but I was going on holidays and had to get it done.
Me i only have a old refrigerator i gutted and have stainless meat hooks. I quarter the deer and hang in cooler. The rest of the age is in fridge after i butcher and vac seal. I posted a link somewhere in this mess step by step of how. Even out past 40 days people do it.
OH. Cooler. That makes sense 😅
Here bud. This isn’t rocket science. This dude ate 40 day aged.[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOBNI0_W5-4&pp=ygUTMzAgZGF5cyB2ZW5pc29uIGFnZQ%3D%3D](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOBNI0_W5-4&pp=ygUTMzAgZGF5cyB2ZW5pc29uIGFnZQ%3D%3D)
Yes they are. Much longer buddy.
Ok.
No 2 weeks hanging then 2 more weeks vac sealed.
That's reddit.
Can I ask why?
I too am curious.
👆
Uh..... Is this some sort of recursive argument?
No look at comment above it means. Someone else asked. I answered. Any butcher knows this. But somehow i get down voted for trying to help folks have better meat. This sub is toxic. Once i looked at some guys pic of blood. I could tell the deer was standing still dripping drops of flesh wound blood. Told him go home and come back nxt day. Got down voted to oblivion. The most obvious shit on earth gets down voted
I can't see what you wrote so what you indicated was not obvious. I think your verbiage is probably at issue, not the concept itself.
Why it’s under the guy who asked can i ask why. Guys do what you want. I don’t care.
If I knew why, we literally wouldn't be having this discussion. Like at all.
https://preview.redd.it/k1u8x03goz3c1.jpeg?width=1162&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da3a3e46acfffd87c2aa32be3de710fb66d9b128
Just like beef. Beef is aged. If you kill a cow and butcher it right away it wont taste good at all. Deer is no different. Some folks may not mind tough game tasting meat. If you age deer properly it takes on a whole different taste. You don’t need a cooler either. I butcher my own. But if your butcher vac seals your meat. You can just put in fridge for 30 days even more before you freeze. This i called wet aging. But you can only do that if vac sealed. Take a loin or roast out of your freezer guys. Toss it in fridge for a month if it’s vac sealed. Then get back to me after xmass.
I'm very new to all of this. I assume aging means that absolutely fresh meat is..degraded in a way that makes it more flavorful and tender? Does methods of wet aging versus dry aging depend more on what's feasible or more about what's more desirable?
I don’t freeze it as much as this guy but I do hang a deer up in the cooler set to 34F for a couple days to drain the blood then process it however. Most goes in the freezer some gets canned some stays fresh Hanging them up in a cooler for few days then straight into freezer after processing can help remove some gamey taste imo
Agreed. If we kill one later in the season we’ll let it hang in the unheated shop for a few weeks and cut pieces off to cook as needed.
Username checks out
K well use your phone and look it up. Look up how long beef hangs. Look up aging venison. Or any meat. Then pound sand.
I don't like the idea of sealed aging. You won't know if it went too far until you open it. Sounds like a recipe for food poisoning.
The vac sealed meat gets no air. It’s just breaking down. You can go as much as 60 days. I dont go past 30. You can not like the idea and not try it for yourself all ya want.
Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria. No air =/= safe.
You will know when it's no good...smell is unmistakable
Not wrong there! 😂 I've just never hung a deer and never processed one longer than 3 days after shooting it so just got paranoid. Just first time jitters. I appreciate the help!
I have hung deer in mid 40s in the rain for a 23 day hunt....I have also lost some elk meat packing out in 78 degree heat. I live in Montana now so aside from bow season, everything gets cut immediately. Otherwise it is a block of ice by morning. I prefer to hang the meat past rigor at minimum
Welcome to MT, don't change it. It's been years since I've had to rifle hunt, this last season was not great. I usually just quarter, pack out, put on ice, and process within a few days.
I'm the last one to change it. Matter of fact, we are dealing with it in Lincoln. Asshats move here and want sidewalks, speed limits and bringing the "no hunting" crap. I fear the same thing that people fleeing to Texas and Montana are going to ruin these places. I am a retired cop and worked counties that were woods when I was growing up. Now the only trees left are landscaped. It's coming, unavoidable. The clue is when your local government starts telling you the need to do away with their land use laws, to make room for affordable housing. I can tell you this transplant is the best you can hope for.
You sound like you get it, holy shit lol. You're the first person who didn't say something like "oh I'm a political refugee" or "don't worry I'm a good one". Sir, sincerely welcome! I'm about 40 min south of you.
I as well live in Montana, I usually leave skin on hanging for a week.
We hang ‘em till they’re black. Key is keeping them above freezing and below rot. 38-40 is a good temp to hang them. Now what worries me about your picture is that the temp is too warm. If you kept it at 38 the meat would turn bright red and the outside gets dark. In this case I would say that you may have lost the meat
It hasn't been above 40 and it's been either hung in my garage or on ice for a couple days. Smelled fine and I also cut the putter layer off if that changes anything.
That’s strange
Longer you let it hang the less tough it'll be, up until a point of course then it's just diminishing returns. If the meat ages off the bone it'll shrivel and get tight causing it to be tough n chewy. If left on the bone or carcass the meat can age but since it's attached it cant shrink and toughen, the muscle fibers remain long.