Another hanging question.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Yah my Dad has been a butcher for 45 years....I just follow his lead when it comes to what to do with game after it is down and it has never lead me astray.

LC

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by bluetick

Actualy you are correct about science and aging meat like beef .
Though there is a vast difference between a well marbled beef side and a very lean side of deer or elk which does have a layer of fat (somewhat inedible ) on a deer .
Beef has an enzyme that will break down connective tissues inside the meat where all the sinue and fine marble fat are.
Deer and other ungulates lack this same enzyme, although all meat will rott and become tender and completely inedible unless your inuit and enjoy your game fermented.
Hanging a game animal hide off will definately improve flavor of your game ,the quicker it is removed in any temperature is best ,
Hence why they sell game bags to protect the meat from drying .

40 years hunting and 25 years as a certified chef and butcher has taught me this as well as some very knowledgable outdoorsman from many years past.

Why would removing the hide improve flavor?
Deer is my favorite, and probably the best deer I've had was a mule deer doe that was hung with the hide on for about a week.

[CptnBlues63]

All animals skin easier when they're fresh and warm.

We always drop the guts immediately and then skin as soon as we hang. Once we've hung and skinned it, we put a wrap of heavy poly around our animals to keep scavengers and grime off the meat. Leaving the top and bottom of the poly wide open allows for good airflow and cooling.

Typically, the skin is off within an hour of the animal hitting the ground.

[Rockman]

Great input here. As a brand new hunter and with no family that hunts, it's very helpful to hear the various approaches and reasoning.

Thanks to everyone who's contributed and will yet contribute. Keep it coming!

I'm also happy to hear of any methods on a smaller scale or simply in a more typical city house (can't live in the country yet). For example, I have a deep freeze obtained very reasonably on Kijiji that I intend to use to age my meat. No garage here. It's in a shed in the garden, and I figure I'll turn it off and on as needed--maybe with a timer--to maintain good hanging temp, and keep game suspended either on wire freezer shelves or in cloth game bags.

I'll probably adjust and get better facilities in time, but that'll get me started for this first year or two.

[bluetick]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

Why would removing the hide improve flavor?
Deer is my favorite, and probably the best deer I've had was a mule deer doe that was hung with the hide on for about a week.

!

I ask you why would a slaughter house remove the hide from any animal at the time of slaughter instead of hanging it for a week or 2 with hide on ?

When livestock or farm raised game is skinned and it is washed right away to rinse off any contaminants ,dirt or hair that may carry bacteria or disease.

Why Deer or any game would taste better If the hide were removed sooner than rather a week later
To minimize the time of cooling
Increased Ease of skinning
Allows the meat to obtain a natural texture and flavour
Bloods and fat are given time to dry for ease of cleaning
(when an animal is shot there is always a fair size wound ! this wound should be cleaned and any damaged tissue should be taken off immediately to minimize contamination of the surrounding tissue) this can only be done succesfully with the hide removed.

The hide may be full of bacteria and dirt that may penetrate into the meat

For the above resasons I do my own butchering and do not like to take my game for sausage making to any butcher shops .
People do not clean or hang game meat to my standards .

[charves]

We always skin ASAP after field dressing.
We butcher ourselves, butcher paper wrap (or vacuum wrap), and freeze right away.
I believe hanging to tenderize just wastes meat by drying out.
I believe how quick the kill is and how carefully you field dress are major factors in taste.

Tough cuts of meat are chewy if they aren't cooked correctly.
No aged beef brisket is tender and easy to chew after slow smoking for 10+ hours.
Cooking slowly with good broth or sauce in the oven, or use a pressure cooker, and those tough cuts will be tender and taste awesome.