Does anyone here not age their meat like me?

[Rantastic]

So I'm wondering if im way off base here but I have found in my 20 some animals that the less they are aged, the less gamey taste they have.... Now after some circumstances allowed me to shoot a buck at 9am and have him 100% butchered, ground up and in the freezer by 3pm and he is the best tasting meat I've ever had. Also this year we let one little buck of my girlfriends hang 10 days tis yr and we find him very very gamey.

I have found this as over the years my butchering times has varied due to circumstances but i am findiing with my own animals(mostly one shot DRT kills btw) thats the sooner they can go into the freezer, the cleaner tasting the meat is. Does anyone else find this or am I the only one? For the last few yrs I have taken mountain and prarie bucks and find the faster they get in the freezing with no aging, the better they taste to me. I find their only gamey on the odd one or 2 animals that have required 2 or 3 shots to finish and I figure thats due to the increased adrenalin and stress.

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by crazy_fool1

So I'm wondering if im way off base here but I have found in my 20 some animals that the less they are aged, the less gamey taste they have.... Now after some circumstances allowed me to shoot a buck at 9am and have him 100% butchered, ground up and in the freezer by 3pm and he is the best tasting meat I've ever had. Also this year we let one little buck of my girlfriends hang 10 days tis yr and we find him very very gamey.

I have found this as over the years my butchering times has varied due to circumstances but i am findiing with my own animals(mostly one shot DRT kills btw) thats the sooner they can go into the freezer, the cleaner tasting the meat is. Does anyone else find this or am I the only one? For the last few yrs I have taken mountain and prarie bucks and find the faster they get in the freezing with no aging, the better they taste to me. I find their only gamey on the odd one or 2 animals that have required 2 or 3 shots to finish and I figure thats due to the increased adrenalin and stress.

The purpose of hanging game is to tenderize the meat, but as much so to bring out that gamey "high" taste.

[Frans]

I usually cut them up and freeze them the day after I shoot them. This year it took a few days more (all sorts of reasons). Can't say I taste much difference. I've had hare from a wild game butcher (Europe) once, and bloody heck did they taste bad! He must have "aged" them. I much prefered the ones I put in the freezer right away. And I had them side by side to taste the difference.

[Arn?Narn.]

There were two pretty big threads on this last year in the hunting section...worth a look.

I have hung birds til they separated, others for just three days, and more have gone in the pot the same day.

I have hung Moose for well over a week... Caribou the same. Hung one quarter of an Elk for over a week,...

For the most part, with big game within just a few days hanging, the difference in taste in subtle. I hung this years Moose for 10 days.

Fowl, you can notice even at the 3rd day.

[Rantastic]

ah ok I could see them getting more tender but I have noticed them getting more gamey and I have a hammer for the tenderizing, but it takes alot of spices to fix gamey taste

[3Dshooter]

Originally Posted by crazy_fool1

ah ok I could see them getting more tender but I have noticed them getting more gamey and I have a hammer for the tenderizing, but it takes alot of spices to fix gamey taste

You've found what works for you and that's all that matters! For me, ideally, I'll hang whole deer for 7- 10 days. Elk and moose, full quarters, for 10- 14 days. I often remove and clean back straps and tenderloins, vacuum bag, age in the fridge, then process and freeze. To me, aged meat has an improved taste, texture and tenderness.

[Rantastic]

ah maybe it helps when I thaw my meat it usually sits in the fridge another 3-5 days bleeding out and waiting for me to cook it

[HunterDave]

I have no problem butchering my deer or moose right away. It only hangs as long as it takes for me to get to butchering it. One day or one week. I never noticed much difference in the tenderness either way.

As far as gamey tasting goes, I think that it has more to do with what the deer are eating than anything else. The ones that I'm shooting in Alberta are grain fed and have very little gaminess to them in comparison to those bark chewin', acorn eatin' deer that I was getting in the bush in Ontario. I marinaded everything that I ate there.

I suppose that if you hung a deer too long in temperatures that weren't cold enough it'd start to taste bad.....lol!

[leo]

I have hung animals from 1 day to over 2 weeks, even cut up a few the same day they were shot. I have noticed that unless the temperature is controlled in a cooler, it doesn't seem to make much difference.

[lone wolf]

We are fortunate to hunt close to home, so the animals are hung & skinned within a matter of hours. The meat rarely ages, and we have had years where we had to start butchering the next morning because the temperature was high enough to initiate spoilage. I would agree with HunterDave, in that the flavour of the meat depemds largely on diet. Ours are all grain fed, and we have not had a bad one yet.

[JJRND]

To me, I don't notice much of a difference in the taste between an animal that hung 1 day or an animal that hung over a week. I do notice a difference in tenderness though. I hang my deer in our shed, and the amount of time I let them hang is dependent on the temperature mother nature is providing. I prefer to let them hang for at least 5 days. But sometimes the weather is just too warm to let the animal hang much longer than a day. Either way, I've never noticed a difference in taste. Grant you, most of the animals I have harvested ate mainly grain.

[jacob1202]

cut the fat and bone out of it... thats the only way you will make it not taste gamey

[walking buffalo]

Aging meat is an act of controlled rotting ( decomposition ).

The first process in aging is letting the muscles come out of rigor (rigor mortis) which takes 24 hours.

Then the aging continues with enzymes causing the cellular structure to decompose.

Meat is made up of long muscle cells connected by a fairly tough substance called collagen. Collagen causes most meat toughness. Young animals have little of it between their muscle cells, but as an animal gets older, more develops. Natural enzymes break down this intercellular collagen as meat is aged, so the longer it hangs, the more tender it becomes.

At a minimum, I'll wait 24 hours before butchering. If the animal is mature, I'll hang it for longer, up to 2 weeks, it does make a difference on the tenderness of the old bucks and bulls. I haven't noticed that aging has anything to do with the "game" flavour. That is dependant on the individual animals diet, circumstances of death, and field care.

If prolonged hanging is not an option, butcher the animal after 24 hours and freeze it. You can let the meat age in the fridge after thawing.

See this thread from last fall.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...t=rigor+mortis

[BeerSlayer1]

I've found that quick cooling of the carcass, butchering asap, and FLASH FREEZING of wild meat gives me the best results.

What temperature did your girlfriend's deer hang at? Did it possibly freeze and thaw over the ten days? One thing you want to avoid is freezing and thawing your meat several times and when you do freeze the packages you want them to FREEZE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.

Slow freezing allows the growth of ice crystals within the cells of the meat and if the crystals become too large, the cells will rupture and the taste of the meat will suffer. With flash freezing, the ice crystals don't have time to grow.

[happy honker]

About 5 seasons ago I started deboning big game in the field. I have a pretty good system now where it's ready for the freezer within an hour of arriving back home. I believe it tastes better this way. No "gamey" taste in years.
Maybe this method works because you're "cooling" the meat faster.
Either way, we'll continue to do this, as the mess stays in the field and none at home.

[pseelk]

The proper way to age meat is in a cooler with a fan at a controlled temp.If done in this maner there should be no issues as far as taste or tenderness imo.

[cougarhunter]

I am a licensed butcher and to me there's nothing better than well aged BEEF. When it comes to wild game tho I find hanging it for 24 hours and then cutting it up as soon as possible has brought me the best tasting wild meat. Wild game especially shot with rifles can mean a very messy carcass and it can be very hard to get really clean. If you're gonna hang your carcass for several days make sure you give it a GOOD wash as soon as possible. Hanging meat that's still covered in bile and coagulated blood for several days is not gonna taste too good. Just my opinion

[kevcur]

what do you use to wash it off with? i've heard just water or vinegar water

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by kevcur

what do you use to wash it off with? i've heard just water or vinegar water

I only wash out the inside of the chest and body cavity with water. I'll get a half bucket of water and put it under the deer's neck when it's hanging from the back legs. I'll wet a cloth and pass it through the anal cavity, rinse it and work my way down the inside until I get to the neck. After that I'll do it again with a clean, dry cloth to clean anything left and dry the inside. Of course, I trim all of the fat, diaphram, etc from the inside with a knife first.

[6.5x47 lapua]

Originally Posted by cougarhunter

I am a licensed butcher and to me there's nothing better than well aged BEEF. When it comes to wild game tho I find hanging it for 24 hours and then cutting it up as soon as possible has brought me the best tasting wild meat. Wild game especially shot with rifles can mean a very messy carcass and it can be very hard to get really clean. If you're gonna hang your carcass for several days make sure you give it a GOOD wash as soon as possible. Hanging meat that's still covered in bile and coagulated blood for several days is not gonna taste too good. Just my opinion

ok you are a licensed butcher.i was told many years ago by an old school butcher that hanging of wild meat was a total waste of time due to the lack of fat content in the form of marbling.he told me it was the fat enzyme that tenderized the meat.i have lived by this for alot of years after numerous attempts to age wild game previous.i see you do not hang wild meat for long either.do you think the old butchers theory was correct about the marbling?

[albertabenbuckkiller]

Originally Posted by custom gunworx

ok you are a licensed butcher.i was told many years ago by an old school butcher that hanging of wild meat was a total waste of time due to the lack of fat content in the form of marbling.he told me it was the fat enzyme that tenderized the meat.i have lived by this for alot of years after numerous attempts to age wild game previous.i see you do not hang wild meat for long either.do you think the old butchers theory was correct about the marbling?

In the past two seasons I have had two different butchers both tell me that hanging deer to age is completely unnecessary. It does not get you the desired effect as does ageing beef. My experiences also seem to fall in line with this. 24 hours is long enough.

[Cal]

Due to this kind of controversy I never hung my game. A couple seasons ago I shot a realy tough bull moose so I started hanging my meat, and I gotta say, I'm sold. I take the hide off while the animal is still warm, let it cool, then shrink wrap it to keep it from drying out too much and let it hang 3 days to a week.

I'd have a hard time saying for sure but it is possible that the meat is a LITTLE more gamey. When butchered properly it is still excelent and IMO the tenderness is worth the small tradeoff.

[BrownBear416]

I have cut meat up anywhere from the next day to over a week and I have honestly never tasted any difference.

As long as they are clean and hanging I cut them depending on weather and time ...

[moosemad]

I usually butcher my animals within 24 to 48 hrs but if you have a bull moose that was shot near the end of the rut it wouldn't hurt to hang it for a few days. imo.

[Rantastic]

Originally Posted by BeerSlayer1

I've found that quick cooling of the carcass, butchering asap, and FLASH FREEZING of wild meat gives me the best results.

What temperature did your girlfriend's deer hang at? Did it possibly freeze and thaw over the ten days? One thing you want to avoid is freezing and thawing your meat several times and when you do freeze the packages you want them to FREEZE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.

Slow freezing allows the growth of ice crystals within the cells of the meat and if the crystals become too large, the cells will rupture and the taste of the meat will suffer. With flash freezing, the ice crystals don't have time to grow.

her deer was shot in hinton at -5 last light, cleaned out, then brought home(edmonton), sat at -10 celcius for 8 days... then skinned frozen then thawed mostly then butchered and refrozen in freezer for keeps.

It was kept very clean and was cooled very fast since shot below freezing then followed by an nice cool crisp windy drive home in the back of my dakota. mostly frozen/rigored by the time we were home.

Can u explain what u mean by flash frozen?

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by crazy_fool1

her deer was shot in hinton at -5 last light, cleaned out, then brought home(edmonton), sat at -10 celcius for 8 days... then skinned frozen then thawed mostly then butchered and refrozen in freezer for keeps.

It was kept very clean and was cooled very fast since shot below freezing then followed by an nice cool crisp windy drive home in the back of my dakota. mostly frozen/rigored by the time we were home.

Can u explain what u mean by flash frozen?

I don't know if keeping the hide on would make a difference or not but mine comes off as soon as I get it home and hung, usually within a couple of hours of shooting it. I've had deer frozen solid and I'd have to bring it into the house overnight so I could butcher it the next day so frozen shouldn't make a difference. PS Tell your wife that it's on the laundry room floor!

I'll split the breast bone and put a stick (a claw hammer is the right length) between the ribs asap to help it to cool. Right after gutting it I'll throw snow into the body cavity as well. You'll have to fill it up a few times before it doesn't melt anymore. It cools everything down fast and the melted water helps to flush it out.

Flash frozen is just making sure that the packages of meat freeze very fast. Instead of piling packages on top of each other so the middle freezes slower, just spread them out until they freeze and then pile them up. Do that until all of your packages are in the freezer.

I don't know if any of what I do makes a difference but I always seem to have great tasting deer.

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by jacob1202

cut the fat and bone out of it... thats the only way you will make it not taste gamey

x2 the way that I do it is gut it get it home hang it skin it and split it. cut out all fat off the inside of the carcass then wash down carcass with water & vinegar paying attention to any hairs on the meat as the leave little yellow stains and that piece will taste gross the other thing to make sure that is cleaned, is any blood streaks like the ones usually running down the rib cage.as blood starts to rot the minute that the animal dies. when the meat is cooled to the point that hind quarters are firm and don't let the muscles contract when wight comes off.(12 to 24 hours) then debone and trim fat wrap and freeze. but before I stared to debone game it always had a gamey taste.old german butcher told me saws are for carpenters and didn't belong in a butcher shop.I still use a saw to split them (as I never could get the hang of using a clever) IT is easy to debone a deer once you get the hang of it some guys debone a half with all bone connected but I cut the half in to sections that are easy to handle like you would a beef. takes about 45 minutes to debone ahalf maybe a little less. and keep every thing clean

[mulecrazy]

Like it has been said on here, the way we handle the meat will do far more damage/good for the taste quality that hanging for any length of time will ever do. I used to hang for 5-7 days as that is what dad always did. Then I started doing it within a day or two and there is no difference. The key to good meat starts with the kill. Get rid of the scent glands and get the guts out ASAP, you cannot stress that enough. Ensure any contamination from guts is removed and cleaned off in the field right away. Get the hide off to allow speedy cooling, but if it is cold enough and time/circumstance dictates just lay it in the back of the truck with the cavity exposed and opened. This is one reason why I always cut through the brisquit. It allows good air flow throughout the inside. After skinning get rid of all hair and cut out any bloody shot up areas if a bad shot happened (we are not perfect 100% of the time). When butchering keep in mind that it is not a beef. get rid of ALL fat and do not cut through bones.

One of the funny things I have read on here is guys worried about aging the meat when it is all going for sausage/jerky/smokies. What difference will a slight change in meat tenderness or flavour have on these products? absolutely none.

[ShawnM]

In a commercial meat processing facility cattle go from mooing to quartered & cooling in 7-9 minutes. In the field it takes WAY longer and it's this that affects the taste of the meat.

Hanging it enhances the flavor and tenderness but if it takes too long to clean and cool your meat then there's only two things that will save it. Turn it into sausage or apply the 3M rule (marinate, marinate, and marinate).

[BeerSlayer1]

Can u explain what u mean by flash frozen?

Basically what HunterDave said.

Don't pack your meat in a closed cardboard box and put it outside on a -3C day to freeze.

Spread the pakages out in your freezer so the air circulates around them, the bottom of your freezer will be the coldest.