hanging deer

[harvey lee]

I love these posts on how to hang and whether one should hang deer and for how long. One can go online and see all kinds of posters saying this or that and I may is the tastiest. Hang it this long, no you do not have to hang it at all.

All the deer I cut up hang for 1 day and it all tastes great. Never seen a need to hang it any longer as I do not believe it will taste any better. My Father and Grandfather said it has to hang a week or 4 days or whatever. Never did taste any better than my 24 hour hang.

[Pinusbanksiana]

A controlled option to hanging is to cut it up, wrap it, then put in the fridge for 5 days before you freeze it. I do this with game birds.

[harvey lee]

I have heard of people doing that. One can control the temp so much better than hanging in a shed.

I did watch a video on hanging deer earlier this fall and they said it was key that the temps were very close within a certain temp range, I believe it was like 37-39 degrees.

Then one can watch or read something else and it will say something close but different. They also said that aging beef versus venison was a bit different and one cannot expect the same results as beef.

[TruthWalleyes]

My deer typically hang for 1 day assuming temps are appropriate.

[CANOPY SAM]

Harv. No one is saying anyone else is wrong here. Complete truth is some people have better taste buds than others. Some like super spicy, scalding hot chili, while others prefer it to have no spice what-so-ever. Then there is everyone in between.

My wife and kids love cheeseburgers on the grill. So do I, but I absolutely cannot tell there is even cheese on the burger. I always tell them, "What a waste of good cheese. You can't even taste it on there." But they absolutely swear it makes all the difference in the world.

It's really not an argument about who is right or wrong. It's about what works for people, and everyone is different.

Aging my venison has worked extremely well for me in the past, and others are now noticing the difference as well. That doesn't make us wrong. It's simply teaching us a way to do something different that has noticeable, positive results.

Done correctly, aged venison is softer, cuts like butter, and has a succulent flavor, with just a hint of the gamey flavor still in there. It is what it is.

[PurpleFloyd]

Not to get into the middle of the debate but here is an article that does a good job of explaining the process that muscles go through and how the way they are handled in terms f time and temp impacts how tender they are.

http://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/~swatland/HTML10234/LEC13/LEC13.html

[DonBo]

I'm compelled to post in this thread one last time....

Sam, let it go. You're abosolutely right, it is what it is. You're not going to change anyones mind, time to move on.

[harvey lee]

Harv. No one is saying anyone else is wrong here. Complete truth is some people have better taste buds than others. Some like super spicy, scalding hot chili, while others prefer it to have no spice what-so-ever. Then there is everyone in between.

My wife and kids love cheeseburgers on the grill. So do I, but I absolutely cannot tell there is even cheese on the burger. I always tell them, "What a waste of good cheese. You can't even taste it on there." But they absolutely swear it makes all the difference in the world.

It's really not an argument about who is right or wrong. It's about what works for people, and everyone is different.

Aging my venison has worked extremely well for me in the past, and others are now noticing the difference as well. That doesn't make us wrong. It's simply teaching us a way to do something different that has noticeable, positive results.

Done correctly, aged venison is softer, cuts like butter, and has a succulent flavor, with just a hint of the gamey flavor still in there. It is what it is.

I would agree that if it works for you and it tastes better, I would then do it without a doubt. It could also be that when I hung it for 4-5 days, I did it wrong.

For me, yes only me, I have not noticed a difference.

I have went online and studied this and some say do this, others say don't. Who knows who is correct, we all do what works best for each of us. All I was trying to say is that if you read 30 articles, you may get 20 different responses on the results on aging venison.

If you thought anything else Sam, I am sorry for that. I was in no way trying to say anyone was wrong in trying to age thier venison, just that there are many opinions on whether it really works.

[Scott K]

This is the way I do it, and it works the best for me, and I am sure most others.

After the deer gets shot, it gets hung up. If it is cool out, it will hang for a few days, depending on when we get a chance to clean it. If it is going to get rather warm (50's) it gets cleaned as soon as possible. If it is going to stay cool, it may hang a week. I would say most times it is about 3 days hanging. Very rarely is it less then 24 hours, and even rarer it is over 5 days.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Jeez...this topic really got people lit up!

There may be a difference in taste if you let it age, I've never done an apples to apples comparison. I'd love to give it a whirl. I know that I prefer a deer that goes from living to in the freezer in the same day 100 out of 100 times from a food safety and cleanliness standpoint.

Keeping raw meat in the refrigerator for 5 days to 'age' is asking for trouble. Do what you want, but I would never advise that.

[Kyle]

Lip_ripper,

Do you eat beef? Beef is aged on average from 10-14 days...

[sticknstring]

Someone who can't taste the cheese on a burger is preaching how much more succulent and tasty aged venison is? Something's wrong here...

Just ribbin ya Sam!

[CANOPY SAM]

Alright, I'll let it go. You guys got me.

Just hate to see anyone miss out just cause they are concerned, or unfamiliar with something.

Okay, last post! ha ha ha!!!!

[walleye18]

I would like to hang my deer and try this but my time for butchering is determined by my job. Typically, I butcher ASAP. If I have time in the future, Im gonna give it a try....Ive got friends that swear by it...other say it doesnt change anything.

Have to try it myself to see.

Good post - but kinda long with lots of passionate responses.

[eyeguy 54]

Someone who can't taste the cheese on a burger is preaching how much more succulent and tasty aged venison is? Something's wrong here...

Just ribbin ya Sam!

heeheehee

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Lip_ripper,

Do you eat beef? Beef is aged on average from 10-14 days...

Yes. The aging of beef is done under clean, controlled conditions, not Joe Schmoe's garage, after it was hauled on Jim Bob's trailer 6 hours home from the deer shack, where it sat outside for 3 days.

[NoWiser]

I've done both the aging thing and the processing right away, and can honestly say that all the deer have tasted good no matter what I have done. Interestingly, though, one of the "worst" tasting (but still good) deer I've taken was a mid sized doe in farm country during muzzy season. That deer was packaged and in the freezer 3 hours after it walked out in front of me. It was quite tough, and had a bit stronger taste. Possibly the best deer I've eaten was a 240 lb dressed buck I shot out of a swamp in the NE part of the state. It hung for 5 days in 35-50 degree weather with the hide on before I could process it, and it was much more tender than the doe and tasted excellent. Both were heart shot deer and died almost immediately. After eating the big buck, I now do try to age the deer a bit. The one I shot this year was quartered immediately and then hung for two days and spent another in the refrigerator.

Last year the moose my dad shot took 4 days to get home at which time it was in game bags. We then put it in the refrigerator for a full week before we cut it up. It is every bit as tasty as the one I got the year before that was cut up much sooner, but it is much more tender. I definitely would not be afraid to age a deer in the same manner.

I do think the biggest thing you can do to ensure good meat is to make a clean shot that results in a quick kill and be extra careful to do a good job field dressing the deer. Keep the meat clean and free of hair. After that, whether you age it or not, you will have good eating.

[Early Riser]

I agree with NoWiser. All our deer have been good eating from far NE MN, including the biggest bucks.

We hang ours head down at camp with the hide on until we are done hunting, then a few more days at home typically with the hide off. I am still cutting up deer meat from an animal shot last Sunday the 10th.

Compared with the hind quarter I have hanging, which is from a deer shot in southern MN on Sunday the 17th, the hanging meat from the 10th is much more tender to the cut and smells fantastic.

I have once eaten tenderloin the same day as the kill, and it was a lot tougher than loins pulled and then aged in fridge for at least 2-3 days prior to cooking and eating rare.

[fr0sty]

I think the toughness was due to rigor mortis. That take about a day or so to loosen up.

Interestingly, though, one of the "worst" tasting (but still good) deer I've taken was a mid sized doe in farm country during muzzy season. That deer was packaged and in the freezer 3 hours after it walked out in front of me. It was quite tough, and had a bit stronger taste.

[DonBo]

I think the toughness was due to rigor mortis. That take about a day or so to loosen up.

I've heard this too. Takes about 24 hours for the rigor to go out of the meat.

[CANOPY SAM]

Just one more DonBo...for clarification only.

Please, I hope no one thinks I've been soap boxing, or speaking with any passion (anger) or ill intent. That's not the case at all. I've enjoyed this discussion, every year we've had it.

There's been a lot of great input, and I'm really pleased to see people catching on to how aging venison can really improve the meat (when done carefully and correctly).

As I've said all along, if you've had bad results doing this in the past, and you don't feel confident in doing it again, hey, no problem. That's completely your call. I just don't want to see people shooting down the process if they haven't really put in the time, or had success with aging meat before, because obviously, many of us have had terrific success with it ourselves.

So please, Harvey, or anyone else, know that I meant no offense what-so-ever with anything I've said in this thread, and I've taken no offense either. Just simply sharing some thoughts and experience. That being said, go on and enjoy that wonderful venison!

[JeffB]

I've never been afraid to hang deer for a week or two if the temps were ok. I think it helps the meat some, and lets me cut it up on a weekend with a few buds drinking a few buds.

[ozzie]

I found out this year that, although the meat has been excellent from this years doe that i aged 6 days, I lost alot of meat from the air dried portions that I had to cut away. Granted i had decent conditions they weren't optimal but I felt I could have gotten more meat had I cut up after a day or 2 hanging.

[Kyle]

Leaving the skin on prevents the meat from drying out

[Pinusbanksiana]

Place down the road has had a buck hanging from a tree in the yard since opening day, nearly a month ago. Should be in great shape by now.