# Quartered Deer meat on ice



## JoeyWommack

I hear all sorts of stuff about keeping meat on ice.  I usually keep mine on ice for 3-5 days.  I have heard several others say as much as 2 weeks.  I was just curious if yall have ever tried this and could taste any difference.


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## shdw633

I keep my deer on ice for anywhere from 7 to 9 days.  Just open the plug, keep the ice refrehed and let the water drain all the crap away.  Meat doesn't have gamey taste and is great!!  Here is a little tip.  Take the screen out of a faucet and it fits in the plug of your cooler, this will let the ice water drain while keeping the flys out of your cooler.


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## DeepweR

*thats right!*



shdw633 said:


> I keep my deer on ice for anywhere from 7 to 9 days.  Just open the plug, keep the ice refrehed and let the water drain all the crap away.  Meat doesn't have gamey taste and is great!!  Here is a little tip.  Take the screen out of a faucet and it fits in the plug of your cooler, this will let the ice water drain while keeping the flys out of your cooler.



what he said.


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## jtexaslonestar

keep mine on ice until i can it or cut it up. layer it ice/meat/ice/...etc. After each layer of ice, liberally sprinkle salt and baking soda on it. This lowers the temp more and the baking soda also helps with draining the blood. Just drain it daily, and it will keep for a long while as long as you keep ice on it. Refresh salt and baking soda when you add new ice.


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## huntfish

I have an old refridgerator that I keep the meat in till I have time to process it.


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## Paddle

Like some of the others, just a day or two or til I can get to it. 


I don't believe you could tell the difference in a fresh one in the freezer or one that has been "aged". Everone does it their own way. It is not beef, it doesn't need to be "aged". Some of those "aged" deer are the ones that taste funny because they're almost rotted. Longer than 5 days and I'd throw it out. But, everyone does it their own way.


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## Minner

Just about anything not getting ground gets aged two weeks. In an ice chest for a while and then a fridge.


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## BkBigkid

Paddle said:


> Like some of the others, just a day or two or til I can get to it.
> 
> 
> I don't believe you could tell the difference in a fresh one in the freezer or one that has been "aged". Everone does it their own way. It is not beef, it doesn't need to be "aged". Some of those "aged" deer are the ones that taste funny because they're almost rotted. Longer than 5 days and I'd throw it out. But, everyone does it their own way.




Yes, there is a BIG difference IN taste from going from Hoof to freezer and Aging one.

Get one in the freezer to Quick you still have alot of Blood in the meat. It needs to be aged over Ice for a minimum of 3 days to draw that out. 

I have learned my lesson, the Hard way. The family almost quit eating Deer meat Because the last 3 went in the freezer to quick and they could tell.  Take the extra few days and Age one out.


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## 7Mag Hunter

Aged beef---Aged venison....

I prefer to age with the hide on...I keep frozen milk jugs (2-3)
in the deers chest cavity untill I butcher it...Replace jugs each day
as they thaw...
Usually 2-4 days depending on the outside temperature...Hide on does not dry the meat and allows natural tenderizing....


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## BigBushClub

I've always taken my deer to the processor, but I definately want to start doing my own.

so y'all just put the meat right on the ice, not wrapped in plastic or anything?


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## RJY66

I have always read and been told that the ideal way to age a deer is hanging with the skin on at 40 degrees for about a week.  I don't have the facilities to do this since you certainly cannot count on cool weather in this part of the country, and I don't have a meat locker.  

So, since I started doing my own processing, I have put the meat on ice in a cooler as described, usually 3 or 4 days tops, one time a week because I could not get to it.  Didn't hurt a thing.  I have put a little vinegar ( don't overdo it), salt, and even rock salt in the ice a time or two thinking it would make the ice colder, but to be honest, I could not tell any difference from plain ice and water.  I drained the bloody melt water out everyday.  

One thing I learned is that if you soak any smaller pieces destined for hamburger, you need to have a way to let them dry before grinding.  Otherwise, a lot of water comes out of your hamburger when you cook it.  Won't hurt a thing, it just looks strange.  The last one I did, I spread out on old bath towels in the fridge overnight before I made hamburger.  The towels absorbed the water and my burger cooked up more "normal".  

This technique does leach out blood, but I don't know how much difference it makes.  To me it is more of a way to store the meat until I can get it in the freezer.  Aging an animal with the hide on does not leach blood any way that I can see and meat done that way is also very good.  I think the whole blood thing might be psychological.  Any deer steak I have ever fried always had some blood to cook out ice or no ice and it was always delicious!  

Bottom line?  IMO keeping it on ice won't hurt a thing.  How much it really helps I honestly can't say.  Some swear by it but so far I can't personally tell the difference.  Probably the older the animal you take the more difference it would make.  I usually wind up with does and "management bucks " so mine tend to be fairly young.

PS....BigBush....yes right in the ice and water.


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## rjk187

3-4 days on ice, make sure water is drained, and just keep packing in fresh ice a needed.


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## crackerdave

Yep - the ice with salt gets the blood out.Don't know for sure how much the blood matters - unless you're Jewish and want it "kosher!"

When I freeze fish fillets,I put 'em in baggies with some salt and water to cover,then sqeeze the air out.It makes the meat stay firmer - I can really tell a difference between salt and no salt.


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## Twenty five ought six

> When I freeze fish fillets,I put 'em in baggies with some salt and water to cover,then sqeeze the air out.It makes the meat stay firmer - I can really tell a difference between salt and no salt.



Works for bait too.  

I've let deer hang, and I really can't tell the difference.


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## Katera73

I leave mine in the cooler with plenty of ice drain the water daily for 2-3 days that gets most of the blood out . If you buy ground beef and leave it in the fridge for 2 weeks I wouldn't eat it . One other thing is field dressing your deer.  I will always gut my deer . I think it lets the blood drain alot  before you get it in the cooler.


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## urbaneruralite

I age them on ice for up to one week. The ice is just for temperature regulation. If its cold enough out I don't use any. I keep the meat as dry as possible to preserve flavor. It is best to keep the meat on the bone until after rigor mortis sets in. If you bone it prior it gets tougher.


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## Nitro

We have a walk in cooler at my SC lease. We hang ours for 4-5 days and then bone out and cut or cube accordingly. It makes a difference.


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## marknga

Haven't ever aged one. Shoot it, field dress, skin it, quarter it up, make whatever cuts we want, wrap it, freeze it. Never had any problems.

Mark


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## patchestc

marknga said:


> Haven't ever aged one. Shoot it, field dress, skin it, quarter it up, make whatever cuts we want, wrap it, freeze it. Never had any problems.
> 
> Mark



What he said.
skin it, quarter it, ice it down, and take it to the butcher
for hamburger, and sausage.  all in one day or the next . 
it's wild game, it's supposed to taste a little gamey.


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## BowFan

urbaneruralite said:


> <snip>... It is best to keep the meat on the bone until after rigor mortis sets in. If you bone it prior it gets tougher.



agreed,  it will tend to recoil or shrink up if cut off the bone while fresh and warm and will be tougher because of that.

UGA used to have someone from their Ag Dept give seminars on deer processing and I attended a session many years ago in McDonough.

Some of the points I remember : "you never see Joe the farmer kill a hog and toss it up on the hood of the truck and drive it around for half a day and show it off"

He also advised field dressing asap and cleaning the blood out of it with water if possible and then towel drying the exposed meat.  If water isn't availible clean with paper towels or something.  Very critical if gut shot.

The reason being was that the heat, and blood and moisture were what caused the spreading of bacteria growth.  And that in turn, caused what people call 'wild gamey' taste.  So keep it clean and cool. 

It works for me.  I enjoy it as much as any store bought.



rangerdave said:


> <snip>... Don't know for sure how much the blood matters - unless you're Jewish and want it "kosher!"
> <snip>




that's something to consider, not just for those Jewish... (Genesis 9:4), (Leviticus 17:13), (Acts 15:28-29)


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## Minner

I think it's more than just drawing the blood out. When I have a ham I plan to either cook whole or, especially when I have one I want to slice into steaks, I will leave it on ice until I it's convenient to process it. Then, I will wrap it up air tight and place in the fridge for 2-3 weeks (minus whatever time it sat in the ice chest). 

I don't know the technical speak of it, but it allows the "stuff" that holds the fibers of the meat to break down thus forming tender pieces of meat. Keeping it cold prevent bacteria from forming. I assure you, if you keep it cold, it won't "rot" or taste bad at all.

Also, I'm not saying you can't get some great tasting deer meat by properly caring for the meat and having it in the freezer within 24 hours, I'm just stating how I do it.


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## Throwback

We have our cows hung for about 7-10 days to age it. 

Tastes great!

T


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## 4ofakind

For those that "age" their meat for a week or more, what color is the meat when you take it off the ice? I left some meat on ice in a cooler for a day, and the outside of the meat had a weird brown color that just didn't look right, almost like it was rotting. Is that normal?


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## shdw633

4ofakind said:


> For those that "age" their meat for a week or more, what color is the meat when you take it off the ice? I left some meat on ice in a cooler for a day, and the outside of the meat had a weird brown color that just didn't look right, almost like it was rotting. Is that normal?



Should be a washed out pink color if done correctly, almost to grey, but not brown!!


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## Minner

4ofakind said:


> For those that "age" their meat for a week or more, what color is the meat when you take it off the ice? I left some meat on ice in a cooler for a day, and the outside of the meat had a weird brown color that just didn't look right, almost like it was rotting. Is that normal?



You'd have to further define "weird". If kept properly cool, there's no way meat could spoil in just 24 hrs unless something else interfered. Perhaps contaminates in the cooler could cause something, I don't know, I've always made sure my coolers were very clean.

Or it could depend on what you consider a "weird" brown color. We've put hundreds of pounds of venison and wild pork on ice in a cooler and have never noticed anything "weird".


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## Auchumpkee Creek Assassin

i age mine in a old fridge in the barn. i quarter it up , and put the meat in rubbermaid container's, and let age for a week or 2 . Makes the meat better.


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## RJY66

4ofakind said:


> For those that "age" their meat for a week or more, what color is the meat when you take it off the ice? I left some meat on ice in a cooler for a day, and the outside of the meat had a weird brown color that just didn't look right, almost like it was rotting. Is that normal?



You sound like me.  What I think is happening is that the outer layer of meat that you can see is leaching out the most blood and possibly oxidizing (not rotting) a little.  The first time I iced one, it looked kind of pale and at first I thought "uh-oh, I've screwed up my deer"!  I had put a little vinegar in with my ice and thought that I had pickled it!

When I cut it up, the meat looked "normal" except for a tiny outer layer.  I did not even bother to trim it off and it ate fine.  With any type of aging, the surface of the meat is going to oxidize a bit.  If you do it in a dry environment like the fridge, the meat will develop a "crust" or "skin".   

There is no possible way IMO that you can hurt meat by keeping it on ice for up to several days, assuming you drain out the meltwater every day.  Same with storing it in the fridge.  We would all probably be surprised by the amount of time that elapses between the death of a domestic animal and our purchase of its "fresh" meat in the stores.  

Most of the deer I have processed have always wound up sitting in a cooler for at least two or three days.  The usual scenario is that they are killed and quartered on a weekend.  I take them home in a cooler say on a Sunday.  I go back to work on monday, and am usually tired, and just don't feel like putting the deer up right away.  Even though I did not understand the aging process at first, I guess my natural laziness kept me on the right track!

I guess it is all a matter of taste.  I am not a picky eater.  I'm still waiting on some "rank, gamey venison".  All I have ever had that either I or a processor has done has been great.  

One buck in particular does stand out as "different" and the closest I have ever come to a "bad" one.  I was hunting over in SC and he ran right up to my stand and literally stopped right under my tree.  He was running from dog hunters conducting a drive in the area a good ways away.  He was panting like a dog that had been running.  I shoot him, he runs a short distance and keels over.  By the time I climb down and walk over to him, he was already STIFF as a board from the lactic acid buildup in the muscle tissue.  I could hardly pick his head up.  When I skinned him I found that he had been shot in the behind with buckshot.   This was an extremely "stressed" animal at the time of its demise.  The venison from this deer was still acceptably good but not prime and probably could have benefited from a more extended aging period.  I probably let it sit for 2 or 3 days and it could have used a week or more.  

Unless it is a trophy that you just have to shoot, I would go so far as to recommend letting stressed animals walk if you want prime meat.


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## seminoleslayer

A friend of mine hangs his in a cooler for 4 to 6 weeks it looks real dark but the meat is awesome


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## J HESTER

I also keep mine in a cooler for 7-10 days.


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## haftahunt

Keeping any meat on ice for a few days allows enzymes in meat to brake down so meat won't taste gamey and will be more tender


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## Davexx1

When I was in a hunt club that had a walk in cooler, we always let the deer hang for 21 days before cutting up and freezing or cooking.

The deer was field dressed and cleaned well, hide left on, then hung in the cooler.  The meat that was exposed to air would turn dark almost black.  No problem to trim that outer layer off when preparing to cook.

I have done the same thing using the frig at home.  As long as the frig maintains a temp of 38-40 degrees and the door is not opened frequently the meat will age and be fine.  Turn it over every day or two.

There is a big difference in taste and tenderness of a properly aged deer.  Using a cooler and ice is alot of trouble, but will work.  I am guessing that any aging is better than no aging but don't know for sure.  I do believe that proper field dressing, cleaning, and cooling the meat soon after the kill is paramount.

I'm ready for some fried venison and rice and gravy!

Dave1


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## Twenty five ought six

> If kept properly cool, there's no way meat could spoil in just 24 hrs unless something else interfered.



If you leave it in the water, even if chilled, you are creating an anaerobic environment, and the meat can certainly "sour" in 24 hours.


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## Up-A-Tree

I have an old 25 cubit ft. chest freezer that I converted into a cooler by using 
*Freezer Temperature Controller p/n 9025*

http://www.kegman.net/9025.html

Mine is set on 34 deg. which keeps the temp. between 32 deg. and 36 deg., which is just fine for aging deer meat.  Check it out.  I quarter it, and place it in large plastic containers.


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## Minner

Davexx1 said:


> When I was in a hunt club that had a walk in cooler, we always let the deer hang for 21 days before cutting up and freezing or cooking.
> 
> The deer was field dressed and cleaned well, hide left on, then hung in the cooler.  The meat that was exposed to air would turn dark almost black.  No problem to trim that outer layer off when preparing to cook.
> 
> I have done the same thing using the frig at home.  As long as the frig maintains a temp of 38-40 degrees and the door is not opened frequently the meat will age and be fine.  Turn it over every day or two.
> 
> There is a big difference in taste and tenderness of a properly aged deer.  Using a cooler and ice is alot of trouble, but will work.  I am guessing that any aging is better than no aging but don't know for sure.  I do believe that proper field dressing, cleaning, and cooling the meat soon after the kill is paramount.
> 
> I'm ready for some fried venison and rice and gravy!
> 
> Dave1



That's the way I would love to do it. Just don't have ready access to a cooler (and I'm to cheap to pay extra for it). I used to know a guy that every deer he killed he would pay the cooler owner to store it with the hide on for three weeks. Of course, he didn't kill that many deer so each one was really special to him


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## 4ofakind

shdw633 said:


> Should be a washed out pink color if done correctly, almost to grey, but not brown!!



If I remember correctly, the color was light brown with a hint of grey in some areas. The grey color was what I thought was weird. It was only on the surface though, the inside was still dark red.


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## 4ofakind

The other thing I don't understand about the cooler/ice idea is that I had always heard that moisture was the significant contributing factor to bacteria growth, which makes me think the ice idea would be bad. Is it because the temperature is too low to allow bacteria to grow? Seems like using a refer would be better because there would be little moisture.


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## irishleprechaun

I killed doe in illinois thanksgiving day, gutted her in the woods.  Left her in the back of my truck until that evening.  the temp that day was low 40's and low 20's overnight.  deboned it and threw it in the bottom of the cooler.  covered in ice right then (nov 27th).  It is still in the cooler with ice on top of it, draing the blood water out via the plug every evening.  I'll probably pull it out tomorrow evening (7 days after the kill) and package it up for the freezer.  Been doing it that way for the last 20 years when I quarter my own.  Had it shown to me in SC all those years ago, seems to taste pretty good everytime.  I have had stronger and milder tasting deer depending on the processor.  I usually ask if they will hang it in the skin for 7-10 days if I have it processed.


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## JoeyWommack

I killed a doe on the 28 in NC.  She stayed in the woods overnight (high in the 40's).  I killed a button buck on the 29th in the morning.  Both of the deer were quartered and layered in a cooler with ice by lunch time on the 29th.  I will most likely debone and freeze it this saturday evening or maybe sunday evening.  That is 7-9 days after they were killed.


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## JoeyWommack

4ofakind said:


> The other thing I don't understand about the cooler/ice idea is that I had always heard that moisture was the significant contributing factor to bacteria growth, which makes me think the ice idea would be bad. Is it because the temperature is too low to allow bacteria to grow? Seems like using a refer would be better because there would be little moisture.



Importance of Refrigeration
Refrigeration slows bacterial growth. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, the "Danger Zone," some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. A refrigerator set at 40 °F or below will protect most foods.

Cut and Pasted from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Refrigeration_&_Food_Safety/index.asp

Spoilage bacteria can grow at low temperatures, such as in the refrigerator. Eventually they cause food to develop off or bad tastes and smells. Most people would not choose to eat spoiled food, but if they did, *they probably would not get sick.* It comes down to an issue of quality versus safety: 
Food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat, but could look fine. 
Food that has been stored too long in the refrigerator or freezer may be of lessened quality, but most likely would not make anyone sick. (However, some bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes thrive at cold temperatures, and if present, will multiply in the refrigerator and could cause illness.) 


Cut and Pasted from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Refrigeration_&_Food_Safety/index.asp

I did a little research.  I thought this was very interesting, especially the red part.


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## Paddle

There is no way I'd eat a deer "aged" for longer than 5 days. 

  WOW!! 2-3 WEEKS? Like one poster said, I wouldn't eat anything out of the fridge that had been in there that long.


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## Hardwood man

When I kill a deer for quartered meat I pick the littlest one in the bunch. Take home, skin, and quarter. Put in cooler with ice, draining blood and refilling ice everyday as needed. I keep it in there 1 week. If I kill it on a Saturday I don't wrap and put in freezer til the next Saturday or sometimes Sunday. Never had bad meat and always tender.


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## hummdaddy

Keep on ice about a week add some table salt to it to draw out game taste ... Drain and repeat


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## irishleprechaun

One more comment...

How do you think it was done before refridgeration?  A lot of the ways talked about on here are just going back to the "ways of yesteryear"....

for what it's worth...


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## shdw633

Paddle said:


> There is no way I'd eat a deer "aged" for longer than 5 days.
> 
> WOW!! 2-3 WEEKS? Like one poster said, I wouldn't eat anything out of the fridge that had been in there that long.



You must not eat beef then!  Venison and beef are for all intensive purposes one in the same.  Beef is aged for weeks at at a time before being cut up.  Meat is meat and whats good for the cow is good for the deer.


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## fflintlock

I also keep mine on ice for at least a couple of days. I open the drain plug and prop up the other end so the water drains out as the ice melts. When I had an extra fridge, I would quarter and put it in there for a couple of days. I butcher my own deer, so I like firm meat when it comes time to cut it up, that's one of the main reasons I do it. Just make sure you keep plenty of ice in the cooler to cover the meat.
As far as "aged" meat, (beef), it's a controlled rot process, (tenderizing of the meat). The outer layer is cut off and disscarded. So you wind up with a lesser amount of meat from the cow, hence the higher price for "aged beef" from the store or butcher shop.


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## fflintlock

My family is originally from Pennsylvaina, I remember my grandfather would always let it hang in a shed, or the smoke house if it was'nt being used at the time for at least a week. They raised and butchered a lot of hogs through out the year and would save the lard for canning the meat after it was cooked. They would make their cuts, throw it all in a big ole cast iron kettle, cook it down, then pack the deer or what ever meat they were doing at the time into clay crocks, then pour the crocks full of lard. That meat would keep for several years and taste the same as the day they cooked it down. You'd always get a little mold on top of the lard. All you did was scape it off and you had snow white lard underneath. Later on they started just canning it like you would veggies. 
The old ways, I remember a few of them 



irishleprechaun said:


> One more comment...
> 
> How do you think it was done before refridgeration?  A lot of the ways talked about on here are just going back to the "ways of yesteryear"....
> 
> for what it's worth...


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## Paddle

shdw633 said:


> You must not eat beef then!  Venison and beef are for all intensive purposes one in the same.  Beef is aged for weeks at at a time before being cut up.  Meat is meat and whats good for the cow is good for the deer.



Venision and beef are not even close. Beef needs to be aged and deer doesn't or don't need as long. A cow weights a lot more, has a lot more fat and has thicker portions. 

I've had fresh beef off the hoof and it was tough as nails. Fresh deer meat is not. 

 Like I said before everyone does their deer different. I wouldn't eat anything out of the fridge that's been in there for 2-3 weeks. It might be the best thing I ever ate but I won't chance it.


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## money-dog

Lots of good advice about cooler time, but you also need to be careful how you thaw the meat. NEVER  use microwave. I sit mine in cold water in kitchen sink in the morning, cooking that evening.


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## Throwback

Please read this about aging beef. It's a little more involved than "leaving it in the refrigerator". 


http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html

T


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## cameskins

I've read a couple of books on venison at Borders and Barnes and Noble, had a lot of good ideas. I leave mine for at LEAST 3 days for rigor mortis to dissipate. 
Wikipedia on rigor mortis- Unlike normal muscle contractions, the body is unable to complete the cycle and release the coupling between the myosin and actin, creating a perpetual state of muscular contraction, until the breakdown of muscle tissue by digestive enzymes during decomposition.

It sounds logical if cut prior to rigor mortis, the meat is not naturally stretched for the duration of the "perpetual state of muscular contraction". I cannot back this with experience though. I am no veteran on the matter. I prefer to hang with skin on though ,as the later cutting will be a little cleaner,but is much more convenient to quarter into bags. MUCH more blood as is is bathing in a pool of it, but I have not noticed a huge taste difference. There are tooooooo many variables that go into taste. Sex, adrenaline at time of death, age, diet, if they may be in rut. Anyways..., be weary of GARBAGE bags. They are made for garbage, and are made with petroleum products that will not kill you quickly, but I suspect the smell-good bags are probably not something I want my meat in. Clean the cooler WELL!!!! Don't skimp and say, "I just cleaned it not too long ago"... clean it with soap or bleach water! I believe temperature has been stressed enough from previous posters, 34-38 tops, ASAP. From everything I've learned, there's more than one way to butcher a deer... If I learned anything from those books, it was - 

*Don't let anyone tell you what to do with YOUR meat. I had people tell me you HAVE to add fat to ground. It just WILL NOT cook right. This is retarded. Use common sense, have fun, be safe, be experimental. Do what you want...*

I love the salt idea for summer. Sounds a little messy (I can see the salt EVERYWHERE!!) but the scorching ga summers worry me!


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## Flaustin1

weve let deer hang for 3 weeks before, skin on at 38 degrees.  Comes out fine.  Some of the best steakhouses in this country serve beef that has been dead for 3 weeks plus.  I went to McCalisters when i visited vegas and they have their beef aging in glass coolers that make up one of their exterior walls.   You can see the whole prosses.  It ages for 21 days but it takes them a day or two before its hung to actually start the process.  as far as deer goes, ive always thought one that hung for 7-10 days was the best, with the cooler/ice method for 5-7 days comin in a close 2nd.  JMO


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## cliff&pam

Grew up out west,grandfather killed one in november,hung it in a tree the next morning it was froze solid, it was around the middle of april before we could get the hide off&cut it up.Mighty good tastin vittles there.aged venision.now I use an old fridge keep it cold for atleast a week. cooler &ice seems to make the meat watery,dont care for it but everyone has there own ways of doing things


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## CARVER550

Usually let mine soak in ice a salt for about 3 or 4 days. Gets alot of the gamey taste out. For a buck that is either in rut or a older deer i usually go about 7 days. Just personal preference. I have eat it both ways. the meat is alot cleaner looking when it has been soaked.


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