Aging Deer Meat

[Mitch Rapp]

I have never aged a deer on purpose, I have done it on accident when it took me longer to get it processed than I had planned. I may try the ice chest deal next year.

From my experience, and from others too it sounds, once you do you won't go back!

 

[Deer Slayer]

I age them for 7-8 days on ice and they are great!!!!!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I age bucks on the hoof, nothing less 4.5 years for me .
I usually don't mess around with aging meat that much.

 

[dennishoddy]

I told my processor to hang my elk as long as he could. I want it tender.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I told my processor to hang my elk as long as he could. I want it tender.

Did you take it home whole?

 

[dennishoddy]

Skinned and split down the middle. I ordered some of the cabella's meat socks big enough for elk or moose. There were 4 in a pack, so one went from the bottom and the other covered the top of each half. Told the processor I wanted them back as they are washable. Cheese cloth looking rigs that are reusable.

The Nebraska guys bought the white tail models to save a dime and it bit them in the butt.

I tried to buy some single bed mattress covers from ebay, and kept getting sniped right at the last minute, so gave up on them. I'll try again this summer as I'm sure it was hunters looking for meat covers.

Get one of them, and I won't even split it. My processor prefers it that way.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Skinned and split down the middle. I ordered some of the cabella's meat socks big enough for elk or moose. There were 4 in a pack, so one went from the bottom and the other covered the top of each half. Told the processor I wanted them back as they are washable. Cheese cloth looking rigs that are reusable.

The Nebraska guys bought the white tail models to save a dime and it bit them in the butt.

I tried to buy some single bed mattress covers from ebay, and kept getting sniped right at the last minute, so gave up on them. I'll try again this summer as I'm sure it was hunters looking for meat covers.

Get one of them, and I won't even split it. My processor prefers it that way.

Take a full flat bed sheet and sew fold in half and sew that puppy on one end and the side. Draw string the open end.

 

[dennishoddy]

LOL, I'm not a seamstress.

Maybe a sheet put together with double sided heat tape?

Dunno. The mattress covers I was bidding on were $12, and sold for $14, so its not worth putting a lot of work into building one. Its just to keep dust and road grime from the sides on the way home in the back of the pickup.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Ha I figured you were a jack of all trades.

 

[swampratt]

I have been doing the ice chest aged meat for over 20 years now.
The deer i usually shoot are small young deer.
I do it for flavor..
Take the blood out of the meat and it will not taste gamey.

I did this for my wife:::

Back strap sitting on counter straight off the deer, sliced a 1/4" thin slice off of it. salt and pepper and into the skillet.
Made her take a bite..She did and spit it out....Yep nasty gamey flavor.
I took another slice off, this time i held it under running water and worked it over like a dirty dish rag i was trying to get clean.
The color went from dark red to light tan..I cooked it the same way...she took a bite and stated it tasted like the beef we got from crest..

No need for salt water or milk.. just clean water .
My grandmother would soak deer in water to remove blood and gamey flavor back in the 1940's.
You sir have tripped over an old rock and uncovered the secrets that have been locked away for decades.

Dennishoddy
I have a 4 pack of dickson elk bags you can have.
If you come down this way or have a buddy fetch them they are yours