Hunting & Fishing How long do you cure your game meat.

[VaFarmer1]

Just curious how all you guy's cure your game.
We do a cow every year with the butcher, he let's it hang about 2 weeks.
I've never really hung a deer more than a day or two.

Have a friend in georgia who has a dedicated refrigerator just for venison. He lets in hang in there 21 day's. When he takes it out it look's pretty bad. but then he cut's all that off and underneath is some of the most tender deer meat I have ever had.

How do you guy's do it?

 

[Mod Adahy]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Two weeks.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

i don't cure mine but a day or two depending on weather. sole purpose in curing my meat is to drain ALLLL the blood. "curing" = "rotting" in my mind...not a big fan of it. went to one of the best steakhouses in vegas, ordered the 30 day aged ribeye, and the first bite had me gagging...tasted like roadkill smells like. you all can keep that aged meat. i tenderize with good cooking technique. My deer is cut wrapped and stacked no less than 3 days after kill as long as the weather is below 45-50. any warmer than that, and I'll stay up late to cut it.

 

[threetrees]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

meat has some acids inside (especially after death). These work on the meat and make them tender. if properly stored (low temperatures, good air, no insects, ...), this will notably improve the quality of the meat. make a mistake there (for exapmle: too warm and bacteries will spoil the meat), then yes ... you lost the meat. but you probably also won't put yoghurt on the window sill and complain that it's bad after one week.

notice: we tend to follow this procedure:
- kill
- directly remove intestines
- bring to cold location with fresh air
- rest the meat, usually hanging vertically from its legs
- do _not_ remove the fur. it serves as a barrier for insects etc
- the layers around muscles serve as a good barrier against bacteries. but it needs to be cold so that the bacteria growth is low (keep in mind that the growing rate goes exponential with the temperature)

for example, some people complain that they don't eat the meat of a 10+ year old chamois. mine was hanging (in winter) in the wood-storage for 5 days. wonderful tender. last boar was hanging in cold+fresh air for 4 days.

friend of mine has a farm, serve their own meat in their own restaurant and they prepare their meat themselves. he recommends at least 3 days in cold+fresh air.

oh - make sure that no cats/marten/mice/insects (like flies) get there.

 

[Tripwire]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Apparently over night was long enough to spoil this meat.....despite the cold temps and fresh air.

 

[Hoofy]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

What works best for us in CO,

hang and skin
next day quarter and hang for 7 - 14 days
try to keep the pump house between 35 and 45 degrees.
Sunday was rather warm here so we had to hang buckets of ice with the meat.
Young cows hang for 7, old bulls hang for 14

 

[Tunanut]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tripwire</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Apparently over night was long enough to spoil this meat.....despite the cold temps and fresh air.

</div></div>

Coyotes gotta eat too...

 

[Tripwire]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Hung him high enough to avoid the coyote problem, but didn't anticipate a black bear getting after it.

Ate both the hams and about four inches of the backstraps, as far as he could reach on his hind legs I reckon.

Note the claw marks in the hair where he was obviously gripping at it, and maybe even trying to pull it down.

Left us his calling card too, when he was done......

 

[DrewinTejas]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

I let it hang as long as I'm at the ranch 2 - 5 Days, as long as it cool enough, under 45. If it is getting warmer I throw a couple bags of ice in the cavity and put some burlap around it.

 

[Cserv]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Weather permitting will let deer hang a couple days. Usually shoot, gut, skin, hang overnight, then cut up myself. Usually eat the tenderloin for lunch the day of the kill. Makes great fajitas.

 

[Huckleberry75]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

We bury ours in ice for 3-4 days, draining daily. Then cut and package for the freezer. Tasty goodness.

 

[22_250]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

7 days in the ice chest..keep draining off the blood and adding ice. I don't have a dedicated freezer.

 

[bachelorjack]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

In my experience, the quality of the kill has a bigger effect.

Detonate a skull or sever the spinal column in the neck and aging is a waste. Go for that traditional shot and let it run a bit and all sorts of gimmicks are needed to alter the taste. Seems that if an animal falls stone dead on the spot, the meat is perfect. Grocery store quality.

People eat a lot of venison here. I routinely serve it and have people argue with me when I tell them where it came from. Impossible. What did I do to it?

Steps:
1-Shot it in the head or neck.
2-Slit throat and elevated it by rear legs to drain blood ASAP
3-Either take to processor, or do it myself when the bleeding has stopped.
4-Put sealed food saver bags of meat in freezer.

 

[Guest]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BachelorJack</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In my experience, the quality of the kill has a bigger effect. </div></div>
+1
Turn it off like a switch, bleed it out quickly an the wild, never gets to circulate. Best meat comes from doing them while their sleeping.

 

[Cserv]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Nothing like DRT that bleeds out instantly. A good kill does equal good meat.

 

[SOC308]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

I skin and gut the deer after the kill then hang it 4-5 days in a dedicated walk in cooler before butchering.

 

[Shortdraw]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BachelorJack</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Steps:
1-Shot it in the head or neck.
2-Slit throat and elevated it by rear legs to drain blood ASAP
3-Either take to processor, or do it myself when the bleeding has stopped.
4-Put sealed food saver bags of meat in freezer.
</div></div>
Glad someone has some sense. Venison is NOT beef. It doesn't have any acids in the meat that alter tenderness. It has bacteria that will but it is literally rotting before this takes affect. I have processed upwards of 5000 deer for a processsing outfit and the only complaints ever were from people who's 2 week old rotten moldy carcasses weren't allowed on the cutting tables or in the grinder. Shoot your deer, cleanly gut it immediately, and cool that thing down right now... Don't leave it in the back of your truck even if it's cold out. Deer hide is a damn good insulator and your meat will not cool down fast enough with it on. This is from someone who is a USDA inspector. My deer get vaccuum packed and racked in the walk in freezer before the meat cools. It is some of the tastiest and most tender meat you'll ever taste.

 

[i_Adam_i18]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Yeah we shot our Antelope, gutted, skined, quartered, and placed in the refridgerator until we left. That was approximately 3 days later. We processed probably on the 5th day. No hanging or aging, just kept the meat cold and it's good.

 

[el gordo2]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

A little out of the ordinary but I'll take a deer on my own place and within 2 hours or so after dying it has been skinned and completely deboned (the guts stay in the ribcage). The mrs and I have this down to a science.
The meat is then put on ice and taken home and refrigerated and slightly frozen overnight. The very next day it is ground up and seasoned and stuffed into casings for sausage and then put into the smokehouse for a bit of smoke and drying. Depending on the temps and humidity the stuff is ready within a 2-3 days of the deer being taken.

In my case aging doesnt matter, the grinder takes care of the tenderness.

 

[Huckleberry75]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

El Gordo, i will send you a pre-paid XXL Flat rate box for every bit you can stuff, cram and wad into it!!

Seriously though, that is some good looking snacking material. Nice job.

 

[VaFarmer1]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

El Gordo
Where do you get the casing from Local butcher ?
Are they pork casings?

 

[bigwheeler]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

I am with the kill, cut and freeze it group. Aging game does make it a little more
tender. It also imparts some of the fat flavor into the meat. Which in beef is great.
In game it tastes like shit, if your deer taste gamey and were shot off of good feed
it is probably the reason why. And I don't eat spoiled rotten meat. Most guys up
here that age their game have one thing in common, they are lazy about cutting it
up.

 

[fw707]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bigwheeler</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am with the kill, cut and freeze it group. Aging game does make it a little more
tender. </div></div>

Kill it, bone it out, and freeze it.

 

[el gordo2]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VaFarmer2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">El Gordo
Where do you get the casing from Local butcher ?
Are they pork casings?
</div></div>
No, they are made using 19mm collagen casing. I get them at the local butcher shop, though they can be ordered online too. Used to use lamb years ago but the collagen is easy to work with and have a long shelf life and need no refrigeration. Being so small it does increase the pressure needed to stuff, this can be offset by adding more water to the mix.

Hope this helps......

 

[bigngreen]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Our family hung everything and aged it till I started working for a game processor, I eventually ran the place for 5 years and after the first year all of my own game gets put up withing 24 hours and we've never had better quality meat! Driving around with animals in the back of the truck is bad and toppers are horrible for meat especially elk, get the wind pipe out and get them open so air can flow through. Air flow is more important than temp. wash the animal of don't take a blow torch and burn the hair of, NO vinegar or other witches brew just cut the dang thing!!!!

 

[RJW]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

I just let the deer cool down for a few hours, as the meat is easier to cut up. I do refrigerate the meat for grinder for 24 hours. Cold meat grinds and stuffs better when it is really cold. This worked for Dad and Granddad and works for me.

 

[gray1974]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

I always skin and debone within two hours. I then soak the meat in ice water for about two days, changing the water when needed, just to remove some of the blood. My wife says it don't smell as strong while cooking. I also never cut a bone. I heard the bone marrow gives the meat a really strong flavor. I don't know how much truth there is in that statement inasmuch as I have never took the chance an cut through a bone.

 

[Rthur]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Kill, clean, cut as fast as possible. I doesn't age like beef. You can only screw it up from there. We debone and cut all fat off of the meat before freezing. I have served this to some of the members here and they loved it. Deer loin: wrap in bacon with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Cook whole and let rest 5 minutes medium rare. Don't cut it until ready to eat.

 

[briscoetab]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Like others have said: kill, gut, process and freeze as soon as possible. The only thing I do is put in milk for a day prior to cooking. I haven't ever eaten deer meat that has been cured before so no way to compare the taste but I know I like the flavor of deer when processed the way I described above.

 

[bigwheeler]

Re: How long do you cure your game meat.

Powdered milk is a normal soak up here is meat is gamey or took more than 3 or
4 hours to find and gut. Never have used it on a good grain field shot deer though.