Hang at home or pay the butcher?

[Heetor]

Hey I wanted to run this by some of the hunters on the site to get an opinion on hanging deer in the garage in Northern Washington. 

When I was a kid growing up in Northern Canada we would hang game in the garage for a week and most people generally process it themselves.  This was in Northern Canada so it was typically below freezing in October, and the garage was used to keep the meat from freezing as opposed to keeping it cool.  We also would often go on longer hunting trips, so we might hang the game in a tree while we were hunting for 4 or 5 days before bringing it home.

Later I moved to Tennessee and did a lot more deer hunting.  The temperatures were much to high to hang a deer outside or in the garage, so we took them to the butcher straight from the field, and they hung them in a cooler then butchered them, (if you found a good one).

I moved up to Washington last year and shot my deer opening weekend of archery and felt it was too warm to try and hang it at home, so I took it to a butcher and paid to have it hung and cut/wrapped.  Besides the cost of paying someone else to do it, I think I can take more time trimming the grind meat before grinding and control the fat that goes into the burger, and frankly it is just more fun to do it yourself, so I would rather hang in my garage and butcher myself 

I just got my deer yesterday afternoon and brought it home to skin and hang in my garage last night.  I was hoping to hang it until Thursday evening and then butcher it after work.  Looking at the weather this week it looks like it is going to be between 40 and 50 degrees up here in Bellingham, not sure what temperature that will translate to in my garage.

Anyway I wanted to get some feedback from folks in Northern Washington with respect to hanging a deer in the garage for 4 days.  Do folks up here hang deer at home, and for that long?  The rule of thumb I have always heard is to hang the deer at 40 degrees, not sure with it being 40 - 50 this week if it will be below 40 in my garage, or if that will be an issue.

I also included a picture of the setup in the garage, I use a Guidegear tripod hanger instead of hanging a hook into the roof.  This is pretty cool setup as you can bring the hanger to the field with you, and when at home alone it is pretty easy to get the deer up and down with 1 man using the hand winch.

[boneaddict]

Usually let hang for 3-5 days.  In Northern washington October on.    Occasionally September deer I just process immediately.  Mostly because they are boned out and the temps are warmer.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I use a side by side fridge (taller) to keep them cool till I can cut them up. I have gone two weeks before cutting them up. Keep temp below 40 degrees, life begins at 40.

[Stick em]

I have butchered several deer at home and will tell you that hanging is not necessary. I usually debone the deer in the woods and let the meat sit in the fridge until I can cut and wrap the meat. We eat some fresh, that night, and it never taste's wild. The real trick is to trim it real good and to not let it sit in it's own blood for too long. Normal time from hoof to freezer is about 2 days and I never have a complaint about the taste of the meat.

[MtnMuley]

Usually let hang for 3-5 days.  In Northern washington October on.    Occasionally September deer I just process immediately.  Mostly because they are boned out and the temps are warmer.

 

Exactly what I do.  Processing your own meat ALWAYS ends up cleaner and packaged how you like better.

[jess]

I never hang more than 24 hours.. I have cut up alot of deer warm and they were tender and tasted fresh.. Dont understand the whole let it rot for a week idea..

[Kioti]

I have butchered several deer at home and will tell you that hanging is not necessary. I usually debone the deer in the woods and let the meat sit in the fridge until I can cut and wrap the meat. We eat some fresh, that night, and it never taste's wild. The real trick is to trim it real good and to not let it sit in it's own blood for too long. Normal time from hoof to freezer is about 2 days and I never have a complaint about the taste of the meat.

Yuppers that's what I do.  No reason to hang the meat...deer meat is already tender.  I hang mine in the barn, skin it...then let the meat glaze up.. usually a day...then butcher it.  It always taste good and tender.  You're up in Whatcom county same as me...and I have never had a problem hanging my deer or elk in regards to temperature.  Besides I don't trust someone else to cut up my hard earn deer or elk...I like to do it myself.

[deerslyr]

Dry it off and get a good glaze on it and it should be good in the shade for a few days.

[Heetor]

Well looks like it survived in the garage, I spoke with a butcher friend and asked him what he thought about hanging it in the garage for four days with this warm weather, and he told me to smell it very carefully and if there was an odor then it was time to get it in the freezer or process it.

Still smelled fine on Tuesday, but I butchered the front quarters to be safe.  Wednesday after work I was worrying a little as I thought I could detect the a very slight odor when I got my nose right up close, (but it was a carcass so I might have been being a little paranoid), so I butchered the rest.  Came out pretty good, and doing it at home is a lot more fun anyway. 

I took it on last Sunday afternoon and it had a pretty good glaze on it by Tuesday, so I think it was hung long enough, though I would have preferred to give it until Saturday.  At least this way I can break out the grinder and sausage stuffer this weekend and get down the the serious business  

As always the feedback was much appreciated

[Kioti]

Excellent....sounds like you did the right thing.  Trust your nose and when it starts to smell sweet it's time to butcher. 
It usually takes only a few days to glaze up.  Then your good to go on butchering it up.
Besides...like you said it fun to cut it up yourself. 
I like to cut nice thick ones for my birthday, your 4 Star Steaks and then there is your Christmas steaks, 4th of July steaks, the list goes on...
The main thing is to let it glaze up and trust your nose.  No reason to hang a already tender side of meat.
Butchering your own kill is all part of the hunt, the way I see it...

[jeepasaurusrex]

Dad and I built a walk in (hang in?) cooler at his place. Its 5'x5' and insulated. We keep it cool with a window AC unit that I hotwired to run constantly and always cooling. It will go from room temp to 32° in less than 30min. I have to adjust the fin ice detector to get it just right. I can run it on low at that point and maintain 35°.

[3nails]

 I live in the 'ham as well and it can be a little frustrating hanging deer around here. After my son got his the tempts jumped up to 60 and we had to butcher quick. Usually I'll let them hang 3-5 days. Nothing better than cutting your own.

[batch]

I have butchered several deer at home and will tell you that hanging is not necessary. I usually debone the deer in the woods and let the meat sit in the fridge until I can cut and wrap the meat. We eat some fresh, that night, and it never taste's wild. The real trick is to trim it real good and to not let it sit in it's own blood for too long. Normal time from hoof to freezer is about 2 days and I never have a complaint about the taste of the meat.

this is how we do it too. we also bone animals in the field take them to the shop. if its too warm the meat goes in the fridge they never go more than a day or two before they are cut up

[lokidog]

I'll let mine hang overnight or for a day maybe, if the temps are above 50 at all, then I quarter and put the quarters in the fridge.  They can sit there until I can cut them up.  I'm planning on building a pumphouse/cold room one of these months.

I like to leave the meat on the bone so it has a chance to relax and seems a little mnore tender.

[DoubleJ]

I use a side by side fridge (taller) to keep them cool till I can cut them up. I have gone two weeks before cutting them up. Keep temp below 40 degrees, life begins at 40.

[docsven]

35ish is about the right temp but humidity is another factor.  If it is humid and 35, you can still get mold growing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Most hanging is better at 35 and dry.  We built a dry aging cooler once for beef, and I can't say that it flavored any better than moist coolers do.  Make sure and release joint fluid, that will sour the hind quarters pretty fast.

[Jason]

Deer I hang at the most two days, but usually cut it up the next day, Elk I like to hang at least three to four days weather depending. If the temps are below 40 I dont worry to much about it, but if the temps are between 40-50 I will put a couple good fans on it, which works good. If the temps are above 50 I will pay a meat locker to hang.

[Heetor]

This is turning into a pretty good chain, interesting stuff on the DIY walk in cooler, I think I am going to start a post on ideas for building one of those.  It would be awesome to have a proper closet to hang a couple of deer in.

Made the sausage and burger this weekend and tried both, turned out really well.  The burger is pretty straightforward I trim the cubes to get every bit of fat and silver skin off of them and then grind them up with put 10% beef fat, only trick here is that I freeze them in .8 lbs packages instead of 1 full pound, as the burger you buy in the stores has about a lot of water in it so this gets me roughly the same size.

Making sausage is just fun, tried a new recipe this year which had basil and some dried romano cheese in it, came out really nice I might post the recipe here.  Tend to make a couple of smaller batches through the year as the meat seems to keep better in the freezer than finished sausage, and I am not sure about my stuffer operator, arm tends to wear out a little quick so smaller batches are better  

Jerkey will be next weekend, then I guess the off season officially starts  

[Blacklab]

lol child labor 

Great pic 

[Hawgdawg]

Hanging Deer is over rated. They age just as well in the freezer.

[csaaphill]

I guess whatever floats one boat. I hang at least over night I have also proccessed rightaway since the temps were warm. Deer I got this year was hung overnight and then taken to the butchers the next day. he let hang there for a week then boned and cut. tastes pretty good.

[lokidog]

Hanging Deer is over rated. They age just as well in the freezer.

WHere'd that freakshow deer come from?

[Elkrunner]

I never hang more than 24 hours.. I have cut up alot of deer warm and they were tender and tasted fresh.. Dont understand the whole let it rot for a week idea..

My dad always hung deer when I was a kid.  I started cutting deer up within a few days and can't taste any difference.

If I can't find the time, I just deboned them and put them in my extra fridge for a few days.

[swinters]

I never hang more than 24 hours.. I have cut up a lot of deer warm and they were tender and tasted fresh.. Dont understand the whole let it rot for a week idea..

My dad always hung deer when I was a kid.  I started cutting deer up within a few days and can't taste any difference.

If I can't find the time, I just deboned them and put them in my extra fridge for a few days.

I always hang them unless it's too warm.  A week is about right.  There's a natural enzyme action that'll tenderize the meat and give it a better flavor.  Your meat will be fine if you don't but the hang time makes a difference.  You want to protect the meat from flies, too - fly blow will ruin the meat.  I use all-cotton mattress covers (the ones that are full bags, not the ones that just cover the top of a mattress) but a lot of people say the synthetic ones are fine.  If you start to get a bit of mold it's not a problem - Just rinse it off.  I use a vinegar & water mix, something like 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a gallon of cold water, though I don't really measure it.  I have a well and pumphouse that stays around 40-45F inside and makes a perfect place to hang the meat when I hunt nearby and bring it home but wouldn't hesitate to hang it in my garage here (Thurston County) with our normal fall temperatures if I didn't have the pumphouse.   

[spin05]

Dad and I built a walk in (hang in?) cooler at his place. Its 5'x5' and insulated. We keep it cool with a window AC unit that I hotwired to run constantly and always cooling. It will go from room temp to 32° in less than 30min. I have to adjust the fin ice detector to get it just right. I can run it on low at that point and maintain 35°.

Thats  an awsome idea for a cooler............

[Tman]

I hung all mine at home this year, 6 days for deer in temps 25 to 45.  Meat is great, I actually got tender deer steaks this year.. If it was any warmer I wouldve had to have a cooler.

[jeepasaurusrex]

Dad and I built a walk in (hang in?) cooler at his place. Its 5'x5' and insulated. We keep it cool with a window AC unit that I hotwired to run constantly and always cooling. It will go from room temp to 32° in less than 30min. I have to adjust the fin ice detector to get it just right. I can run it on low at that point and maintain 35°.

Thats  an awsome idea for a cooler............

We put an electric hoist above the roof and fed the cable down though a seal in the roof. Easy to lift a deer up now.