Moisture on the carcass quarters

[Bean Counter]

So I'm still looking to buy a refrigerator to make into my meat locker. In the mean time, the quarters are still in the game bags, in my big Coleman cooler.  I have a block ice on the bottom with a plastic garbage bag covering that and running along the rest of the bottom.  On top of that sit all of the quarters and the backstraps in game bags.  The game bags are a bit damp but it is not in standing water.  The deer was killed 3 days ago and I'm hoping to have it hanging in a refrigerator tomorrow but I'm wondering if it really NEEDS to be dry now. I'm planning to wait 7-10 days before butchering.   

I don't know if it matters but we immediately gutted and skinned the deer after kill.  There was some intestinal puncture that got onto some of the body cavity but we washed it thoroughly with a hose.

I processed my own last time and that one was small enough that I had room in the fridge.  Little different process this time.  Just looking for tips so that I can age it as long as possible without risking bacteria and/or spoilage.

Thanks.

[bow4elk]

As long as it's on ice and kept cold, the moisture is not an issue.  I have no issue with meat in ice water.  I dry it good with an old cotton bath towel, cut it and wrap it.  Been cutting meat for a long time, no issues.  Cold is the name of the game.  Moisture + warm = bacteria.  Moisture + Cold = take your time.

Hope this helps.  Don't panic, just keep your meat on ice and you're fine.

[billythekidrock]

As long as it's on ice and kept cold, the moisture is not an issue.  I have no issue with meat in ice water.  I dry it good with an old cotton bath towel, cut it and wrap it.  Been cutting meat for a long time, no issues.  Cold is the name of the game.  Moisture + warm = bacteria.  Moisture + Cold = take your time.

Hope this helps.  Don't panic, just keep your meat on ice and you're fine.

+1

[bobcat]

I don't think you necessarily need to wait to cut up the meat. I would do it right away if it were me, since you don't have a more convenient way of keeping it cold.

[Gobble]

I have to agree with the other guys. I normally age my deer on ice for 3-5 days. Tip the cooler with the petcock open and let the standing water drain off. Keep adding fresh ice to it as needed. If I were you I would cut it up now. Three days of sitting on ice is fine. It should be great eating, I think 7-10 days is too long. IMO

[Little Fish]

Why wait so long to butcher? The only reason I would wait is if I didn't have time to butcher the animal immediately.

[Big10gauge]

Bean Counter, You're doing it exactly the same way as the guys in Texas keep their hogs/deer on ice. Works for them, should work the same up here. Just keep draining the water daily.

[Bean Counter]

Thanks guys   

I thought most of this stuff before but this is only my second deer I've butchered and the first I've done without any help.  I pretty much had all this in mind but its nice to be sure, esp when your huntin' buddy is counting on you to 'take care of it.'

I heard that 7 days is ideal, as the meat actually gets tougher for the first three days of sitting there.  After those three, up till about 7-10, it starts getting tender again.  

[Crunchy]

Dry and cold is best.  I think that allowing the meat to drain blood and dry is best.  I would go ahead and butcher.

[bow4elk]

Absolutely agree, sorry I left that point out - Don't wait, just cut and wrap it.  I meant take your time so you do a good job and aren't feeling rushed.  Take a quarter/chunk, cut it, wrap it, toss it in the freezer and repeat till you're done, or spread it out over a couple three days, just not 7-10.  No need, no benefit.

[Bean Counter]

I thought we had like a four page thread of people sayin' you should wait a long ass time.. 

Some even said they wait until its gettin' slightly moldy/slimy and its the best tastin' venison ever!  Well anyway, I'm heading back out to Spokane for 1.5 days so I since I'm taking today off i guess I'll get to it.

[bobcat]

I don't think you'll ever get any agreement as to how long to wait, or to wait at all. Myself, I have never waited to cut up meat, unless I just didn't have time to do it. I've always done it as soon as possible and it has always turned out good.

[Chesapeake]

We have a walk in cooler and often hang our deer 5-7 days. I dont know how much it realy helps. For sure you want to hang it till it goes through rigor. This takes a day or two atleast.

With your setup I would butcher ASAP. Cold and dry is good, for me though, moisture is bad.

[PA BEN]

Unless it's a stinky old buck, cut it up in 36 hr's. The only thing time does is age the meat. I don't know where you are at but it's cooling down at night enough to hang it out side. :twocents

[stumprat]

A butcher once told me to cut all mine as soon as i can. Lessens the risk of bacteria. He also said venison does not have fat marbling in the meat. So hanging does nothing for it.

[Big10gauge]

This is what works for me after 30 yrs of trial and error and I realize that conditions can be less than optimal for hanging meat.

I usually hang my deer for 5 to 7 days in my walkin cooler kept at 35 Deg + or - 3 degrees with a defrost time of 15 min set at every 4 hrs. Then "reskin" it and have had excellent results using this method even up to 10 days. I pull the tenderloins off after about 3 days. If you have a walkin cooler with minimal insulation you will have quite a bit of run time which will pull moisture from the meat. Would probably look like a piece of jerky in 7 days. If you are unable to keep the meat under 40 deg then you will have a bacteria problem and will need to wipe it down with a weak vinegar solution and made sure there is no blood clots in the shoulder pocket etc. or it will spoil rather quickly. For elk we hang the meat for 10 to 14 days and again have excellent meat. Before I had the walk in coolers we hung the meat for up to 3 days if the weather stayed under 50 deg with nightss in the low 40's and as long as it was in the shade and had ventilation usually in a garage it was good. If not it went into a cooler with ice. IMO I could definitely tell the meat that was in the walk in cooler was superior to the meat hung outside. Probably because it was hung longer and may be because the temperaure was more consistent. For a bear I hang it for 3 to 4 days since I don't usually cut all the fat off it as I do for the deer and elk. For beef 10 to 14 days, For a hog, butcher then hang overnite and cut it up the next day.

[PA BEN]

I shot my first deer 34 years ago. Hung-em a week before I cut them up. Now I'll give-em 4 days. Even if it's getting up to 70 during the day hang-em in the shade, it cools down at night to keep it cool all day. Moisture will spoil meat. Back when we had lat buck on Thanksgiving day, I shot a large 4 point in heavy rut, it was 22 below zero. By the time I got the hide off it was froze solid. When we had a January thaw I cut it up. Best tasting deer I have ever had. 

[Bean Counter]

Thanks again, guys.  Again this is the second time processing my own deer and it'll be up to me to clean from collective wisdom and save me a couple decades of trial-and-error.

I cut up about half the meat last night (exactly 4 days after the kill) before gettin' too tired and callin' it quits.  I wrapped the hind quarters up in a large bath towel and put it in the fridge.  I'm going out again for two days right now and when I get back, it will be 7 days from the first kill.  If we get another we'll have to pay a butcher to hang it until I can get to it myself.  But the first deer I'll do when I get back and I'm hoping that a combination of wrapping it in a towel and it being refrigerated should keep it okay to day 7.  Oh yeah, I used a separate towel to dry off everything I could after pulling it out of the cooler. It was never in a pool--just damp from all the melting ice.

I got my second fridge yet so as I said I'll need to pay a local butcher to hang it. Any suggestions around the Lynnwood area? I think there is one in Snohomish or Monroe but I only called them on the phone once.