Aging Deer

[MC37493]

How important is it to age your deer? I don't want to have to pay a butcher and would like to process my own game. I have been thinking about quartering and then putting them in a refrigerator for a couple days? would this work?

[Alan K]

Some guys swear by aging the meat, others (like me) don't worry about it.  It's up to you really. Generally if I can see that I'll have time to butcher it within 3-4 days, I'll keep it cool and butcher it.  Otherwise, I debone it and freeze it until the end of the season, when the hunting party gets together and butchers all the animals assembly line style.

[bobcat]

I never age my deer. Sometimes I may let it hang for 3 or 4 days if the weather is cool enough. But only until I have time to cut and wrap it. If I have time the day I kill it, I will do it then. Or the next day if possible. Pretty much depends on my work schedule. The meat is almost always tender, no matter what I do.

[Axle]

Process the meat asap. Do not age it. There is no advantage to aging wild ungulates.

[ICEMAN]

We age for a week usually, always kept cool/cold and clean.

[JLS]

Process the meat asap. Do not age it. There is no advantage to aging wild ungulates.

Actually, studies have shown that it does in fact make the meat more tender.

[fastdam]

I prefer fresh meat as opposed to partialy decomposed meat so it hangs only long enough to let the back fat become solid.

[whtelk]

Normally I don't need to hang the deer to be tender....I don't seem to kill many that are too old...Dang near veal some years. LOL

[ICEMAN]

What is the average time for beef or pork to hang?

[jackmaster]

are family has always cut are own meat, we will always try to hang it for 4 to 5 days, i know one guy that hangs his until he get a slight mold grow and then wipes it down with a water vinegar solution, i mhave ate some of it and it was pretty dang good, but it doesnt taste so differant to where i would take the chance of ruining my meat so i stick to the 4 to 5 day thing, obviously if its warm out then that can change things, good luck

[Southpole]

What is the average time for beef or pork to hang?

beef usually hangs 2 weeks in an average butcher shop.

[Old Man Yager]

I've heard that same thing Brandon, some people let it get that slight mold on it, then scrape it off. Heard that it lets the toxins out of the meat??  I don't want no mold on my meat though !! Anyways, I got a old fridge in my garage, so I just take the shelves out and put the quarters in to chill for a couple of days. Then I can butcher it 1 piece at a time or all at once if I feel like it.

[seth30]

I dont age it, I get the animal to my garage and process it regardless of how tired I feel. 

[Pigfuz]

Beef in high end steak houses hangs usually for a minimum of 21 days.  They literally wash green mold off the outside with vinegar.  I have a friend that was able to hang an elk for 20 days and it made a huge difference.  The trick is to keep it cool and very dry.  Usually the weather does not cooperate for me and we butcher within a week.

[Southpole]

Some guys swear by aging the meat, others (like me) don't worry about it.  It's up to you really. Generally if I can see that I'll have time to butcher it within 3-4 days, I'll keep it cool and butcher it.  Otherwise, I debone it and freeze it until the end of the season, when the hunting party gets together and butchers all the animals assembly line style.

That's exactly what we do. If we can help it, it get's deboned, wrapped up good and put in the freezer within a day or so, and when we have more time we'll get it back out and start processing it in what ever fashion we feel like for the year (cut up, ground up, canned, etc.)

[MC37493]

Thanks for the input everyone. i have a old refrigerator i think i will do one quarter right away and put the others in the fridge and see how big of a difference it makes

[Camo Queen]

I was told by a wild game butcher, that wild game does not contain the same enzymes as beef and therefor "aging" it doesn't have the tenderizing effect that it does with beef...   
 
That being said, mine has always hung in camp for a day or two, or three while we're out filling our other tags... But as soon as we get it home we process it. My personal opinion... the sooner the better. Work too hard for it to take any chances with spoiling the meat

[BigTines]

Everything I read says to age venison 4-7 days at a constant cold temp between 34-40 degrees. This is pretty hard to do without access to a walk in cooler. My plan is to do it in the fridge this year but I have never done it before so it will be an experiment. I have heard its important to keep the meat dry and the blood off the meat to prevent spoilage.

Anyone with any experience doing this feel free to chime in!

[Skyvalhunter]

You ask 10 guys you will get 10 different answers. Really it depends on the temperature. If you cut the fat off and it is in a cool shed I usually hang mine a couple days.

[grundy53]

Temperature permitting we hang our deer and elk 3-5 days. If it's bellow freezing (late November  Idaho hunt) we will hang them until the day before we leave. Up to 8 days.

sent from my typewriter

[Bigshooter]

I have killed a few small deer that never got cut and wrapped.  I just cut and ate over a week or two while they were hanging the whole time.  And when you have done it this way a time or two you will get to experience the difference in letting meat age and not age.  And there is a difference.

[jagermiester]

I hang mine until you can see the muscle groups start to separate. It makes butchering much easier and hopefully enhances the flavor.

[KopperBuck]

I hung the last whitetail I killed over 3 weeks. It was excellent eating, even for an older rutting buck. As long as it's cool I'll hang as long as I can.

I hang ducks too, although I don't know if that makes a difference, just how I was raised.

[jagermiester]

I was in Canada fishing and they had an Ice House off the ice house they had a screened in area and they had us hang all the trout we caught in there for a day before you would process or smoke. It really firmed the meat up and to my surprise it was not fishy.

[bowhunterforever]

I was in Canada fishing and they had an Ice House off the ice house they had a screened in area and they had us hang all the trout we caught in there for a day before you would process or smoke. It really firmed the meat up and to my surprise it was not fishy.

I use a fridge to cool my walleye and bass over night, meats more firm and easyier to clean

[mackdaddy]

We have always aged our deer as long as possible, usually a week to 10 days if we do not have access to a walk in and temps. allow.  Venison and beef have an enzyme that breaks down tissue making the meat more tender. Lamb and and pork lack this enzyme so once the animal is cool cut it up and freeze. I have been to a growing number of popular high end restaurants  that to dry aging, under de-humidified and control conditions, steaks, usually New York Strips , that are aged up to 60 days. I have done up to 21 days with a Coctco  N.Y. strip with awesome results. For venison and beef, aging is good.