How to tone down the gamey taste in deer meat?

[lokidog]

What kind of deer are you shooting? WT's are good eating, never had a bad one. Even in the rut. Now the big mule deer I shot when I was 18 in the rut would run you out of the house when you cooked it. I cut the scent glands off the hind legs and balls off before I gut any deer and get them away from the meat. Use two knives or clean your knife before you gut after cutting the glands and balls off. It's one more little trick not to have gamey meat.

My answer is shoot the deer in September, early October, or December, or shoot a doe.      

PA, I shot a WT in Saskatchewan first week of November a few years ago, he dropped in his tracks, was cleanly gutted, hung overnight in less than 35 degree temps, and was butchered the next day --- still tasted a bit rutty.  I've shot Blacktails from September through December, almost all of the bucks shot in the last week of October or the late rifle season have had at least a bit of that rutty flavor.  I don't mind it, but my wife is quite a bit more sensitive to it.

To the OP, any good Salsbury Steak recipe will also spice it up and help cover that "flavor".

[PA BEN]

What kind of deer are you shooting? WT's are good eating, never had a bad one. Even in the rut. Now the big mule deer I shot when I was 18 in the rut would run you out of the house when you cooked it. I cut the scent glands off the hind legs and balls off before I gut any deer and get them away from the meat. Use two knives or clean your knife before you gut after cutting the glands and balls off. It's one more little trick not to have gamey meat.

My answer is shoot the deer in September, early October, or December, or shoot a doe.      

PA, I shot a WT in Saskatchewan first week of November a few years ago, he dropped in his tracks, was cleanly gutted, hung overnight in less than 35 degree temps, and was butchered the next day --- still tasted a bit rutty.  I've shot Blacktails from September through December, almost all of the bucks shot in the last week of October or the late rifle season have had at least a bit of that rutty flavor.  I don't mind it, but my wife is quite a bit more sensitive to it.

To the OP, any good Salsbury Steak recipe will also spice it up and help cover that "flavor".

I hunt with a buddy who is a butcher. He told me not to cut up a deer until 36 hrs has passed. They need to go through rigger and out of rigger. Also, if it was eating brush they will taste like brush. I shot a rutted up wt on Thanksgiving day, he was following my tracks that had doe in heat scent in them. It was -22 he was froze solid by the time I skinned him. I cut him up in January when we had a thaw. Couldn't believe how good he was. Also, I bone out all my meat, the bone seems to give the meat some taste. I started canning my deer this year and man is it good. I started a meat canning thread I well have to ask if it helps gamey meat.   

[lokidog]

Not sure if they go out of rigor when frozen solid...     ... and that's just a tough/tender issue, not a flavor one.  I bone out all my animals and don't leave a spec of silverskin or fat on the meat or in the burger.  I think it does depend a lot on what they are eating as well as what stage of the rut they are in when the meat has been taken care of properly after the shot.

[blackymaster20]

its alot of work but butcher it urself butchers leave all the membrain and they hack threw the bone and get bone marrow in the meat...i butcher my own deer and it taste very good ive never had any gamey taste at all

[vandeman17]

I use sprite or 7 up in my marinades and that seems to do the trick 

[Stein]

Step 1 - shoot a forky whitetail that lives near a grain field.
Step 2 - immediately gut and cool the meat

The rest is just details.

[wt]

Tag keep them coming I love it.

[buckfvr]

After gutting, get the hide off and get it cooled down asap..................bone it out, and trim it up fat and tendon free.  The more time you take to trim it up nicely, the better it will taste.  Game animals flavor is predictable to its food source.  Many sensitive palates consider the flavor of any game animal gamie, when in actuality it just tastes like deer/elk/etc. 

We also can venison and enjoy it that way.  I will add, yes, whitetail is usually better on the table, and even an 8 1/2yr old  I took a couple years ago was tender and mouth watering......that being said , Ive also killed wheat field mulies that nearly made me drown on my slobber as I was cooking it.......very tender and delicious.

You cant say enough about the importance of handling the carcass after the kill.......it does make a difference.

[Stein]

I had an interesting conversation with my wife who often uses the word "gamey" or "fishy".  I think there are two uses for both:

1.  An off taste, usually due to poor processing and handling or a flat out bad animal to eat (6 year old rutty mule deer for example).
2.  A taste other than beef, pork or chicken.

For some reason, people don't expect pork to taste like beef but they expect elk to taste like beef.  It is a different animal and has a different taste.  After solo eating a whole one this last year, I actually now think beef tastes a bit off.

So, maybe if you mention the obvious and they don't expect to taste beef they won't be disappointed.

[teanawayslayer]

Get the guts out and hide off soon as possible. Get that meat cooled down. The only gamie animal I have evere eaten was a rutted up old mulie. The burger didn't even taste good. pepperonied the whole thing

[Griiz]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of the gamey taste in deer? I personally like deer meat how it is but I am gonna have some people over to try some deer for the first time.  Does anyone have a good recipe for some roasts or backstraps?

Butcher it yourself and remove all fat, bone and white tissue and it won't have any gamey taste. I WON'T EAT DEER FROM A BUTCHER. I can't stand that nasty taste, so I take care of all my own wild game and it tastes like it should. Delicious

[CoryTDF]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of the gamey taste in deer? I personally like deer meat how it is but I am gonna have some people over to try some deer for the first time.  Does anyone have a good recipe for some roasts or backstraps?

Butcher it yourself and remove all fat, bone and white tissue and it won't have any gamey taste. I WON'T EAT DEER FROM A BUTCHER. I can't stand that nasty taste, so I take care of all my own wild game and it tastes like it should. Delicious

 

taste it as you cut it. I always have a frying pan ready and cook small chunks as i go. If it is gamey it goes into the sausage pile. this way i know what type of meat i have before i even thaw it out.

[NOCK NOCK]

With silver skin removed cook rare to medium rare (internal temp of 120-125F)!  Only gamey tasting meat I have ever had was done medium well to well.  And unfortunately I have had a lot of that...mother thought pink juices were the devil's elixir. So she cooked it either well burnt or medium burnt.  I didn't even know I liked meat until I moved out on my own

Secret for those guests that are red/pink squeamish;  Cook as mentioned to rare or medium rare.  Slice thin a la London Broil style.  Lay out on a plate in a single layer.  Lightly salt with sea salt or good kosher salt (never ever allow iodized salt to touch game meat!)  Let sit for a few minutes.  Put in the microwave and hit it for about 30 seconds (some microwaves a little more others a little less).  This will take the pink away without really changing the level of doneness.  Even my mother and sister-in-law will eat it this way...so we call it the "miracle meat method". 

Hey Rad, "never allow iodized salt to touch game meat"   Have never heard this before, How come?

[Doublelunger]

Do a good job gutting and processing. 

[pianoman9701]

Rapid and proper field care of game is the most effective way to limit the gamey flavor - dry, clean, and cool. After it's already processed, the best thing you can do for gamey meat is marinate it well beforehand with plenty of garlic, wine, and rosemary, which will help settle the flavors down. Slow smoking and drying is also good to combat gamey flavor.