Elk Meat

[jdw12885]

To Hang or Not to hang before cutting up. What are you’re guys thoughts?

[Woodchuck]

I'll always hang if conditions permit. It does need to stay dry and skin over. Meat that hangs in the rain will bone sour quickly.

[jrebel]

We hang ours for 3-7 days usually. 

[Jpmiller]

I hung my Wyoming bull one day this year, usually we hang everything at least a couple days if we can. I don't notice a difference, but I'll still hang next time if I can.

[pickardjw]

If conditions don't allow hanging, I'd recommend wet aging in a cooler. I've done a muley and black bear that way and the meat turned out excellent. Just smoked up some muley tenderloins and backstraps last night, very mild and very tender.

[steeleywhopper]

Hang if we can and if not cool enough we process asap. I do let meat sit in the fridge vac-sealed for a week before eating if we were not able to hang it. Not sure if that is a sure fire trick or not, but it seems to work for my family.

[LDennis24]

Hang for 5-7 days if the temps permit, then cut it up. If not I have Steve Egger on Perry in Spokane hang it for several days and then process it for me.

[jdw12885]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I was trying to see if people have noticed a difference from cutting up right away or hanging.

[jason stevens]

I have found that butchering right away makes the meat more tender I've done it both ways an now prefer to do immediately.  Just my opinion

[LDennis24]

I have found that butchering right away makes the meat more tender I've done it both ways an now prefer to do immediately.  Just my opinion

I find it odd you say that because one of the main reasons for hanging meat is so the enzymes inside the muscle can take effect and make the meat more tender. 

[pashok23]

I always cut right away.

[LDennis24]

One question I have for you guys who say you cut right away. Do you enjoy lamb meat or goat meat? I find that the deer meat that is processed immediately is somewhat similar to lamb or goat and meat that is aged has more of its own venison flavor to it.

[Limhangerslayer]

I like to hang 7-10 days.  My spike this year was a 10 day hang.  Buddy has a cooler so temps aren’t an issue.  My buck this year is going to be pepperoni and sausage so it’sa short time hang.  Especially since it was cut up and packed out. 

[22shtur]

Cows, don't matter if they hang 1 day or longer. They taste great either way. Bulls (even spikes) have never been good for me unless hung for a min of 4 days.
My last spike only hung for 2 days, and then cut up. It was like any bull, not tender at all. That was a hard lesson. My wife is a phenomenal cook with any game meat, so it definitely had to do with lack of hanging time.

[WapitiTalk1]

More important than length hanging, is to get all the silver skin and fat off the meat before you process it and freeze it. That’ll do 

[mburrows]

I like letting any meat hang for at least 2 days so it can get through rigor. I've let em hang for 2 days and up to 10 days and have a hard time telling a difference in quality of the meat. Usually I hang game for 3-4 days in game bags to try and minimize the meat loss from drying out.

[HntnFsh]

Cows, don't matter if they hang 1 day or longer. They taste great either way. Bulls (even spikes) have never been good for me unless hung for a min of 4 days.
My last spike only hung for 2 days, and then cut up. It was like any bull, not tender at all. That was a hard lesson. My wife is a phenomenal cook with any game meat, so it definitely had to do with lack of hanging time.

I don't think so. I think its each individual elk. I've butchered the same day and hung 3-5 days. No difference.

[stickslinger]

I always hang atleast 7 days, in my opinion it does help tenderize the meat a little bit. But the real reason I do it is u won't get near as much blood in the frying pan when u are cooking it

[buglebuster]

Cows, don't matter if they hang 1 day or longer. They taste great either way. Bulls (even spikes) have never been good for me unless hung for a min of 4 days.
My last spike only hung for 2 days, and then cut up. It was like any bull, not tender at all. That was a hard lesson. My wife is a phenomenal cook with any game meat, so it definitely had to do with lack of hanging time.

I believe that to be more of an issue of how the meat was handled and taken care of from the field. Spikes are literally the best eating elk out there.

[LDennis24]

There is more than one reason for making a good shot on an animal as well. Adrenaline ruins meat. If you chase an animal or run it before shooting it, it's gonna taste different and be tougher than shooting an animal that drops in its tracks. The meat will be tougher due to a PH change and the flavor will even be different. Secondly, hanging meat literally allows it to start decaying which is what makes it more tender. Meat that is aged by hanging will absolutely always be more tender than meat that was not. Our ancestors have known this for centuries. It's what charcuterie is all about. That and preserving the meat.

[jdw12885]

Thanks guys for all the input!!

[Caseknife]

Pretty much hang everything for about a week, skinned in game bags.  My BIL has a walk-in cooler and cutting room, so I am kind of spoiled.  Tough to hang in a garage when it gets hot during the days.  If it is a rainy wet hunting season and the game bags get wet, will change to clean dry bags before hanging.

[7mmfan]

I did a test a few years back. The test subject was a spike elk backstrap.

1. Cut and wrapped 2 days after kill.
2. Cut and wrapped 7 day after kill.
3. Cut and wrapped 10 days after kill, AND wet aged in vacuum seal bag in fridge another 11 days for an even 3 weeks of aging.

Number 1 was good, it was a well cared for spike.
Number 2 was more tender. No noticeable difference in flavor.
Number 3 was notably more tender and the flavor was superb. It's amazing how much you can get away with, with lean red meat if it's just kept cold.

I now cut all my meat no sooner than a week if possible and I get meat out of the freezer and allow to sit in the fridge for a week to 10 days before cooking. I think it makes a big difference.

[jae]

Well, all of the above are reasonable methods. I have done just about everything imaginable. Hanging in a walk in cooler for 7-10 days (if lucky enough to be in proximity to a cooler), large cooler method on out of State hunts for 7-9 days, (on ice draining water and adding ice as needed), cutting and freezing same day before leaving for another hunt, 7 days in a cellar with fans and dehumidifier (this one was recommended by a friend and I was skeptical, meat was debone and hung by individual strings in smaller pieces, turned dark but was incredible outcome) definitely more than one way to skin a cat. I prefer to get off bone in field and cool as soon as possible.
I Immediately separate meat out of meat bags and thoroughly pick any missed hair or blood shot. BUT many ways to make it happen.

[dilleytech]

Aging doesn’t happen until about 7 days and pretty much ends after 3 weeks with 2 weeks being a nice length minimum. but it is good to atleast let it sit 24 hours before cutting it up. Hanging for 3-5 days does nothing for quality. If you want to age elk meat without the luxury of halving a walk in cooler try wet aging. Works just as well is a lot easier and you don’t lose any meat.

[elkchaser54]

Immediately get skin off, cut up and freeze.

[dvolmer]

My hunting buddies grandpa who used to be a butcher in Dayton WA many years ago did tons of beef and wild game.  He always told us 14-21 days for beef, 7 days for elk, and no days for deer.  Now that I do the gutless method to process my animals and de-bone them in the field, I don't hang meat at all any more. I can't tell all that much between an elk that was hung or an elk that was de-boned and processed quickly myself.

[LDennis24]

Like I posted earlier I believe, and have read, that if an animal was stressed when it was dispatched, whether hunting or butchering cattle, that it makes more of a difference in the meat taste and structure or toughness. The hanging part isn't as significant unless it's truly aged over 14 days like Dilleytech stated. I don't know if elk or deer is different than cattle in how long the meat takes to begin breaking down and changing enzymes as I'm not a butcher and haven't actually done any research on it as in taking two pieces of meat from the same animal and treating them differently in preparation for packing. It would be fun to truly figure that out and run all sorts of different lengths of aging on deer and elk meat to find the sweet spot as they say.

[Karl Blanchard]

I've put meat up every way possibly imaginable.  I hate the loss you get from trimming the rind from an animal that has been hanging. I often don't have the time between hunts to have meat iced down. I debone in the field always now so when I get home I just cut it up and freeze it.

One thing nobody has mentioned is meat ages in the freezer, just at a slower rate. Cut it up, keep your freezer properly rotated, and you'll never notice a difference between that deer you hung for a week and the one that got chopped up immediately.

With the very real thread of things like Brucellosis, you should be freezing your meat for a while before consuming anyways

[huntnnw]

I always try and age steak cuts. This isnt an opinion that meat might get more tender hanging... it does. I have cut up backstraps immediately and left one to sit for 25 days not even a comparison between the 2

[AKBowman]

Cows, don't matter if they hang 1 day or longer. They taste great either way. Bulls (even spikes) have never been good for me unless hung for a min of 4 days.
My last spike only hung for 2 days, and then cut up. It was like any bull, not tender at all. That was a hard lesson. My wife is a phenomenal cook with any game meat, so it definitely had to do with lack of hanging time.

I kinda just had an “ah ha!” Moment. Every bull elk we’ve gotten early archery we’ve found a local cooler to hang the meat so we can keep hunting. I would say on average the meat is hanging in a local cooler for 4-5 days before we get it home and processed. This elk meat has always been fantastic.

I shot a younger rag horn bull early archery a few years ago. It was raining and local so I just processed it right away. It was surprisingly gamey. I could not figure out why but now im convinced it’s due to hanging the other bulls in a walk in cooler for 4-5 days.

[bearpaw]

I've deboned lots of elk and deer on the spot, then into coolers asap, then finished cutting, grinding, wrapping, and frozen pretty quickly. In most cases the meat has been very good, the biggest down side I've noticed, the meat is bloodier and that comes out when cooking. Meat that hangs for days seems to bleed out a lot better, but I cannot specifically say it tastes better or worse, I would need to cut up half and hang half off the same animal to be able to accurately answer the question on taste or tenderness?

[hunter399]

I wish I could eat some elk meat.
Thought I had them pegged down.
Seen them,heard them buggle ,the whole nine yards.
Friday deer Hunting before the opening.
They slipped out of there ,been three days waiting there return,walking elk trails,looking at week old tracks.
Nothing, pretty sure I will see them right after it close .
Freaking true ghost of NE Washington.

[b23]

I've done it both ways and found it is not only easier and less work but you get less waste when I cut them up ASAP.  We used to let them hand and "age" but all that seem to do was make for a lot more work because you had to trim all that outer layer off.  Getting the hide off soon as I can, especially with mule deer, and cutting them up right away works best for me.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

Hang for 5-7 days if the temps permit, then cut it up. If not I have Steve Egger on Perry in Spokane hang it for several days and then process it for me.

Steve Eggar is my go to butcher also!  Early archery elk is usually in the 80's by the afternoon, as it was this September.  I quarter up elk, cut off straps, loins, and some trim before the heat and flies get me moving.  I'll take meat home and clean it a bit before heading straight to Eggars, same day.  We mostly use ground meat for many different recipes and it always tastes great to me, not bloody or watery.  I'll keep straps and loins and cut into steaks myself.  With deer, usually Steve is slammed with Turkeys and Hams so I'll process myself, hang meat for a few days and cut off chunks to grind or just wrap whole for roasts/steak.  Late archery hunts are typically very cold so no worries with bugs/sour just freezing.  I don't age or hang meat on purpose, it might just be that I kill one on a Sunday before a busy work week and hang it until I can start breaking it all down. 

[buglebuster]

3 day hang. Have to get it cut up so we can continue hunting. Minimal waste for trim, out of the rigor stage, and these sirloin tips will be amazing


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[jdw12885]

I've deboned lots of elk and deer on the spot, then into coolers asap, then finished cutting, grinding, wrapping, and frozen pretty quickly. In most cases the meat has been very good, the biggest down side I've noticed, the meat is bloodier and that comes out when cooking. Meat that hangs for days seems to bleed out a lot better, but I cannot specifically say it tastes better or worse, I would need to cut up half and hang half off the same animal to be able to accurately answer the question on taste or tenderness?

Good point here bearpaw! Anyone ever done this??

[dilleytech]

My hunting buddies grandpa who used to be a butcher in Dayton WA many years ago did tons of beef and wild game.  He always told us 14-21 days for beef, 7 days for elk, and no days for deer.  Now that I do the gutless method to process my animals and de-bone them in the field, I don't hang meat at all any more. I can't tell all that much between an elk that was hung or an elk that was de-boned and processed quickly myself.

That’s because in neither case were those animals aged. If you’re not aging the animal for 2 plus weeks there’s no point.

[iRem]

I’m all for deboning and placing in the cooler. No other options for the type of hunting and time of year I hunt, early season both deer and elk. I believe it’s about the timing and hunting conditions each are presented with. I love cutting up and packing it on ice and once we get home I have a day or so to process. Not much game taste in either species. But, when I have meat that’s going into the grinder tenderness doesn’t matter at that point!

[birddogdad]

I always try to hang for at least a couple weeks, but hang conditions can be problematic year to year... How you process makes big difference, cooldown ect... my cuts mostly to roasts and grind. Crockpot takes starch out of toughness for sure. choice steaks is my focus area. 4th Gen hunter and this was passed to me, mostly east coast deer, grandpa would hang in weather until the under arm pit started stinking (3 weeks or more with right weather). Never any complaints. Its your call but do your research, hanging for short periods really doesnt accomplish anything.  Now liver is a different story, fridge crisper for 5 days before eating for sure to neutralize negative flavors.

[hoytxl2009]

I hang till it molds then wipe with Vinegar then follow with butchering. We dont make any of our burger grind until late January. Stuff ziplock bags full and stack up in freezer until burger day. Only do this because wife/family always have late cow tags and id rather grind 3 elk at once then one 3 seperate times. I'm only able to do this as we have our own walk in cooler and can regulate Temps exactly where we want them. Fortunately I have a wife and mom that butcher if we are headed to another state, and not around during butcher time. I owe them big time most every year.