Aging your game???

[CoryTDF]

I couldn't find a thread about this and i was wondering what everybody thinks. I use a cooler and go for no less that 7 days. I always have tender meat.

My uncle used to live next to a butcher who would let it age until mold developed on the rib cage" it's the first place mold grows" he would butcher as soon as he noticed the mold.   i did it one year and that deer was great! The wife wont let me try it again.

[Huntbear]

As rifle hunters, the weather is usually cool enough, we hang our meat in the garage, for 5-7 days, then cut it up ourselves.  Best investment I ever made was a professional burger grinder.. add a small amount of pork fat, and away you go. 

[Gobble]

We bone ours out and place in cooler on ice for up to 5 days, must keep the cooler tilted with the petcock open to drain off any standing water and keep adding fresh ice.

[GoldTip]

I grew up with a walk in cooler in our barn.  Always aged deer and elk around 7 days.  Since I have moved away and don't have acess, have cut some deer up as soon as 24h and have been able to age some of them as much as 7 days again when the weather was right.  To be 100% honest, there is no difference in the meat as far as I can tell.  but I will probably continue to age them when I can, and not worry about it when I can't.

[Bob33]

This is an age-old debate.  There is probably no "right" answer.  Generally speaking, animals with more fat like beef benefit from ageing; lean animals with little fat (deer, antelope) do not benefit as much.  Ageing a game animal will not hurt it if the conditions are cool.  Whether or not it improves it is primarily a matter of opinion, as far as I can tell.

I do not age my game animals.

[rasbo]

I hang my meat if its cool enough till it mildews.It is far better.Most shops will say it don't matter.They are wrong.They want your meat out of there asap..The process of aging will make your meat more tender,and tasty..Take beef usually 7 to 10 days hanging time then out the door.A  good meat company will age meat to 21 days.there is a huge difference in taste and tenderness.Your meat will need to be trimmed however!Another bad process of meat cutting is sawing through the bone and dragging that through the meat..No saws on my venison or beef..And for Gods sake don't over cook a steak

[Huntbear]

Could not agree more on the saw part.  We break joints to separate the hind quarters.  Oh, and for those that are squeamish about a little surface mold, a mixture of Vinegar, Lemon Juice and water, takes it right off.  We even use a propane torch to burn off any hair that may have gotten on the meat.  Works great.

However, back on topic... the longer you can hang your meat, the less gamey and more tender it will be.  I have had bucks so rutty, that you could not hardly stand to gut and skin em, and after hanging for many days, they were excellent table fare. 

[Big10gauge]

Deer 7 + days
Elk  14 + days
I use a walkin cooler with 6 in urethane board insulation so the run time is minimal. Using a walkin cooler with 2 or 3 inch insulation creates longer run times and drys the meat out quite a bit and usually ends up having to reskin them. I can tell a definite difference between aged and non-aged venison and much prefer aged. Also will only debone and defat venison as I believe that is where a good portion of the gamey taste comes from.

[CoryTDF]

NO FAT+ NO BONES+ NO SAWS+ NO TENDONS= It's best when you handle your own meat!!!

[Caseyd]

We just hang them in the barn as they drop. Then come end of long weekend, we have a butcher party  So id say 1-3 days, sometimes longer though

[GoldTip]

Would be interesting to do a blinded taste test sometime.  You know, butcher one half the animal as soon as the meat cools, and the other half 7-10 days later, then have someone prepare both sides the same way and feed it to a guy thats blinded and see if they can tell the difference.  I'd make a wager a guy can not tell the difference in that scenario.

[Big10gauge]

Would be interesting to do a blinded taste test sometime.  You know, butcher one half the animal as soon as the meat cools, and the other half 7-10 days later, then have someone prepare both sides the same way and feed it to a guy thats blinded and see if they can tell the difference.  I'd make a wager a guy can not tell the difference in that scenario.

So how did you ruin your tastebuds? 

[Curly]

I've eaten elk that were taken during the rut and we did not age them at all........they were excellent and tender too.  So, I'm not sold on aging the game either.  I like Goldtip's idea of a blind taste test, but I won't bother doing that since I've had good luck butchering ASAP.

[deaddog]

I hang my meat if its cool enough till it mildews.It is far better.Most shops will say it don't matter.They are wrong.They want your meat out of there asap..The process of aging will make your meat more tender,and tasty..Take beef usually 7 to 10 days hanging time then out the door.A  good meat company will age meat to 21 days.there is a huge difference in taste and tenderness.Your meat will need to be trimmed however!Another bad process of meat cutting is sawing through the bone and dragging that through the meat..No saws on my venison or beef..And for Gods sake don't over cook a steak

and there ya have the best meat possible. +1 on the saw, never!

[Curly]

+1 on no saw and not overcooking the steak.

[rasbo]

what about aging politicians? how long do you hang before they are good

[Big10gauge]

what about aging politicians? how long do you hang before they are good

I think I'd let them hang in the sun. They're already rotten

[Bob33]

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he124w.htm

Their opinion:
Because mammals and birds forage for food, their muscles may develop more connective tissue than muscles of domestic animals. Exercise can be given as a reason for less tender meat. Tenderness is generally inversely related to age of the animal at harvesting. The tenderest meat comes from young, healthy, alert animals. The condition of the animal prior to harvest has an overall effect on the quality of the meat. If an animal has run a long distance before being killed it will have depleted its reserve glycogen stores, which may result in meat which is darker in color (a brownish-red to a purplish-black) and may be sticky or gummy in texture. Consequently, this meat does not decrease to a normal pH of 5.6-5.8, but stays at a pH greater than 6. This decreases the keeping quality of meat and increases the potential of bacterial growth.
Not all meat should be aged. Young game animals are tender by nature. Aging game that has been skinned often results in excessive weight loss, dehydration and surface discoloration of the lean tissue because there is little or no fat cover on the carcass. The meat is also exposed and susceptible to deterioration by bacteria and mold growth. Processing game meats into sausage or ground meats should be done as soon after harvest as possible to minimize weight loss from drying and deterioration due to microbial growth. Grinding or chopping tenderizes game so aging is not necessary. If you prefer to age your game, leave the hide on the carcass and maintain proper temperature.

[rasbo]

I dont have acess to a cooler so I do hang mine as long as the weather permits. I also like cutting and wraping my own meat.

Late season a garage with a fan on the meat is what I use..I hate to give advice on temps but if its not 40s at night or cooler I will pay to hang it it..Or just ice it in a cooler as some have suggested..just dont let it spoil.

[Curly]

This was interesting from your quote Bob33: 

If you prefer to age your game, leave the hide on the carcass and maintain proper temperature.

   

[Big10gauge]

This was interesting from your quote Bob33: 

If you prefer to age your game, leave the hide on the carcass and maintain proper temperature.

   

Would probably keep you from having to reskin it. Don't know if I would want to try it though.

[deaddog]

There seem to be alot of opinions,just goes to show you, ONLY YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE YOUR MEAT THE RIGHT WAY.

[Curly]

   YAR........... 

[rasbo]

There seem to be alot of opinions,just goes to show you, ONLY YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE YOUR MEAT THE RIGHT WAY.

that was awesome

[Huntbear]

There seem to be alot of opinions,just goes to show you, ONLY YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE YOUR MEAT THE RIGHT WAY.

I disagree.. my wife, ummmmm never mind.   

[Huntbear]

what about aging politicians? how long do you hang before they are good

You hang them till the rope rots and breaks.... then run over em with a bulldozer.

[ecnclan]

I dont have acess to a cooler so I do hang mine as long as the weather permits. I also like cutting and wraping my own meat.

 

[Bigshooter]

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he124w.htm

Their opinion:
Because mammals and birds forage for food, their muscles may develop more connective tissue than muscles of domestic animals. Exercise can be given as a reason for less tender meat. Tenderness is generally inversely related to age of the animal at harvesting. The tenderest meat comes from young, healthy, alert animals. The condition of the animal prior to harvest has an overall effect on the quality of the meat. If an animal has run a long distance before being killed it will have depleted its reserve glycogen stores, which may result in meat which is darker in color (a brownish-red to a purplish-black) and may be sticky or gummy in texture. Consequently, this meat does not decrease to a normal pH of 5.6-5.8, but stays at a pH greater than 6. This decreases the keeping quality of meat and increases the potential of bacterial growth.
Not all meat should be aged. Young game animals are tender by nature. Aging game that has been skinned often results in excessive weight loss, dehydration and surface discoloration of the lean tissue because there is little or no fat cover on the carcass. The meat is also exposed and susceptible to deterioration by bacteria and mold growth. Processing game meats into sausage or ground meats should be done as soon after harvest as possible to minimize weight loss from drying and deterioration due to microbial growth. Grinding or chopping tenderizes game so aging is not necessary. If you prefer to age your game, leave the hide on the carcass and maintain proper temperature.

You left this part out:


The question of whether or not to age game meats has always been a point of discussion among hunters. Many practical considerations such as the temperature at the time of harvest, the chilling rate, the age of the animal, the proper storage place for aging and the intended use of the meat need to be determined if you plan to age your game.

Aging of meat is defined as the practice of holding carcasses or cuts at temperatures of 34 F to 37 F for 10 to 14 days (Figure 3). This allows the enzymes present in the meat to break down some of the complex proteins contained in the carcass. Aging of meat usually improves tenderness and flavor.

[Bean Counter]

Its not necessary to age it if you're going to grind it into burger. So you can get started on the front shoulders right away.

I read that the rigor mortis (sic?) process causes the muscles to get more stiff over the first three days, and that they get more relaxed over the next 3-5, where they peak out. It didn't sound like there was any additional benefit to aging longer than that and spoilage setting in doesn't make it worth it to try.

For the tenderloins, backstraps, and hind quarters (which I usually steak out almost completely), I prefer to let 'em age 5-7 days. Longest I believe I've gone was 7 days and the quarters had darkened on the very edges and upon close inspection a bit of mold was growing. I trimmed that all off and underneath was a beautifully aged and tender red meat. You could literally see and feel the difference from when I put it in the fridge a week earlier. And the taste? well.. 

[Al Bundy]

Another bad process of meat cutting is sawing through the bone and dragging that through the meat..No saws on my venison or beef..

What does it do to the meat? Can't it be washed off?