# Home Skinning - Aging - Processing



## reel (Dec 15, 2004)

Thought I would try to do my own deer processing this year.

"Successful aging requires the carcass to be clean and hanged for about 4 days and kept at a temperature of 34-36 degrees."

I have some freezer-cooler parts that I can build my own cooler.

My idea was to Build an enclosure of styrofoam and include a fan and thermostat.

Question: Does anyone think the styrofoam odor would taint the meat ?

I know....I know... Have it processed at a professional butcherer. That, I should do but I would rather not this year. Call me cheap, but for me it is the challenge.

...


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

reel,
I never noticed odor with cooler styrofoams, but I guess some foams may have a strong odor. And, I would say these are not the kind to use for your project.

I keep mine in a couple of large ice chests with a good amount of ice on them. The melted ice does lighten the color of some of the meat, but is not a problem with taste or texture as near as I can tell. I do this not for aging, but so that I can process over a couple or three days instead of all in one day. I put the backstraps in the fridge for a day or so and then freeze.


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## GOLDFISH (Mar 10, 2006)

Use insulation and a air conditioner for the cooler The aging is good if can be done However must butcher shops won't let them hang at all if they have time they cut it also alot of shops you get an equal amount of meat usally not the same deer. Some friends and I do our own. And it does save cash Get a good grinder we all pinched in on one


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

GOLDFISH said:


> However must butcher shops won't let them hang at all if they have time they cut it also alot of shops you get an equal amount of meat usally not the same deer.


That is the very reason why I process my own deer. You may get someone elses deer and you have no clue how they took care of it, and how happy would you be if you dropped off a yearling doe and got back steaks from an old tough buck?


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## GOLDFISH (Mar 10, 2006)

BassBlaster said:


> That is the very reason why I process my own deer. You may get someone elses deer and you have no clue how they took care of it, and how happy would you be if you dropped off a yearling doe and got back steaks from an old tough buck?



Amen Brother thats why we do our own.


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

The hell with aging the meat. It can age in my freezer. Actually I process mine as soon as I can. Next day or a week later if it stays cool enough.


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## GOLDFISH (Mar 10, 2006)

I let a Buck hang for about two weeks last year I think it made a difference 
If you can let them hang It allows the blood to drain out


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## Pure river (Sep 12, 2005)

Reel,

This argument has been going on forever. 

Myself, I have been processing and buchering my own deer sice i was a kid..probably your age. Venison is NOT like beef, it has very little fat and ageing venison in my opinion is the WORST thing you can do for it. A day would not hurt, but I would not let a deer hag any longer. In my opinion all ageing venison does it make it "gamey" and dried out. I have even seen people skin their deer and let them hang. This will lead to a 1/4 inch leathery dried out layer on all your meat. Definetly NOT a good idea.

Beef is entirely different, ageing allows the fat and fibers in the meat to break down. If you dont age beef it will be like eating a piece of shoe leather.

I personally skin and process my venison mostly the same day as harvseted. At least I get it quartered out and the steaks cut. I may let the steaks set in the fridge in plastic for overnight and package the following day or evening.

If your venison is frozen, laying it out if the fridge for a day to thaw and "drain" is sufficient "ageing" before eating.

Also take note that deer are wild animals and have a completely different muscle make up than your barn yard variety animal on the hoof. "breaking" down wild game accomplishes nothing.
Look at the difference between a domestic Thanksgiving turkey leg and breast v/s a wild turkey leg and breast. Their make up is completely different. Putting a wild turkey in the roaster yeilds entirely different results than a domestic turkey mainly because of size, skin thinkness, meat structure and fat.

Do as you wish....research as much as possibly, but my years of experience say..whack it, stack it and pack it!!!!

good luck!!

PR


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I suppose if I had access to a locker to hang a deer in I may opt to hang them for a while at times but since I don't I usually get them at least boned and in a cooler ASAP. If you keep them in a cooler with bagged ice underneath and the meat in a bag it will keep the meat from draining juices and waterlogging. I have kept them for 3-4 days in coolers like this and the meat is just as good when I process it as it was when I put it in. However, I don't know whether it actually enhanced the meat in any way or not. When I put it in the cooler I like to get it as clean from fat as possible because it will prevent the gamey taste of the fat once it begins to oxidize.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Aging wild game does do something, the same thing as aging domestic meat. Meat is meat. Now, some people don't like the effects, but there is something to it. It has little to do with fat content. Aging simply reduces the amount of water content in the meat, and allows bacteria to break down the fibers somewhat, though not a lot. This will effect the texture and the taste somewhat. It's probably not enough for some people to tell, and others may not like it, but there are changes none the less. 


> I have even seen people skin their deer and let them hang. This will lead to a 1/4 inch leathery dried out layer on all your meat


Actually, the only thing that dries out is the very outer skin, which I remove anyways. 
Is aging needed, no. Does it hurt, no. Field care and cooking have a far greater impact on the final product.


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## oucat (Aug 18, 2005)

If the temperature is cold enough (low 40s) I let my deer hang for couple days. If you do that, make sure you skin it as soon as you get it home. That lets the meet cool faster- the meet should be cooled as soon as possible. 

If you do process your own deer I recomend not sawing though the bones, bone marrow (sp?) from deer leaves a game taste to the meet, where as bone marrow from beef gives the meet flavor.


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## Pure river (Sep 12, 2005)

this opinion/argument has been going on for years!

I will agree to dissagree.

I do not believe "meat is meat". I worked in a butcher shop for two years and learned for a fact meat is not meat. Even within the same animal various cuts act differently, and how they should be treated. And how the animal was raised dictates quite a bit to the care of the meat. Weather it was grain fed, pasture fed with lots of exersice, no exercise.....ect.

Lamb, goat, pork,poultry, beef, pheasant,grouse, wild turkey, venison,ect..all require different methods of processing. From my experience. And yes 

Fat in different animals can enhance the meat or have an adverse effect. Venison fat gets rancid very quickly, as well as poultry fat. Beef and pork however both add flavor. ie..marbling in a ribeye.

"Actually, the only thing that dries out is the very outer skin"... the "skin" is already off the animal..why bother and why wast time and meat cutting this layer off? skinning a deer and leaving it hang accomplishes nothing. except drying the meat out.....leave the hide on....unless you think it's going to freeze..then your only choice is to get it off. 

I will agree 100% FIELD CARE is #1!! 

and will dissagree that "Ageing venison doent hurt". but will add...if you feel the need to "age" your meat...like brk stated...get off the animal.

Again.. as many can see.. Opinion abounds here !

shall we talk .270 ....v/s 30.06!! haaaaaaaaaa Theres one that will never die  

PR


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Obviously, different meats require different things. My point is, aging them all does the same thing. Reduces water content and allows bacteria to break down fibers. BUT, that process may not agree to everyone's liking. Not everyone will like aged venison. However, it's still no different than aged beef. I'm not saying it should be done, but that it can be done. It's up to the individual.


> the "skin" is already off the animal..why bother and why wast time and meat cutting this layer off


I personally don't like the silver skin and outer membrane on my venison. Unless it's for burger, I want nothing but muscle tissue.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

What I do: (by no means the right way, the only way etc..)

No matter what, remove the inner loins ASAP and pack seperately for consumption that night.

If the temperature is < 40 and clear then I hang the deer, skin on, gutted (obviously) with the chest cavity propped open by a stick for a day or two.

If the temp is below freezing then I may let it hang as above for up to a week (whenever I can get to it).

If the temp will be > 40 or rainy then I will quarter or bone the deer ASAP and get it in a cooler if at camp or into the fridge for a day or two to let it age in the fridge. if possible I vacuum pack it before putting in the fridge to avoid blood spillage.

I am lucky enough to be able to hang a deer in the yard with no complaints for as long as I want and no one will complain if they open the fridge and a deer leg is in it.


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## reel (Dec 15, 2004)

Thanks Pure River. Nice to have company here



> Myself, I have been processing and buchering my own deer sice i was a kid..probably your age.


Shot and cleaned my first squirrel before Pearl Harbor.


Lots of great comments to think about.
...


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## Pure river (Sep 12, 2005)

that was funny !!!..for some reason I thought you were young!!

only 35 here 

good luck. Do a test. Try a little of each and see what suits you best. Take one hind quarter off and let the rest hang and see if you can tell any diffference.

It's always fun to experiment. I always wanted to try to salt cure one hind quarter like the old timers use to do when there was no refrigeration. I have read some on it and its actually quite involved, but would be neat to try. I would just hate to screw it up and end up rotting or wasting an entire hind quarter.

My old man will quite often freeze and smoke an entire hind quarter. Now that is good!! 

PR


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## psychobubba (Mar 2, 2006)

this is my meat locker










looking at top inside 









small fan to move air when hanging more than 3 deer 









the door closed


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## reel (Dec 15, 2004)

Great looking setup psychobubba. I want one.

Looks like this might be in the garage ?
What happens if it gets say 10 below zero out and you are still aging with skin still on ?

...


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

When it gets really cold we turn off the compressor and watch the thermometer.If it gets too cold we put a small heater in the cooler to maintain the right temp.We like to let the deer hang for as long as possible. 
We always skin the deer before it goes in the cooler. Take a torch and burn any hair that is left or the deer.Much cleaner in the cooler. I can't stand getting hair on the meat.
Bob


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## psychobubba (Mar 2, 2006)

> Looks like this might be in the garage ?


 yes in the garage i hang for 14 to 21 days at 34 deg 36 deg no skin cooler has a light for heat if needed haven't had to use . its the old refrigerator with freon that don't freeze up


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## Matt Harrison (Oct 31, 2007)

I agree with river.I have been cutting meat for nearly 20 years,at the same slauterhouse.I have 2 good friends that own thier own shops as well. They will all aggree with me in saying that aging meat is a waste of time. Any meat that hangs more than 2 day is bled out as its going to get,why because blood starts coagulating when the internal temp. drops below norm. evaporation, why so that the meat becomes dried out,you can't even grind dried out meat,it's still dry.no amount of seasoning is giong to fix that. bacteria breaking down the meat.I've seen what that looks like.you could'nt give that to me.no bigger than most deer are by the the time you get done trimming off the mold and nasty stuff thier is'nt a whole lot left for the freezer. 

You want good quality meat for your freezer? feed your animals correctly with the right amount of grain and hay. If its not tender going into the cooler all the cold are moving around in there and what ever bacteria you think is at work is not going to make it tender. Your only throwing more of that money -meat away.Think what you pay for that beef, what you pay for processing. is having old sticky, stinky meat worth the cost? 

As for your deer,take your timeand make the shot count. field dress your deer properly,cleanly.don't hall it around for days and then take it to a processer and expect a duck out of a chicken. when you hang a deer in the cooler it does not get rid of the blood shot meat from the shot that killed it. it needs processed in a timely fashion. take the anal out to. I've done hundreds of deer that leave that in. that turns green and starts smelling and permiates into the rest of your deer.


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## hunt-n-fish (Jun 19, 2007)

Pure river said:


> Reel,
> 
> This argument has been going on forever.
> 
> ...


I cut meat for a custom plant in northern Ohio. Well said, Pure River. You saved me alot of time typing my response. The biggest problem _alot_ people have with their venison is that they do 3 major things wrong,

1) They don't allow the carcass to cool properly, allowing to much body heat for periods of time, causing not the meat but the fat to deteriorate, this is what causes a odor or foul taste, which in turns taints the meat.

2) They open the carcass from the pelvis to the neck. There's no real need to do that unless you gut shot/hind shot your deer. Most importantly, get the bung hole cleaned out. The anal tract is a organ and under most conditions, will deteriorate/spoil first causing bad meat/smell. Use a knife and cut around and ream the opening, into the cavity, and remove it with your intestines. It's actually the back end of the intestines and it CAN be removed w/o splitting the pelvis. It's the first thing I do on my deer.

3), Alot of hunters DO NOT CLEAN OUT the carcass! Blood, gut material, dirt, sticks, etc. when allowed to dry on the meat, makes it tough to clean and you will loose meat at the end. Drag an anaimal through the woods with the pelvis/gut cavity completely opened up and it's a dirt, debris collector

If you gut shoot a deer, you can still save alot of meat by immediately cleaning out the carcass when it's still warm. Find a stream, get a bucket of water, hose, whatever, use alot of water and a rag and literally wipe out the gut. Leave crap in or on your deer, it's likely to taste like crap!

One other thing to those who mentioned that "some" processors swap meat, we don't. I've heard of it being done and I can't understand how if they do, a fair and honest business can be ran. There's generally no way anyone can determine the amount of meat one would get from a deer considering the condition/size alot of the deer come into the shop. 

I've asked the owners if we could have a 'wall of shame' and place photos of the way people bring a deer into the shop to be processed, on a wall for people to see. Fortunately for some, the owners said no. Bottom line, _some hunters _- certainly not all, if they can't shoot/field dress a deer better then they do, _don't complain_ about what they get back, if the condition of the animal is terrible when they bring it in.


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## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

Personaly I like to get mine done as soon as possible. I agree with what you do in the field is the most important. Been doing my own for many years now and have people begging me for meat.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

We either do ours within a 1-4 days of the kill; if we are not going to do it within 24 hrs; we skin and quarter the deer out, double wrap in butcher paper, and stick in the fridge. My buddy has 2 large freezers and 3 fridges in his barn that we use. 

I think the longest one ever sat in the fridge would be 5-6 days and we have NEVER noticed poor quality or taste - it is always excellent meat. I will admit, I personally do not notice any difference if it is butchered 12 hours after kill or after 6 days in the fridge - maybe I'm a hillbilly with a bad pallet 

I won't pretend to know a lot about meat or butchering - I don't. I'm a novice that butchers my own deer & a few hogs too. I believe the most important things have been mentioned - #!1 FIELD CARE. I've seen countless deer that there is no way I would want to eat after the way they have been treated. If I cut meat - I would not accept a deer improperly dressed. It is pathetic how many people do not trim out the anal area 

We treat our deer like a big steak - no way would you catch me dragging my deer stomach down through the mud. We generraly rope the front legs to the rack/head and drag the deer on it's backside. It is enevitable you will get a few leaves or something in there - that is why God made a hose people!
Treat your deer like your dinner and it will be outstanding eating - IMO


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## Matt Harrison (Oct 31, 2007)

You are one of the few Fish-n-Fool, that that take good care of his or her deer.I have cut thousands of deer through my nearly 20 years experience. I've had to throw deer away because of poor care. I won't field dress a deer in the field. I'm not degrading the deer hunter, I'm just sharing and hope others may learn from it. The reason I don't fld. dress in the field is 1. I'm fortunate to own my own shop,but it is the cleanest way to care for the deer. 2.I allways skin the deer first,then gut the deer. By doing this you don't get anything in the cavity. several of my friends are do it yourselfers. One of the things I tell them that if the temp. is cool enough at knight let it hang and put a fan on it or inthe area of it to help the cooling process.If the fan puts out large amounts of air don't blow directly on the deer,it will dry it out. You can then cut it up later.If I'm not busy in my shop I'll help them when they need help.I check-process over a hundred deer every year in my shop. I can not eat deer anymore because of the nasty deer I see. I can respect a man for wanting to hunt and process his own,I you don't know what your doing PLEASE ask for advise from some one who knows,preferably someone with experience.If that don't work e-mail me and I will do my best to help you. [email protected] .


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## Matt Harrison (Oct 31, 2007)

Well said.I agree that some deer hunters need to take better care of their deer. About meat swapping,alot of that is is done after the processing.burger meat is weighed then thrown into the grinder until a large quantity is piled in the grinder then ground and stuffed into the little bags. then weighed out to the poundage to the wieght wrote down for each deer. The same goes for summer sausage. Most of this is done by processers that do large amounts of deer. I'ts saves time,which means more deer are done in a shorter time. If I won't eat it,I would'nt expect my customers to eat it either.I don't mix deer, but the places that make summer sausage that claim they don't mix deer are either lieing or chargeing outragious prices to recoup the cost for all the time and space that it takes to keep 3 lbs. here 5lbs. there seperated and wieghing all the tiny ounces out. the exsesive amount of tags written out for names,a smoke house running 24/7,the man hours would not be cost productive. I do not make summer sausage.I offer cheaper alternitives,ones that you get what you bring,with an exceptional taste. My full time job for nearly 20 years is working for a large company with 2 slauterhouses. I'v seen it all.


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