bip
Senior Member
In response to a conversation with 99tarbox about smoking, curing and processing venison, I decided to post something that was taught by an older gentleman when I was more or less learning about processing and caring for venison from harvest to the table. Because we live in the greatest country in the world, we have the opportunity to hunt, fish, grow our own gardens and bear arms. Also, because we have the greatest nation full of men and women who have fought and died for our freedom, we are able to speak freely and share our experiences within our history and, for a lack of better words, experiment with ways to make our lives better and more enjoyable in the trying times of today.
My story starts with an experience of something I would never have believed if I had not seen it with my own eyes. I was honored to meet the older gentleman, who lived approximately 20 minutes north/northeast of Columbus Georgia. He taught me a lesson I will never forget, and because of this, I would like to share it with all of you.
The property the gentleman owned was approximately 400 acres, and at his house he had a large area of fruit trees and grape vines (of the scuppernong variety) with the issue of deer claiming most of the delicacies they had to offer, so he needed a taller fence around them (8 feet to be exact). He had small fields of hay that needed bailing and gathering, cattle fences that needed mending, etc. Our (myself and 4 other people) only payment for hunting his property was to help take care of these issues and a few more.
On the edge of one of the small fields, he had two small, old dilapidated farm hand houses he only used for storage. Off one corner of the most northerly house was an old truck that had partially rusted, and of course was not one you would want to try to restore. One Saturday afternoon the gentleman asked for a volunteer with no details on the task needing to be accomplished. I was pretty much “volentold” by the other members and I thought “just my luck.” His request was for me to sit in the driver’s seat of the old truck and at a certain time I would see 3 deer come behind the house from the other side. I was to shoot the smallest one. Now I thought “this is going to be great,” but he didn’t bother to tell me what I was going to see before they came from behind the old farm hand house.
Approximately 5 minutes before they walked behind the house from the other side, I watched all three deer actually crawl out from under the side of the house I was on, go toward the front of the house and proceed to the back of the house from the other side. I later found out deer had dug out a bedding area and had been bedding under the house for several years. Unbelievable yes, but more unbelievable was, it was at the exact time I was told I would see the deer, and better yet, I actually was able to squeeze off a shot and harvest the smallest deer in the group, per the gentleman’s request.
At that point, the gentleman came down and took the deer back to the house where he proceeded to skin and quarter it. This is where the lesson began; the lesson learned and not forgotten. After the deer was quartered, one hind quarter was placed on a rack and then on top of a cookie sheet a little smaller than the rack. It was then placed in a refrigerator he had outside the back of his house, and we were all told to go home and come back the next weekend.
The next weekend we all came back and the old gentleman asked us to sit down at a table. He went to the refrigerator, got the hind quarter and set it on the table. At the younger age I was, and not experienced with this type of processing, the hind quarter looked awful. It was crusted over with a very dark red crusty skin that was hard, and not appetizing in the least. The older gentleman proceeded to trim the crust off the hind quarter, which revealed venison that was dark pink in color and a great looking piece of venison.
So now after the lengthy story, the lesson learned begins with the trial and error period skipped; adding what I learned through the years, and hopefully it won’t be so long.
I start with a question……
Have you ever thought about what the difference is between beef and aged beef? To sum it up in one word, it is “time”. Understanding the fundamentals of the process of decay is probably the best place to start, and of course there is a twist in my beliefs.
Jumping ahead to clarify the statement of decay, the early stages of decay bring forth natural enzymes that actually begin breaking down meat, which actually causes tenderization if done properly. During this same process, a fungal (mold) species on the surface of the meat - that in no way causes spoilage -causes a crust that will become very dark red. The genus Thamnidium, in particular, is known to produce collagenolytic enzymes which greatly contribute to the tenderness and flavor of dry-aged meat. This process concentrates the meat by removing excess moisture, therefore enhancing the flavor. This, to some, would sound like it would also concentrate the wild/gamey flavor, but read on.
Talking about the wild/gamey flavor, have you ever really thought about what the gaminess of the meat tastes like? Think about it. Is it a pungent taste? Is it a sour taste? How about a hint of a metal like substance? My personal opinion is it tastes a little like an iron flavor. Well thinking about that, what is in blood? From my research I found that Iron is part of an important process in blood, stimulating the red blood cells to absorb oxygen - and as we all know - land animals must have oxygen.
With this all being said, I start with the beginning of my process. Once harvested, I will field dress the deer as soon as possible, or will get it back to our hunting clubs skinning area as soon as possible, to get the deer hanging on a basic block and tackle our club set up to use. I will then skin and quarter the deer and get it into the cooler with ice – keeping as much of the meat as I can possibly get.
Being that I like to hunt the whole weekend, and I am saying every weekend of the entire season in the southern zone, I will keep the deer on ice until - at minimum - the day after I get home. I will then set up a table in the back yard and rinse the venison thoroughly cleaning any hair and undesirable areas of the meat as possible. I will then hang the venison in a refrigerator I bought for this purpose with cooking twine.
Now if you remember the one thing I said earlier about the difference in beef and aged beef, you know the waiting game begins. I will allow the venison to hang for, at minimum, five to seven days. The reason there is a variance is dependent on the time the deer is in a cooler with ice. This is where the actual tenderizing (aging) process begins.
Once the meat is in the refrigerator, there is a light amount of air circulating around the meat at all times. This causes the first reaction. This reaction is the surface of the meat drying out. To explain this in more layman terms, think about it this way; if you take a cup of water and spill it on your cutting board, your natural reaction is to reach for a paper towel or regular towel to absorb the water. This, although not the same, is the basic principle with hanging the meat in a refrigerator. The surface of the meat is dry, and due to the natural course of nature, almost anything dry will draw and absorb moisture (the second reaction), which in this case is true. With venison, the first moisture absorbed from the meat is blood as it is the densest of the moisture since it contains many things, including iron.
I now go back to my question of what is the flavor you taste when venison is gamey or wild. The best part about this process is not only that you don’t have the wild/gamey taste, but I have not had any part of the venison, including the shoulder meat, any less tender than the tender loin, no matter the age of the deer, the sex of the deer, whether it is running, whether it is in full rut, whether you remove all the fat or even all the silver skin. It is always tender.
Going back to the venison hanging in the refrigerator, one suggestion is to make sure none of the meat touches. There must be room for air to circulate around all pieces. After the meat has hung for as long as it can (safely), I will then remove it and begin the normal processing, to include grinding (making sausage), cutting steaks, butterflying the back strap, separating muscles for venison roasts or cubing.
The question that now arises is how much of the crust needs to be trimmed. There are many factors and possible variances that can affect this decision. I guess the main factor to consider is how long the meat was in a cooler of ice. This process is used by many hunters that do nothing more before processing the venison, with great success, and I will use this process myself if time does not permit me to hang it in my refrigerator. This process does draw blood out of the meat, but doesn’t have the air flow that dries the surface of the meat giving the added benefit of the fungi and enzymes to break down the meat. If most of the blood is already drawn out, then of course there will not be much to trim. I guess this is more learned by experience.
Although this is my opinion on interpreting my process, many may not agree. All I know is by following this process, making sure not to overcook the venison, and even, as many know not cook it too fast, I rarely cooked venison that was wild/gamey, tough or not awesome, unless the concoction (spices, marinade etc..) I came up with just didn’t work. To add, one of the studies I came up with in my years is that venison is also one of the lowest cholesterol producing proteins out there. It is at least in the lowest 10 percent. In closing I would like to say, comments and/or feedback is welcome.
My story starts with an experience of something I would never have believed if I had not seen it with my own eyes. I was honored to meet the older gentleman, who lived approximately 20 minutes north/northeast of Columbus Georgia. He taught me a lesson I will never forget, and because of this, I would like to share it with all of you.
The property the gentleman owned was approximately 400 acres, and at his house he had a large area of fruit trees and grape vines (of the scuppernong variety) with the issue of deer claiming most of the delicacies they had to offer, so he needed a taller fence around them (8 feet to be exact). He had small fields of hay that needed bailing and gathering, cattle fences that needed mending, etc. Our (myself and 4 other people) only payment for hunting his property was to help take care of these issues and a few more.
On the edge of one of the small fields, he had two small, old dilapidated farm hand houses he only used for storage. Off one corner of the most northerly house was an old truck that had partially rusted, and of course was not one you would want to try to restore. One Saturday afternoon the gentleman asked for a volunteer with no details on the task needing to be accomplished. I was pretty much “volentold” by the other members and I thought “just my luck.” His request was for me to sit in the driver’s seat of the old truck and at a certain time I would see 3 deer come behind the house from the other side. I was to shoot the smallest one. Now I thought “this is going to be great,” but he didn’t bother to tell me what I was going to see before they came from behind the old farm hand house.
Approximately 5 minutes before they walked behind the house from the other side, I watched all three deer actually crawl out from under the side of the house I was on, go toward the front of the house and proceed to the back of the house from the other side. I later found out deer had dug out a bedding area and had been bedding under the house for several years. Unbelievable yes, but more unbelievable was, it was at the exact time I was told I would see the deer, and better yet, I actually was able to squeeze off a shot and harvest the smallest deer in the group, per the gentleman’s request.
At that point, the gentleman came down and took the deer back to the house where he proceeded to skin and quarter it. This is where the lesson began; the lesson learned and not forgotten. After the deer was quartered, one hind quarter was placed on a rack and then on top of a cookie sheet a little smaller than the rack. It was then placed in a refrigerator he had outside the back of his house, and we were all told to go home and come back the next weekend.
The next weekend we all came back and the old gentleman asked us to sit down at a table. He went to the refrigerator, got the hind quarter and set it on the table. At the younger age I was, and not experienced with this type of processing, the hind quarter looked awful. It was crusted over with a very dark red crusty skin that was hard, and not appetizing in the least. The older gentleman proceeded to trim the crust off the hind quarter, which revealed venison that was dark pink in color and a great looking piece of venison.
So now after the lengthy story, the lesson learned begins with the trial and error period skipped; adding what I learned through the years, and hopefully it won’t be so long.
I start with a question……
Have you ever thought about what the difference is between beef and aged beef? To sum it up in one word, it is “time”. Understanding the fundamentals of the process of decay is probably the best place to start, and of course there is a twist in my beliefs.
Jumping ahead to clarify the statement of decay, the early stages of decay bring forth natural enzymes that actually begin breaking down meat, which actually causes tenderization if done properly. During this same process, a fungal (mold) species on the surface of the meat - that in no way causes spoilage -causes a crust that will become very dark red. The genus Thamnidium, in particular, is known to produce collagenolytic enzymes which greatly contribute to the tenderness and flavor of dry-aged meat. This process concentrates the meat by removing excess moisture, therefore enhancing the flavor. This, to some, would sound like it would also concentrate the wild/gamey flavor, but read on.
Talking about the wild/gamey flavor, have you ever really thought about what the gaminess of the meat tastes like? Think about it. Is it a pungent taste? Is it a sour taste? How about a hint of a metal like substance? My personal opinion is it tastes a little like an iron flavor. Well thinking about that, what is in blood? From my research I found that Iron is part of an important process in blood, stimulating the red blood cells to absorb oxygen - and as we all know - land animals must have oxygen.
With this all being said, I start with the beginning of my process. Once harvested, I will field dress the deer as soon as possible, or will get it back to our hunting clubs skinning area as soon as possible, to get the deer hanging on a basic block and tackle our club set up to use. I will then skin and quarter the deer and get it into the cooler with ice – keeping as much of the meat as I can possibly get.
Being that I like to hunt the whole weekend, and I am saying every weekend of the entire season in the southern zone, I will keep the deer on ice until - at minimum - the day after I get home. I will then set up a table in the back yard and rinse the venison thoroughly cleaning any hair and undesirable areas of the meat as possible. I will then hang the venison in a refrigerator I bought for this purpose with cooking twine.
Now if you remember the one thing I said earlier about the difference in beef and aged beef, you know the waiting game begins. I will allow the venison to hang for, at minimum, five to seven days. The reason there is a variance is dependent on the time the deer is in a cooler with ice. This is where the actual tenderizing (aging) process begins.
Once the meat is in the refrigerator, there is a light amount of air circulating around the meat at all times. This causes the first reaction. This reaction is the surface of the meat drying out. To explain this in more layman terms, think about it this way; if you take a cup of water and spill it on your cutting board, your natural reaction is to reach for a paper towel or regular towel to absorb the water. This, although not the same, is the basic principle with hanging the meat in a refrigerator. The surface of the meat is dry, and due to the natural course of nature, almost anything dry will draw and absorb moisture (the second reaction), which in this case is true. With venison, the first moisture absorbed from the meat is blood as it is the densest of the moisture since it contains many things, including iron.
I now go back to my question of what is the flavor you taste when venison is gamey or wild. The best part about this process is not only that you don’t have the wild/gamey taste, but I have not had any part of the venison, including the shoulder meat, any less tender than the tender loin, no matter the age of the deer, the sex of the deer, whether it is running, whether it is in full rut, whether you remove all the fat or even all the silver skin. It is always tender.
Going back to the venison hanging in the refrigerator, one suggestion is to make sure none of the meat touches. There must be room for air to circulate around all pieces. After the meat has hung for as long as it can (safely), I will then remove it and begin the normal processing, to include grinding (making sausage), cutting steaks, butterflying the back strap, separating muscles for venison roasts or cubing.
The question that now arises is how much of the crust needs to be trimmed. There are many factors and possible variances that can affect this decision. I guess the main factor to consider is how long the meat was in a cooler of ice. This process is used by many hunters that do nothing more before processing the venison, with great success, and I will use this process myself if time does not permit me to hang it in my refrigerator. This process does draw blood out of the meat, but doesn’t have the air flow that dries the surface of the meat giving the added benefit of the fungi and enzymes to break down the meat. If most of the blood is already drawn out, then of course there will not be much to trim. I guess this is more learned by experience.
Although this is my opinion on interpreting my process, many may not agree. All I know is by following this process, making sure not to overcook the venison, and even, as many know not cook it too fast, I rarely cooked venison that was wild/gamey, tough or not awesome, unless the concoction (spices, marinade etc..) I came up with just didn’t work. To add, one of the studies I came up with in my years is that venison is also one of the lowest cholesterol producing proteins out there. It is at least in the lowest 10 percent. In closing I would like to say, comments and/or feedback is welcome.
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