Aging venison???

I know some people used to / still do hang their deer for days to weeks after harvest to age the meat prior to butchering…

I’m wondering how many of you do this, and what your results are?

I have found that when we eat venison, the fresh out of the freezer cuts are ok, but lacking tenderness. If we have the time, my wife and I will often unthaw the steaks in the fridge and then let the meat “age” in the refrigerator for a up to a week before we cook it. I don’t know if its all in my head or what, but the “aged” meat always seems to be extremely tender and full of flavor without being overly gamey. The newly thawed meat never seems to be nearly as good.

I first started noticing this on camping trips. By the end of the week, we would always have a bunch of venison steaks left, and they would always have been thawed and sitting in ~32 degree icewater for the last 3-5 days… At first, we wondered if we should be eating them.. But after trying them, they were the most delicious cuts you could imagine. Even old (2-3 year old cuts) end up excellent (assuming no/very little freezer burn). Knives not necessary, they would almost always be able to be cut with a fork…

Anyone else fridge age veni prior to cooking? Results??

We always hang our deer about 3 days, sometimes a week. Also, I learned a long time ago, from a wise old butcher, don’t get the bright red/pink ribeye, get the one that looks like it has been in the case for a couple days, a little brown/tan tinge to it, means it is ready. After trying a few, he was right. I love it when they take them out of the case and they get the price gun out to discount and put in the case, without the glass, I scarf all em up

“Anyone else fridge age veni prior to cooking? Results?? “

My older brother swears by it. He usually gets multiple deer every year and has a fridge in his garage soley for this purpose. I usually only hang them 3-4 days. Mostly because of temp and/or schedule. I always enjoy the outcome.

I age mine also. I usually let them hang about a week to week and a half depending on how cold it is. I keep the hide on and just let it cure. Letting it hang this long is why I like to hunt later in the season after its cold so the meat doesn’t spoil. I also think it mellows the flavor.

I’ve seen this question hashed out on quite a few websites, and even by some butchers and professional meat processors.

From everything I’ve read, you want to butcher immediately, or wait a short period. Venison that’s cut immediately after rigamortis sets in is likely to be tougher with a less pleasing flavor. That said, “aging” venison can be a tricky proposition that’s best done under controlled temperatures (fridge/cooler). Rising/falling temps, coupled with freeze/thaw we see during typical Novembers isn’t good for the meat, and most people age far too warm. This increases the odds of bacterial growth, which many people can withstand large amounts of. Some people can’t.

Also, venison isn’t beef, and there’s no fat that’s marbled in with the meat. I’ve been told this creates less tolerance for warmer temps and/or aging duration. In other words, it’s not like a dry or wet-aging 3 week process like it can be for a side of beef.

To me, the risk of feeding tainted venison to friend or family, or the thought of losing any of the venison I work so hard for keeps me from trying to age venison too long. We’ll wait up to a day or two ONLY if temps allow, or butcher immediately, esp. early season! We’ve been following these rules of thumb and haven’t ever had a problem in many years of doing it.

Joel

I generally butcher immediately (usually talking hours, if not minutes from harvest to freezer), and then “fridge age” the meat after thawing, prior to eating, in a very controlled-temp refrigerator. Seems to help, but I was just curious as to how other go about it, if they bother. Good replys!

Mike

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I generally butcher immediately (usually talking hours, if not minutes from harvest to freezer), and then “fridge age” the meat after thawing, prior to eating, in a very controlled-temp refrigerator. Seems to help, but I was just curious as to how other go about it, if they bother. Good replys!

Mike

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You bet Mike. I’m with you on the fridge aging. I think there’s little that can go wrong here unless you forget about it for awhile in there. I tend to marinate most of my venison to keep the friends and family more into it, so I don’t have much of a control to work from in terms of taste anyway.

How does everyone else do it?

Joel

I like to butcher within a day or 2, and then fridge age it as needed. most of the veni gets turned into jerky, sausages, and sticks to keep the wife and kids eating it. I enjoy a nice steak on the grill though, and keep the choice cuts for myself.

The guys down in New Zealand have done a lot of research into aging venison as part of their very large commercial deer industry down there.

They have come to the conclusion, that for the best results a Fallow (I’m assuming your Whitetail will be similar) needs to be hung whole for a minium of 7 days before butchering.

Ideally the carcass should be hung just a couple of degrees above freezing and somewhere a draft can circulate around it.

This doesn’t mean immediately putting a warm carcass in a cold chiller however, as there is a risk of “cold shortening”. Ideally the carcass needs to slowly cool in two or three stages over the first 24 hours.

Leaving the carcass whole allows its own body weight to provide a stretching effect that helps to combat cold shortening.

Generally speaking, the older the animal the longer it should be hung.

I have eaten Fallow that had been hung for two weeks in a chiller and was just starting to smell a little “gamey”, and it was absolutely fantastic.

I should add this initial smell is not actually from the meat itself, but from any blood left on the interior surface of the carcass…a wipe with clean kitchen roll soaked in white vinegar will remove it, but its the sign that its time to butcher.

This is the ideal way to handle venison, but its not always practical depending on the circumstances when the beast was taken.

I should also add that the condition of the animal prior to the shot also plays a big part on how the venison will turn out. With Fallow and Red for instance, if you shot a mature buck/stag in or just after the rut, the carcass is usualy terrible. Shoot that same buck a month before the rut and it will be different eating…Doe’s /Hinds suffer less variance, but the carcasss from a doe/hind in milk will usually not be in as good a condition as a one that is not feeding a fawn…

Regards,

Peter