Deer game processing question

[Guest Reynaldo de la Torre]

My question is why my deer meat would taste gamie, I will give you the steps that were under my control. I have harvested a few coues deer in the past ten years mostly down south but for some reason after cooking this years deer meat it has a real gamie taste. Seriously, If anybody has any advice so this won't happen again pls advise, but it just might be, "it is what it is", maybe...thx..

 

Killed deer in 24A bottom of canyon Nov.11th.

One shot, field dressed immediately and quartered deer.

Put meat in game bag.

It took a good three plus hours to get meat to truck.

Washed off meat with water hose (first time I ever used water hose to clean off meat).

Put meat back in game bag and hung over night (padded meat somewhat dry).

Got back to Phoenix Nov 12, wrapped meat in freezer paper and stored meat in freezer.

Took meat to meat processor 2/07.

Game meat taste real gamie for some reason and the taste stays with you for a while.

 

Thanks and meat will not go to waste.

 

 

I took a Whitetail to a buther once. But I changed my mind when he told me that "my" meat would not be "MY" meat. I would get a certain amount but it might not come from my deer.

[crotalus]

Well I think Mr. Quimby and Lark pretty much nailed it. Not keeping your game clean and not allowing it to cool as soon as possible are probably the biggest contributors to "ruined meat". Cleaning it with clean water contributes almost nothing to bacterial growth but leaving it dirty will do nothing but encourage bacterial growth. Think about it...would you rather eat with clean hands or dirty hands? Same process occurs to theoritically "sterile" meat, that is, meat that is not gut shot, hairy or covered in dirt. Keeping your game meat clean and processing your own game meat is also a big plus, if you can do it. Just my 2 cents worth. BTW, has anyone tried those new "liquid meat keepers" in the spray bottle? You can buy them at any sports store and are suppose to keep bactierial growth down, thus saving your meat. Good to hear from you Mr. 270, it has been a while.

[ichiban43]

I have been spraying deer, elk, antelope, bison, even turkey with water to clean it all my life, and I can guarantee you that it does not affect the taste of the meat, other than to remove the objectionable stuff that gets on it.

 

 

Agree totally--and to add to that--I splash some cider vinegar in a bucket of water and clean everything thoroughly. Hair will taint the meat also--almost as bad as getting guts all over it whether by shooting in the wrong place or sloppy field dressing. Dress out and COOL ASAP! I've aged and not aged--both are fine. Also--make sure it is boned--not saw cut. Trim all fat off. Milk does work for sure. Use suet in any HB.

[Noel Arnold]

We have been butchering our own meat for 40 years.As Bill and lark said water is your friend.The only thing we ever took to the butcher was the elk that was to be ground in to burger.Then a few years ago I bought a commercial grinder and we do that also.I always used to mix in 10% beef fat ,but now I grind the elk with no fat at all.You would be surprised that it is not dry as long as you cook it right.And I have been told that most of the steriods/ hormones and insectisides from domestic animals are stored in the fat.Another thing we do is buy big used chest freezers and put thermostats in them so we can age our meat at least 10 days before cutting and freezing.Also it is not in your best interest to freeze,defrost, and then freeze again. Although I know that some of the butchers do this.They do it because they have to.Also I cut all fat off animals and not one of my steaks have any bone in them.Both of these will give strong taste after only a short period of time in the freezer.

Noel

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Washing meat with a hose won't make it taste bad, but it can promote the spread of bacteria, like E-coli.

[COOSEFAN]

Well...appearantly what I heard was wrong about the hose! I have used and will use if it's available a hose to wash off meat. I am a picky eater and I always make sure the meat is VERY clean. I have heard that you want the meat to dry and form a crust (assuming it is already clean) which protects it from fly's and stuff. Anytime I have hosed off meat, I dry it with a shirt or towel if handy, I don't know if I had to or not, I just felt like it was best not to let it stay wet! When you are dealing with a cape.....you don't want it wet 'cause it promotes bacteria.......why would you want your meat wet also? The main thing, regardless of how you achieve it, is keep the meat as clean as possible. Also, get it as cool as possible...as fast as possible. The first thing I do when I walk up to an elk or deer.....even before I take pictures, I make a cut from the back of the skull to the tail bone, and as deep as I can get the knife in. This allows that thick neck meat and straps to cool even while your takin' pic's. This is a must on Elk, that meat just starts cookin' in there on the early hunts! Just my $.02.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Well...appearantly what I heard was wrong about the hose! I have used and will use if it's available a hose to wash off meat. I am a picky eater and I always make sure the meat is VERY clean. I have heard that you want the meat to dry and form a crust (assuming it is already clean) which protects it from fly's and stuff. Anytime I have hosed off meat, I dry it with a shirt or towel if handy, I don't know if I had to or not, I just felt like it was best not to let it stay wet! When you are dealing with a cape.....you don't want it wet 'cause it promotes bacteria.......why would you want your meat wet also? The main thing, regardless of how you achieve it, is keep the meat as clean as possible. Also, get it as cool as possible...as fast as possible. The first thing I do when I walk up to an elk or deer.....even before I take pictures, I make a cut from the back of the skull to the tail bone, and as deep as I can get the knife in. This allows that thick neck meat and straps to cool even while your takin' pic's. This is a must on Elk, that meat just starts cookin' in there on the early hunts! Just my $.02.

 

I'm not sayin' that I have not washed meat before.... But several meat processors that I know have told me that..... and it makes sense. Sooo, I try not to do it any more, but I still do it, sometimes.

 

I really think that the freeze and thaw w/o being boned and trimmed is what is making vml's deer rank... not the washing.

 

my $.02......

[venadoslayer]

Thanks for all the responses.

 

If I had to do it all over again I would probably not use a water hose to clean off meat.

I did take deer meat to a meat cutting school where they are being trained under the guidance of a real meat cutter. (it was packaged very nicely 39 cents a pound). "I know you get what you pay for".

I'm slowly getting around to maybe meat cutting my own game, I ordered a DVD from Colorado Game and Fish about de-boning and meat cutting. Any information or resources on game processing please pass it on.

 

I did not take the backstraps to the meat cutter so it will be interesting to see if there is a taste difference.

 

Coosefan-- One shot and the deer ran about thirty yards and fell.

 

Again thanks for responding.

I have been cutting my own meat for years now (deer, beef, javelina, pork etc.) I always use water to clean the bloody area and whatever else might need to be washed. I have not yet once got sick. For deer I always trim all the fat and then wash with a hose. I think the key is once you have it cleaned up quarter it and put it in the fridge and leave it for a week or so, bones and all. I have my own seperate fridge for meat and I don't use the main fridge for it. Letting your meat hang or sitting in a fridge allowing it to get chilled to the bone is key for me. When you begin cutting up your deer be sure to remove all fat and blood and it should be grrrrreat! Blood will definately cause the gamey taste as well as fat! Hope this helps.

[billrquimby]

"Then a few years ago I bought a commercial grinder and we do that also.I always used to mix in 10% beef fat ,but now I grind the elk with no fat at all.You would be surprised that it is not dry as long as you cook it right"

 

 

It's been a while since I've done it, but we used to grind pork into our venison burgers. A friend and I would bone and cut all the meat (except the backstraps) off our deer into chunks, then (after washing it!) take it to a butcher who would add the most inexpensive pork cuts we could buy. (The ratio was about 30% pork, 70% deer meat.) The pork kept the burgers together and its fat made them juicy. Between us, we probably processed 50-60 Texas Hill Country deer an maybe a dozen Arizona whitetails and mule deer that way. I even tried it with three or four Wyoming antelope and a New Mexico elk. We never had a gamey burger!

 

Bill Quimby

[billrquimby]

A couple more thoughts. I will not "age" game meat.

 

It may help improve the flavor and tenderness of beef, but not game meat.

 

I think it has to do with the fact that deer fat becomes rank when aged, and even when frozen.

 

Butchers like to hang meat a few days to get it firm so they can saw it with their band saws. I prefer to cut up my animals with knives and regular meat saws, and remove as many bones as I can along the way. I don't care if my cuts aren't as "pretty" as the store-bought stuff.

 

They also do not wash beef, but that's because cattle are killed and processed without the leaves, dirt, urine, blood, bullet-damaged meat and deer poop that get inside our deer no matter how careful we try to be.

 

You can do what you want, but please don't ask me to eat hunter-killed deer meat that has been "aged" and not cleaned with water.

 

Bill

[Noel Arnold]

Bill,

When we age our wild meat we cut out the bone and all of the fat before we age it.If you do not do this it can make it stronger.Also the only reason we do it is to make it more tender.It does nothing for the taste.And the younger animals we do not age as long.I usually only age whitetail for about five days.But a big bull elk I will age as long as I can.

Noel

[billrquimby]

Bill,

When we age our wild meat we cut out the bone and all of the fat before we age it.If you do not do this it can make it stronger.Also the only reason we do it is to make it more tender.It does nothing for the taste.And the younger animals we do not age as long.I usually only age whitetail for about five days.But a big bull elk I will age as long as I can.

Noel

 

 

Noel:

 

Aging without bones would be beneficial, I suppose, but I've not had a problem with venison being tough. That could be because I make hamburger (30% pork added) out of the ribs and neck, and pot roasts out of most of what's left. I do butterfly the backstraps, and tenderize (pound) the round steaks before breading and frying. I'm getting hungry thinking about it.

 

 

Bill Quimby

[vml]

Just thought I would share this, I was looking to see if there was any Popular Surplus stores still here in phoenix or on-line I really liked there cloth type game bags and I ran into this article about game meat.

 

"Once home, I always use a mixture of warm water and vinegar to wipe down my meat. It cleans and sterilizes all at the same time. Trust me, it doesn’t leave your meat tasting like vinegar"

 

Reference; http://www.caryongamebags.com/newsletter1.htm