How long do you hang your meat?

[Kapellmeister]

Originally posted by Cottonwood:
 

Originally posted by WPAtrapper:
I skin and butcher mine within a few hours of killing it if possible. Am I the only one?      

Nope, do the same thing. [/b]

Me too... the sooner, the quicker!    :D

[Dave Lay]

same as wingnut i usually quarter it and get in in ice water for a few days, I drain off the blood/water after a day then let it sit another couple days or so in icewater .. always have great meat, untill late nov/dec our temps arent cool enough to hang unless in a walk in cooler

[Mechslasher]

i age mine around 7-10 days.  here's an article on aging:

 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8leOx8uOa10J:www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/Dry%2520Aging%2520of%2520Beef.pdf+benefits+of+aging+beef&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl nk&gl=us

[wv lungbuster]

I skin and butcher mine within a few hours of killing it if possible. Then back straps go on the grill and maybe fry the heart if I didn't mangle it.

[SteveB]

Beef and venison have little in common.

Try to do it the same day - never more then a couplke. Never had any hint of gaminess or whatever.

[Don Stokes]

I have read that aging is more effective with fatty meat like beef than with lean meat like venison, but I have found that aging a week or so does improve the taste. Down south, unless you have access to a walk-in cooler it's rare to have cool enough temps for hanging outside. A few years back I shot a late-season buck in January that was worn out from the rut, with almost no fat. I hung him for about two weeks in the hide under a cedar tree for shade, and it was better than average, with a distinctly different flavor. When I shoot one in warmer weather, I skin it and cool the meat ASAP, then quarter it, remove the backstraps, and put it in a cooler on top of ice. I tilt the cooler and leave it outside with the drain open so that no water accumulates. I judge when to process the meat by the odor.

[Tom]

Quarter within a few hours, then ice water or fridge for a few day, final trim and freeze. Always taste good to us.

[jhg]

Originally posted by SS Snuffer:
The sooner it's in the freezer the better! It's not beef.

No kidding!

As I understand it venison (if thats what we are talking about) does not have the same enzymes beef has and "hanging it" will not appreciably change anything about it other than make you feel good.

I do wonder if there are other factors besides the meat itself breaking down. Such as a buck/bull losing its rut taste. If so, hanging would certainly be worth it for that alone.

Joshua

[Don Stokes]

Joshua, I've also read that venison doesn't benefit from aging, but my personal experience has been that it does. Maybe not as much as beef, but I still prefer the aged flavor in both. It definitely helps with a mature rutting buck, which can be pretty gamey.

[jhg]

I agree. Although the meat may not "tenderize" with hanging -its as tender as its ever going to get, the flavor is improved. 2/3rds the enjoyment of anything is mental anyway... if hanging game helps stoke that  mental fire, all the better.

[cacciatore]

From 10 to 15 days in a pro fridge around 32-35°.otherwise depends from the external temperature but above 40° it can stay longer than a couple of days.SAbove 50° ASAP is freezed the better it is.

[GWC]

i skin it out when i get it home or sometimes the next morning if i arrive home late.quarter it and put the halves in a refrigerator for a day or two and then debone and cut it up.but the tenderloins and backstraps are usually cut out the same night and cooked for dinner.