poor mans walk in...

[wandering monk]

this is not anything new, but might be of some value , especially for early season...or really anytime in some areas...

its that time of year...for me to get my "walk in" ready...no its not some huge and expensive job...but one that works perfect to age my meat properly when its too hot to do it in the shed etc.

I have been doing this for many years after finding out a long time ago that if venison or elk isnt aged some it just does not have the flavor and texture we like so much.After wrapping up a few bow killed deer from early season many years ago without letting really age a bit, I learned my lesson...

IMHO Wild game in general gets a bad rap a lot of times just because it isnt handled as well as its domestic cousin...

I have an old refrigerator in my garage that I keep for the purpose of always having ice on hand and a place to cool down my meats. In August I give it a super cleaning with some spray nine and bleach if necessary.

I bone all my meat 100% , clean &  dry it thoroughly. I keep it on as much ice as I can cram in my 120 $ 100 qt coolers until I get home. I have plywood shelves I have cut up for stronger shelves, and I like to keep around waxed boxes too. I place the meat with a towell over it to help from drying out too much.mid week I do a rotation, and clean up any drips etc.

 I set the thermostat at just above freezing...(the only way to really get it perfect is to get some stuff to start freezing and then back it off a hair.)

 


We keep the meat and all the scraps for sausage and grinding in there at about 33-34 degrees for at least one week...after that it has started to get that pretty pink color...and is OK to do any final cuts & wrap it up...this freezer will hold one elk plus a deer or three to 4 deer if all boned properly.(or one Buffalo) I dont put anything in my freezer you dont want to eat...bones, fat and grissle etc are left for critters in the field.

I keep 1 gal jugs in the freezer compartment to help the costs of electricity a bit...and also have excellent frozen blocks for the cooler on a trip. I use purified water too so that if and when it melts we have good drinking water or for other purposes in a camp. I re-freeze new water in the jugs when I get home and keep the ice on hand. I usually do the same in my chest freezer when it does not have any wrapped meat in it too.

this has worked so well for me over the years I just thought I would share it with you folks that might not know about this method...especially good for the early seasons that are about to start out west and anywhere its still pretty warm out.

[dcmeckel]

Great thread Monk. I have a walk-in cooler, a by-product from the Game processing business I had, and you are right. If game isn't aged a while,it just doesn't taste as good as it could.We had Wives call and tell us how much they enjoyed Venison again. Of course it still needs to be handled properly in the field, but ageing goes a long way to making it taste better.
David

[DarkTimber]

Great thread!  I've been looking at options for a walk in cooler for our place and honestly never thought of just boning the meat and using an old refrigerator. That probably makes way more sense than trying to build or buy a full size cooler.  THANKS!!

[Elkchaser]

Thanks for the tips. Very sound information!    

[SKITCH]

I believe that would be called "wet aging" as opposed to "dry aging" in which the meat is hung in open air for a specified time.  Anything that gets those enzymes to start breaking down the muscle and  sart it aging to really get the right flavor.  Gettin hungry over here!!
Thanks for the ideas!!

[DEATHMASTER]

I also know meat needs to be aged properly to have it be the best.
I learned on some home raised roosters and could not eat them no matter how prepared. I did lots of research and ageing to break down enzymes is the total secret. I can take ANY old hen chicken and make her fit for a king or me.
This same goes for any meat. Some is able to be ate but if a person lets the enzymes break down they will be MUCH better.
Your idea of the fridge is GREAT. Many people updating and giving away old ones for the hauling. As long as it cools.
Now the hard part for me is getting the meat for in mine.

[Hoyt]

I use a spare fridge also. Have to be careful since it's not dry refrigeration...bout a wk is tops for me.

[wandering monk]

the results from a week at 33-34 degrees for me have been great...I have had to cut off a few edges and put them into the scrap bowl...but wet?? I always make sure it is dry, and clean out any accumlated juices during the week.

sometimes when success happens...its happens in a big way...and having a resonable way to age my meat has made a big diifference for me.

sometimes on big cuts...like an Elk quarter etc I do filet off some of the drier meat before processing it to completion.Even a big Deer...but the meat underneath has that really nice "pinkish" color...

I must admit too...when the final process of wrapping goes on there are a few beveredges and some nice cuts on the grill too...its sort of a celebration!

[Hopewell Tom]

OK, I haven't been looking after my meat properly at all.
Thanks for this info, I'll be working on a system for this year, toot sweet.
Great website, also. I have to take a bit more time to go through it again.
Welcome to Trad Gang.

[wandering monk]

Thanks Tom...I just sort of dropped in after lurking for a while...

the old fridge in the garege is a no brainer...and sure to make your meat harvests go a lot smoother...you will be surprised at the results Im sure!!

[wooddamon1]

Great post, I happen to have a spare fridge in the garage...

[The Night Stalker]

I few years ago, I bought a large cooler. It is an icy tech, the kind that fishing charter captains use.  I have put two whole does in it at one time. For early season, I can lay the deer in the coffin cooler  with some plastic  milk jugs of ice and process them  when I can.
I always wanted a walk in cooler,  a taxidermist friend thought you could make one from a really insulated shed using blue board and an air condition. What do you think?

[S. Brant Osborn]

I had a neighbor that was a retired butcher.  He kept  lots of
Old refrigerators for that purpose.  I processed deer and hogs por us locals and always raised his own beef and hogs.  That is where I saw the difference in aged meat and unaged.  He has moved and I now needmy own cooler.

Thanks for this infirmitive thread

[SKITCH]

Originally posted by The Night Stalker:
I few years ago, I bought a large cooler. It is an icy tech, the kind that fishing charter captains use.  I have put two whole does in it at one time. For early season, I can lay the deer in the coffin cooler  with some plastic  milk jugs of ice and process them  when I can.
I always wanted a walk in cooler,  a taxidermist friend thought you could make one from a really insulated shed using blue board and an air condition. What do you think?

Think that would be pretty iffy as far as managing a consistent temp.  Keep an eye on craigslist and used rest. supply stores. You might find a small one that would do a better job and be a lot safer. Might cost a bit more up front but would save you $$ in the long run on the cost to operate.

[Al Dente]

Keeping the meat exposed or with a towel on it is dry aging.  Wet aging is when the meat is in a cryovac or sealed bag.  After extended time, dry aged meat will lose water weight and some nasty stuff on the surface may be needed to be removed.  But that is not needed after only a week.  With wet aging, since the meat is in an enclosed environment, where there is no evaporation, there is no loss of weight.

[twitchstick]

This is what I do to store my meat. Right now I have 1 elk and two deer in mine. It can be a blessing during our early season hunts here in Utah.

[Doc Nock]

I can't take credit for this, but am willing to share.

I never heard of dry vs. wet aging, but the last post on p1 rather helped explain that.

Here's a trick I learned living in MT and I've now used for 24 yrs!

I skin my critters as soon as possible to get the body heat out.  Winter hide holds heat!

After scraping the whole carcass to remove hair, blood shot meat, etc, I then take a small thing of Crisco, bought just for this purpose alone,
and rub a light layer of Crisco over the entire deer! INSIDE and OUTSIDE!

After 3 days of aging there is no hard dried crust or weight loss I can tell. It's as PINK as it was when I skinned it.

When I then butcher the animal, I scrape off the light coating and wipe it on a paper towel as I go.  Thing is that being vegetable fat, it will NOT turn rancid in the freezer!

As for using a fridge for an aging cooler, I took all the shelves outa mine, and put the whole carcass of 2 smaller doe I shot in VA when living there in the house fridge. All the food went i n a good cooler with all the frozen stuff and it stayed great for the 3 days till I cut up the critters... that was with head and legs removed obviously... I wanted the air circulating around the whole deer... no dead air spots.

I might add I lived alone...but did make my buddy scream when he came to visit and told him to get 2 beers outa the fridge! He had no clue!    He screamed like a girl!