Wet aging venison

[Jim Wright]

If my original reply hi-jacked this thread even slightly it was not my intent. I stated my own experience aging meat and my doubts about the feasibility of vacuum packing being a method to do so. I had no idea the process was used commercially, color me better informed. Jim

[two4hooking]

Originally posted by Kevin Dill:
Going back to wet aging of meat: This doesn't have to be done at the time of butchering. Meat can be vacuum packed and frozen, then thawed later for consumption. Leave it in the vacuum pack in your refrigerator (below 36F) for up to 2 weeks and then you can open & prepare it. I have done this many times.

Yup, this is how I do it too.

[dougbutt]

I put my deer meat in an ice chest with ice, a liberal amount of salt, and a little water. Every night I drain the water and add more salt. When the water runs clear, about 3-4 days, I pull out the meet, cut it up and freeze it.  The salt supposedly pulls the blood out of the meet and lowers the freezing point of the water, making the ice water colder.

[John Scifres]

Here is how I do it.  I am eating some wet-aged shoulder roast as I type.  Forgive the grease on the screen  

10-20 days before cooking, I pull the packaged meat from the freezer.  I do not vacuum seal but use one layer of freezer paper, wrapping to remove almost all the air.  I put the wrapped package in a ziploc bag, again removing almost all the air before zipping.  Put it in the back of the fridge for at least 10 days.

Before cooking, drain blood, trim fat and sinew and let air dry for a few hours in the fridge.  I usually add a dry rub that has a good amount of salt.  This helps dry the outer part so you get a nice crust on it.  Otherwise, it seems to stew to a less appetizing grey color.  Cook to medium rare.

The shoulder roast I just finished was wrapped in bacon, trussed up, cooked at 450 for 20 minutes and 325 for 30 more.  It is just past rare and delicious cold on a good bread with a touch of mayo.  This piece was from a 3 year old buck killed in October 2013.

[Michael Arnette]

I've always had it cooled and packaged within a few hours of recovery. I generally have to marinade it before cooking to get good results. I've had some pretty good meals on the table and tender meat doing it this way. I guess I'm doing the same as you guys but on the back end.

[hickstick]

I'm not totally sure aging meat is really worth it unless you are going whole hog and aging it for a REALLY LONG period of time.  like 60 days:

  http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-dry-aging-beef-at-home.html  

I've eaten meat hung for 0 days to a week, and it really makes little difference (to me).  maybe my deer are just different from everyone else (lol just kidding here), but as long as it is not over cooked, cooking method agrees with the cut, I've not found any 'major enhancement' to the texture, flavor, or appearance 'aged' of meat.

also, John,  it isn't just that the salt rub is  drying out the outer layer, its that it's pulling protein laden moisture from the inner core to the outer layer...its this protein that allows the crustification  

[Krex1010]

Hickstick, I definitely think aging improves flavor, texture and tenderness. Even 4 or 5 days helps and 7-10 days is even better.  Actually cut some fresh steaks off a deer a friend got a couple years back, the rest of the deer we aged for about a week, the fresh meat was very good, the aged was better.....I guess the moral of the story is there is more than one way to make a deer taste delicious.

[Catskill Longbow]

Here in NY I hang my deer in the unheated garage out of direct sunlight and weather permitting for at least 7 days and often closer to 14. If it's early season I leave the hide on, if it's late season and more likely to freeze I then will skin it to make it easier to get the hide off.

I have definitely noticed a difference in tenderness with the deer I have been able to age for 10-14 days. I will not even touch the inner loins for at least 3 days, as much as I would love to have them the day I have a successful hunt.

[Krex1010]

Catskill......if you're looking for a treat the day of a successful hunt, try the heart and liver, they don't freeze well and spoil quickly, but they are darn tasty fresh out of the deer.

[Sixby]

I locker my meat for about 10 days, Never had any mold on it. The meat is always skinned and thoroughly washed and towel dried off before I take it in to the locker.
First thing I do is throw the hams into a cold stream or spring (abundant where I hunt) and cool them a couple of hours before taking them into town. When I take them into town I wrap up in a couple of old clean wet sleeping bags before I leave. I always take elk in the same day of kill , Deer I sometimes salt and cover with a bag and hang in camp in the shade. Never lost any that way and no mold.


God bless, Steve

[Roadkill]

Our august archery season sports 90 degree temps.   Same in earlybMZ and rifle.  Spray vinegar on the meat as I skin it( keeps flies at bay). Spray and wipe interior, then put tarps over the meat and put baggied ice on the tarp.  Then another tarp to keep sun off.  Bone it out when we get home. Let it cool andbthen wrap.  Soak meat in cool salt water, with a touch of vinegar for a day, changing water twice.  Now even my wife eats game meat.  Some great ideas to try up above,thanks

[frank4570]

I guess what I am going to try based on the different responses is to take the deboned meat and pile into a big aluminum pot and put in the fridge with a lid on it and daily mix the meat to keep the moisture cinsistent, pour off blood and juice.
 This scares me a little. Maybe I'll freeze most of it today and wet age the rest. I kind of cherish my wild game meat.

[mec lineman]

Frank, I understand your concern. We cherish our venison in our home. Although I am fortunate to be able to process quite a few a year,I would use the same methods if I could only have one tag. Age a clean backstrap for two weeks and grill rare, med- rare and you will not believe the consistency of the meat.

[Mint]

I tried the wet aging but did not like how the outside turned brown and how the blood affected the taste of the meat.

This year I tried Bisch's way with the cooler, laying the meat on top of ice separated by some plastic and allowed to drain with the cooler tilted slightly and the drain plug removed. I really liked the way the meat came out. Another plus was that I didn't have to rush preparing the meat and I could take my time.

[ChuckC]

I don't vacuum seal it, just put it in plastic food bags, generally one or two gallon size, and twist tie them, then store them in a cooler of ice till I get to processing it, generally within two or three days.  I don't wait 10-14 days, not saying it isn't right or even that my way is better.  I am so used to my way, and I like it as it is, that I just simply don't want to change.

We need to be a little careful with making the "piles" too large because cooling like that is by conduction (slow) and the lag time could promote bacterial growth.  This is repeatedly shown in lab tests.

Get it cold quick as you can, keep it cold till you freeze it.
ChuckC

[lt-m-grow]

Here is a nice short link from a butcher...

 http://askabutcher.proboards.com/thread/1403/14-beef-dry-aging-wet

I have read some of his other stuff (I am a big grill guy) and he is spot on on most of his info.  YMMV but given his 6 week aging time, it may be that none of us are effecting much when do "aging" for days.  Also suggest the folks that mentioned leaving it in the fridge vacuumed seal for 20 days are so are onto something.

All and all, I still believe the most important thing to do is get the meat cooled asap.   I have cut it and tossed it in a fidge in large soup kettles, use a method similar to Bisch's, and even dunked it is ice water for a week to 10 days.  All were about the same.  

I have only had one deer go bad and that was because I couldn't find it till midway the next day.  All my other deer are great.

[ChuckC]

Be careful when you vacuum seal something, almost any food with pH not below 4.6, and you don't freeze quickly, as C. butulinum can grow and that you don't want.  Other more common organisms can grow as well if the vacuum is not good enough to preclude O2.