What to do post quartering?

[BCHunter]

1) I take care to minimize the amount of hair on the quarters to begin with. This gets easier with practice. In the woods it can be really tough in some situations, but you do your best. I like to have a tarp or garbage bag along just to lay everything out and keep it clean.

2) Before hanging it to age in my fridge, I will wipe what I can with a slightly damp rag. I don't really aim to get all the hair off right away, I want it to dry so that nice protective crust forms. I do try to clean up any bloody areas using some cotton rags.

3) Once I go to butcher after resting the meat in the refrigerator for up to a week (not so much aging as finding a good time to butcher), I will give it a final once-over and use a damp rag to remove any remaining hair. The only meat I wash is the shanks, since I am cooking those whole with the silverskin on, and their proximity to glands and they tend to pick up some debris. Most cuts I am trimming the silverskin/surface off anyway, so it really doesn't matter if there is a little hair on there, it just ends up in the dog food pile.


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I like their black and tan

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[Nutterbuster]

I like their black and tan

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Sad that I didn't even have to look at the pics to know exactly what you were talking about.

 

[elk yinzer]

Sad that I didn't even have to look at the pics to know exactly what you were talking about.

Yuengling!

 

[bigjoe]

Get all the hair off you can. Keep the meat water out as much as possible and off ice. Water breeds bacteria. You can dry age slightly in a refrigerator for 1/2 a day to s day. Take a sharp fillet knife to take off membrane. When you take off the membrane the hair comes off. Cut steaks, roasts etc.

If you want very tender meat, freeze it. This does two things. First it breaks down the meat fibers and secondly it kills any parasites and a lot if harmful bacteria. My Dad always talked about doing this. His uncle was a butcher and taught him. He in turn taught us.

You should never, never make jerky unless the meat has been frozen for at least a month. This was in field and stream a handful of years ago.

 

[Ontariofarmer]

Maybe I do it wrong. I hang the deer with no skin on and then rinse any blood or hair off with 50 degree well water. If it does not sit in water but is just quickly rinsed you do not get grey meat. Also I am rinsing the carcass not the cut up meat. I will rinse large cuts minimally sometimes. I figure the bacteria is on the hair and blood has a high PH so bacteria will grow on it.
The reason butchers want all the blood out is because blood has a high PH> When you drain the blood the PH drops and bacteria will not grow as easily. Then I like to hang it in the shop which I can keep cool late season. If not I debone it and put it in the fridge for a few days and then cut it up and freeze it.
Believe it or not in university we cut up every kind of animal and learned how to butcher them. My meat science prof was a butcher early in life. Freezing tenderizes poor cuts, the best cuts are more tender eaten fresh. Blood will spoil meat because has a high PH> Just stuff we learned.
What I see locally - deer that are not cooled or processed quickly. A warm gun hunt, beer and laziness equals spoiled meat... not me but I know it has happened locally more than once. Get it cooled. Just my two scents worth. Or you have meat for a dog.

 

[bigjoe]

Cooking the meat and draining the blood is key. I have seen too many game animal especially early season go to waste. When I dove hunt early season or goose hunt early season I always bring an ice chest, gut and cool the animal immediately.

 

[MCDM]

My process has always been the same from early season through late season. Early season i tend to be alot faster though due to temps. I field dress, bring it home and hang, skin it out, followed by rinsing, then a pat down to dry it off. I then inspect for hairs and will blow torch to singe them or use paper towel to pull remaining hairs. I then quarter and place in game bags. Then i place game bags in the fridge/modified deer cooler and let them hang for 7-15 days. Then i cut them and package them in air sealed bags. I never deviate and the result is quality fresh meat everytime. Very tender, very delicious!!!

 

[Ontariofarmer]

My process has always been the same from early season through late season. Early season i tend to be alot faster though due to temps. I field dress, bring it home and hang, skin it out, followed by rinsing, then a pat down to dry it off. I then inspect for hairs and will blow torch to singe them or use paper towel to pull remaining hairs. I then quarter and place in game bags. Then i place game bags in the fridge/modified deer cooler and let them hang for 7-15 days. Then i cut them and package them in air sealed bags. I never deviate and the result is quality fresh meat everytime. Very tender, very delicious!!!

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