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Aged venison video

Weldabeast said:
I tried the cooler aging and maybe I messed up or something cause I felt the quality was less after buying bags of ice and changing out the water everyday for a week...I still got a ham quarter in the freezer so I think I will copy the video and see what happens....
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Did you have it submerged in the ice and water?

I know people that do that but I’m not a fan, turns the meat grey, you’d never see a butcher soak beef in water.

If the meat is bagged and on top of the ice, no ice and no water direct contact, then you’ll have a better result.


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shwacker said:
Did you have it submerged in the ice and water?

I know people that do that but I’m not a fan, turns the meat grey, you’d never see a butcher soak beef in water.

If the meat is bagged and on top of the ice, no ice and no water direct contact, then you’ll have a better result.


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Click to expand...
Last time I did it wasn't touching water...time prior that that it was....never do that again if at all possible

U got room for a walk in at the new place? I can build the majority of it but we may need to get an internet education in refrigeration systems
 
i have soaked quarters in ice water for days, (5-7)
then hang on wire hooks in a shed for another 3-5 days. (probably could go more , weather permitting )
soaking helps get blood out of meat , then hanging allows meat to dry out.
personaly , i think it works great for me, as i can keep hunting till i have time to cut and package.
 
I’ve “aged” in a cooler but try not to let any meat submerge in water. Either on top of the ice or on a thin meat bag that on the ice. Wet meat gets that bleached look that changes texture and appearance.


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Weldabeast said:
Last time I did it wasn't touching water...time prior that that it was....never do that again if at all possible

U got room for a walk in at the new place? I can build the majority of it but we may need to get an internet education in refrigeration systems
Click to expand...

I have room on the property, after the pole barn is built I could maybe add one out there so it’s covered. But between costs and effort to built and costs of running power wire 300 ft, and the costs to run it during the season, I’m not sure it’s worth it to me. I’ll prob just get me a $100 fridge on the Craigslist, lol.

Would be pretty sweet though, I’m open to looking into it more


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shwacker said:
I have room on the property, after the pole barn is built I could maybe add one out there so it’s covered. But between costs and effort to built and costs of running power wire 300 ft, and the costs to run it during the season, I’m not sure it’s worth it to me. I’ll prob just get me a $100 fridge on the Craigslist, lol.

Would be pretty sweet though, I’m open to looking into it more


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Big difference between aging before/after you cut the meat. Of course that difference comes with a substantial price tag!


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weekender21 said:
Big difference between aging before/after you cut the meat. Of course that difference comes with a substantial price tag!


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This is a good point that I failed to mention in my process. I always let the deer hang for at least 24-48 before I process and wet age. I usually quarter and pack out my deer then hang in an old fridge in my garage when I get home.

There is a ton of good information about the science of aging meat in this podcast.

www.themeateater.com

Ep. 227: Red Cutter | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with meat scientist Dr. Chris Calkins, Spencer Neuharth, Corinne Schneider, and Phil Taylor.Topics discussed: debunking meat myths; how stress affects the flavor of meat; myoglobin and hemoglobin; why you shouldn't cut into an animal before rigor mortis is complete; muscle is...
www.themeateater.com www.themeateater.com
 
This kinda off topic but collates with @ofor st augustine thread and also refrigeration systems.... There is a park in St Augustine called princess palace and this rich guy built a super swank spread for his new bride with was a legit princess from somewhere... Anyway it had 1 of the first refrigeration systems in Florida. They dug a deep hole down to below the watermark (the house is on the bank of river) and made thick (2ft) thick coquina walls. They bring in big blocks of ice and the subterranean room would stay cold .... They also had the first swimming pool in the state built close to the fridge....
 
Yeah, submerged in ice water I’ve done but didn’t care for it. Frozen jugs on the cooler bottom with meat on top and drain plug pulled let’s the blood drain and outer layer of the meat dry a little. Not as much blood drains out of the meat after the outer skin dries. Nothing like soaking in water. And dry meat is so much nicer to cut and package than pulling out slimy wet meat from an ice bath. I’m sure it’s not the best method but it’s the easiest for me and I’m happy enough with the results. Like I said, I don’t leave it long enough to get that crust on it so I don’t waste any meat but I know I’m not getting the full benefit of aging.
 
Never aged meat before, however, I am definitely interested. I have the room and equipment (separate pole building and old fridge) so I'm thinking some dry aging could be in my future. The meat looks awesome.
 
I've done this a few ways, and I think the biggest take home message is that if you process your own venison, you should absolutely age it in some way. My current process is:
- Quarter and pack out deer, with all the "extra" cuts (neck, flank steak, trimmings, organs) in a separate little bag
- Trim and grill the heart for dinner (it doesn't seem to need aging for some reason)
- Vaccum seal the neck roasts, tenderloins, and any trimmings that will later be ground (any organs I go ahead and freeze)
- Hang the quarters and back straps in a fridge with a small fan and a bowl of water sitting below the meat to create the optimal conditions (you want moving air and pretty high humidity with temp 34-40F)
- after 1-2 days, I go ahead and trim and vacuum seal the back straps and tenderloins and
- continue wet aging all the vacuum sealed bits, and dry aging the quarters, in the same fridge for 14-21 days
- Butcher the quarters, grind or vacuum seal everything, in the freezer it goes.

After dry aging for a few weeks, the top and bottom round steaks from the hindquarter become incredible, tender cuts of steak. I don't dry age the backstraps because you lose too much with the crust that forms, but wet aging (after vacuum sealing) also makes them so much more tender.
 
I let mine sit in the fridge for a day then use cling wrap to get the air out and put it back in the fridge. I aim for 28 days.
 
Wolnut said:
I've done this a few ways, and I think the biggest take home message is that if you process your own venison, you should absolutely age it in some way. My current process is:
- Quarter and pack out deer, with all the "extra" cuts (neck, flank steak, trimmings, organs) in a separate little bag
- Trim and grill the heart for dinner (it doesn't seem to need aging for some reason)
- Vaccum seal the neck roasts, tenderloins, and any trimmings that will later be ground (any organs I go ahead and freeze)
- Hang the quarters and back straps in a fridge with a small fan and a bowl of water sitting below the meat to create the optimal conditions (you want moving air and pretty high humidity with temp 34-40F)
- after 1-2 days, I go ahead and trim and vacuum seal the back straps and tenderloins and
- continue wet aging all the vacuum sealed bits, and dry aging the quarters, in the same fridge for 14-21 days
- Butcher the quarters, grind or vacuum seal everything, in the freezer it goes.

After dry aging for a few weeks, the top and bottom round steaks from the hindquarter become incredible, tender cuts of steak. I don't dry age the backstraps because you lose too much with the crust that forms, but wet aging (after vacuum sealing) also makes them so much more tender.
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My process is very similar except after 1-2 days in the fridge I process and wet age everything. I will have to try the bowl of water and fan in the fridge, that's something I don't do currently.

I agree that for anyone that processes their own venison, aging in some way makes a big difference. The first year I really started focusing on aging my venison, my family started raving about how good it was. The first deer we killed the following year, I processed and tossed right in the freezer without thinking. Everytime I cooked something from that deer my wife and kids asked me why this deer wasn't as good as usual, it's that big of a difference. I haven't made that mistake again.
 
Wow guys. Been processing one deer per year (others go to the butcher) for a few years now and I've always tried to get the whole thing in the freezer ASAP after the kill. This is a real eye opener. Not sure I'll get another refrigerator, but I think I'm going to try some kind of wet aging method like yall are talking about this next season.
 
Red Beard said:
Wow guys. Been processing one deer per year (others go to the butcher) for a few years now and I've always tried to get the whole thing in the freezer ASAP after the kill. This is a real eye opener. Not sure I'll get another refrigerator, but I think I'm going to try some kind of wet aging method like yall are talking about this next season.
Click to expand...
I know that aging improves the quality of the meat. However, I have to balance that with the extra effort required and possibility of spoilage if I don't maintain proper temperature and humidity.

If I was a more successful hunter and more handy, I would create a small meat locker in the barn at my hunting camp. Nothing huge, but being able to hang two deer would be pretty sweet.

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If you dry age wrong in the fridge what will happen? I saw a YouTube video where the guy said you will get sick. Well, how sick? I would prefer to master dry aging in an old fridge I have. But I do t want to mess it up. Who’s doing it well? What’s your setup? I’ve scoured YouTube. But haven’t found too much DIY fridge set up and process and safety detailed out.
 
Red Beard said:
Wow guys. Been processing one deer per year (others go to the butcher) for a few years now and I've always tried to get the whole thing in the freezer ASAP after the kill. This is a real eye opener. Not sure I'll get another refrigerator, but I think I'm going to try some kind of wet aging method like yall are talking about this next season.
Click to expand...

I got lucky and found a basically new gigantic refrigerator for $100 from a buddy.

If nothing else, at least take the back straps out and age them in your fridge while sending the rest off to the processor.
 
dalton916 said:
I got lucky and found a basically new gigantic refrigerator for $100 from a buddy.

If nothing else, at least take the back straps out and age them in your fridge while sending the rest off to the processor.
Click to expand...

Or, if you are like me. It takes the sting out of that brand new fridge that your wife REALLY wanted (when your current fridge works just fine) when you know that you can put it in the garage for beer AND deer.
 
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