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Getting gameness out of venison

bigmike23

bigmike23

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
1,669
Location
NE PA
Shot a doe opening week. Perfect double lung hit. Dressed her immediately and got her to the butcher's quick. Tried to do 4lbs of jerky last week, and as I cut the sinew and fat away the meat smelled extremely gamey. Thought however after marinating and drying it would go away.
I ended up throwing away all 4lbs it came out tasting so off. Couple of friends felt the same way after they tried it. I wasn't bad meat just gamey.
Then I tried to do a stuffed backstrap and it came out the same way. I had to chuck that out too.
What's the best way to remove it? Soak it in milk? I've heard wine works too.
I'll be honest and say I've never been a big venison eater. I'm a trophy hunter thru and thru and give it away every year. But I wanted to try cooking more and different recipes so any help is appreciated
 
Venison isn’t my favorite meat (is this now a shame thread?) but this is exactly why I started processing my own deer.

You have no idea how the butcher is handling your carcass and in the case of grind, most goes into a community pot.

All that said, if the jerky was gamey, something is off with the meat.


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MNFarmHunter said:
Venison isn’t my favorite meat (is this now a shame thread?) but this is exactly why I started processing my own deer.

You have no idea how the butcher is handling your carcass and in the case of grind, most goes into a community pot.

All that said, if the jerky was gamey, something is off with the meat.


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Click to expand...
Youre correct the burger gets thrown in 1 big pot, and weirdly enough that isn't gamey whatsoever. The chilli I made the other day was perfect
 
I would try the buttermilk or milk. Also recommend butchering your own deer. Doesn't take much time at all. Plus you know you get your deer.

Also, all meat has a smell when you butcher it. Each a little different.

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One thing I know to be a fact from my own experience with venison, which I eat a lot of, is that when butchering never cut through a bone. Debone all the meat. This may sound crazy but we struggled for years with gamey tasting meat until a good friend of mine who has butchered deer for years said never cut through a bone. The marrow in venison gives the meat a gamey sour taste, we don’t even cut the pelvic bone or the sternum, we use the buttout tool for the pelvic and reach up inside to cut the air way loose. My wife wouldn’t even touch the meat before we started doing it this way, now my family eats about 5 deer a year. Also remove all the silver skin and sinew from the meat. The lower legs that is full of sinew can be canned as stew meat and the sinew dissolves completely from the canning process. You don’t have to take my word for it, just try it on your next one. The only other way I know that helps is to ice bath the meat for several days before freezing, this takes a lot of time and constant check on the meat to make sure it stays on a bed of ice while the blood drains out the bottom. Hope this helps.
 
Homebrew454 said:
I would try the buttermilk or milk. Also recommend butchering your own deer. Doesn't take much time at all. Plus you know you get your deer.

Also, all meat has a smell when you butcher it. Each a little different.

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Yep. This.

I've only been impressed by two deer processors ever. Well, one was a gourmet shop that did my deer on the side and the other is Deerings in Traverse City Mi.

Still, doing one's own is the only way to know what you're getting back and how it's cared for.

I find venison fat and sinew/silver skin very off putting and spend a fair amount of time removing all that. There is a small operation deer processor who's let some of us use his grinder and he always says he couldn't make a penny if he cleaned deer like that.

I've seen pictures of the biggest and most popular local processor's operation with a parking lot full of deer carcasses just sitting outside stacked on top of each other in 70 degree heat due to not being equipped for the volume. Oftentimes getting your deer back is a myth, especially ground.

As for the buttermilk trick, I've never done that. But buttermilk enzymes are a tenderizer and my FIL was given some venison from someone he let hunt his farm and I cooked it up and it was amazing. That hunter was an executive chef and he had mentioned a buttermilk soak, but I forget the exact process used.

One more thing I find is for folks who shy away from gaminess, that medium is the best cook. Probably 135-140ish. I normally prepare it lower, like just under 130F, but in my experience medium is best for folks who don't have a taste for game meat.
 
My old hunting partner from GA taught me the way his grandfather did it growing up, they soak the meat in ice and apple cider vinegar for a couple days, refilling the ice as necessary. The vinegar tenderizes the meat and also helps exsanguinate it. Best tasting venison I’ve ever had and everyone that eats it says the same.
 
a doe in heat tastes bad to me. if I shoot a doe it's early season. it's probably the processor though.
 
If you really want to get into it, how you hang and age your deer can make a difference. Especially tenderness.

Hanging a deer from the pelvis allows the muscles to relax better. (Tenderstretch method)

This one's made for deer.

Pelvic Hanger Creations - Hunting Equipment, Deer Processing Tool, Hunting Gear, Camping Gear

Pelvic Hanger Creations - Hunting Equipment, Deer Processing Device, Hunting Gear, Camping Gear
www.pelvichangercreations.com

Here's a decent article if you're interested:
hunttoeat.com

Hanging and Aging Venison Meat

A complete breakdown of how and why you should hang your venison and why aging your wild game may not actually be worth the effort.
hunttoeat.com hunttoeat.com
 
Last edited:
bigmike23 said:
Shot a doe opening week. Perfect double lung hit. Dressed her immediately and got her to the butcher's quick. Tried to do 4lbs of jerky last week, and as I cut the sinew and fat away the meat smelled extremely gamey. Thought however after marinating and drying it would go away.
I ended up throwing away all 4lbs it came out tasting so off. Couple of friends felt the same way after they tried it. I wasn't bad meat just gamey.
Then I tried to do a stuffed backstrap and it came out the same way. I had to chuck that out too.
What's the best way to remove it? Soak it in milk? I've heard wine works too.
I'll be honest and say I've never been a big venison eater. I'm a trophy hunter thru and thru and give it away every year. But I wanted to try cooking more and different recipes so any help is appreciated
Click to expand...
Big Mike I was taught at a very young age to fill a cooler half full of ice, fill it almost half full of water then mix about 2 cups of salt and a few tablespoons of vinegar to the water. Let the meat set in that for a little bit (I personally like a little game taste so I let mine soak for 3 or so hours) the longer it soaks, the more of the blood and adrenaline that is pulled out of the tissue. If you leave it in to long, the meat will become completely white. It removes any flavor or smell. So maybe try 3 or 4 hours in that mix on your next deer and it should do the trick. PS this also works on hog but it takes about an hour longer due to the meat thickness
 
Plebe said:
If you really want to get into it, how you hang and age your deer can make a difference. Especially tenderness.

Hanging a deer from the pelvis allows the muscles to relax better. (Tenderstretch method)

This one's made for deer.

Pelvic Hanger Creations - Hunting Equipment, Deer Processing Tool, Hunting Gear, Camping Gear

Pelvic Hanger Creations - Hunting Equipment, Deer Processing Device, Hunting Gear, Camping Gear
www.pelvichangercreations.com

Here's a decent article if you're interested:
hunttoeat.com

Hanging and Aging Venison Meat

A complete breakdown of how and why you should hang your venison and why aging your wild game may not actually be worth the effort.
hunttoeat.com hunttoeat.com
Click to expand...
Hanging and aging it will make it more tender but to me it accents the game taste rather than removing it. I would love a walk in cooler or cold house so we could age ours. Unfortunately down here it’s only an option if you take it to the butcher for processing
 
Plebe said:
Anyone brine their venison?
Click to expand...

Not sure what that would do.

Granted, lean meat can be dry but I’m not sure brining will help.

FWIW, I’m retentive when it comes to processing deer. The knife I use to gut is never used for anything else. What I use to skin the hind quarters isn’t used for anything else. My gloves are changed once I get the hind quarters skinned.

Blood, fat and glands all change the flavors of meat. I fully admit I’m squeamish but keeping the meat clean makes a huge difference.


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Bleed it out in an ice chest quartered for 2-3 days then save but regardless of whether you butcher yourself or bring to someone, i always soak in condensed milk or just milk for 24hrs in fridge before seasoning and cooking.
 
An interesting thread I’ve never found deer gamey except when I had to leave one over night for the recovery, or gotten guts on the meat from a bad hit. I used to make t-bones out of the back straps by cutting through the spine with a saws all. If anything I thought the taste was better that way although I don’t do that any more. I still cut several bones as part of the butchering process though. The fat from a deer never bothered me either.
 
Plebe said:
Anyone brine their venison?
Click to expand...
Yes my brother, bear meat and venison, and no I don’t have the recipe he won’t share it with anyone, he received it from a close friend that wouldn’t share it with anyone else as well, except him… I’m a super picky eater and whatever goes in that brine comes out perfect, we did a whole bear at once this season in that brine and had a party.
 
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