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Post kill meat prep

S

Steely Ty

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2019
Messages
54
Location
Cleveland, OH
What do you do after you kill like elk or deer to either dry age or purge the meatwithout access to a fridge. I read an article on real tree about quartering up your deer and put it into a cooler with ice, leave the lid open and drain open to dry age and purge the meat of blood. I tried this on a deer I got Sunday morning. I did two days of ice in a cooler and some of my meat was coming out brown. I assume this is like a frost burn or something on the meat.

Without a fridge to put the meat in, are there any other methods to suggest or just butcher down the animal fully as soon as you harvest it and it is what it is?


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Ice will turn the outer layer brown. Doesn't hurt anything or impact taste really. It's just the water soaking in. You can't dry age on ice.

Not much else you can do without a fridge, unless the outside temps are low enough to hang. Just part of it
 
Cooler aging is fine, it's how we do it on trips away from home and not everyone has filled their tag yet. We dont leave the lid open on the cooler though due to flying cigarette butts, chew spit and Busch Light cans. Quarter the animal and keep fresh ice in, draining the blood and ice water off. I've even killed, de-boned and ground and packaged in the same day but this greatly reduces the flavor and leaves a strong liver/gamey taste to the meat. If the flavor isn't to your liking and you're grinding, mix in some beef tallow or pork trimmings from the local butcher or keep on the lookout for those cheap tubes of 75-85% ground beef to mix in.
 
Alright. Thank you very much. Last couple deer I got I just processed to entire deer immediately but this was first time I was at camp and didn’t have time and access to fully butcher it immediately. I just was able to quarter it and get it into a cooler.

In the future I think I’ll keep some plastic wrap and freezer paper with me to wrap the back strap, inner loins and heart with. Those are what suffered the worst and I like the taste of those cuts as fresh as possible


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Jtaylor said:
Cooler aging is fine, it's how we do it on trips away from home and not everyone has filled their tag yet. We dont leave the lid open on the cooler though due to flying cigarette butts, chew spit and Busch Light cans. Quarter the animal and keep fresh ice in, draining the blood and ice water off. I've even killed, de-boned and ground and packaged in the same day but this greatly reduces the flavor and leaves a strong liver/gamey taste to the meat. If the flavor isn't to your liking and you're grinding, mix in some beef tallow or pork trimmings from the local butcher or keep on the lookout for those cheap tubes of 75-85% ground beef to mix in.
Click to expand...

I like the sound your camps. Sounds exactly like mine


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If it is hot out. Soaking in ice and water over night drain blood and wipe down meat and dry with paper towels. Place individual muscle groups in zip lock bags and put back in the cooler with fresh ice. Drain blood and wipe down daily. Should be able to keep meat in great shape this way until you break camp. Away from home its tough to maintain optimum aging conditions, but it can be done. Good luck.
 
I keep mine covered in ice with the lid closed until I butcher it. Food save it then let soak in water a day or two before eating draining the water when it gets bloody.
 
A premium cooler is worth it in this situation. I swear by my rtic, I have had it for years. I freeze a few milk/water/juice whatever type of jugs. Plastic and large is all that matters. I can put a deer in it on 3 blocks and leave it for at least 10 days. I have never gone longer but I'm sure it's doable. Just keep it in the shade. I have done them in ice a lot and I prefer to use the blocks, keeps everything dry and the blood sits at the bottom.
 
Wrap screen around drain on cooler and rubber band it on..... Lid closed, drain open with screen keeping the bugs out. You can easily make a wire rack to keep the meat off the ice with cheap grill grate replacement
 
I’ve soaked mine in ice for 2 weeks or more total as I butchered. Just drain daily and fill ice as necessary. Some guys even leave the water in only draining every few days. I’ll cube it up and put in a colander inside the ice chest as I go.A side benefit is it takes in some water and you can cook burgers with no oil in a good pan.


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Throw it in an iced down cooler, lid closed, plug open, propped up to drain. I do pigs 3 days, deer 5.
 
I keep some gallon and half gallon milk jugs in the freezer. I toss them in the ice chest before going out. If I kill, I put the deer meat in game bags inside contractor black bags and toss it in the ice chest until I process it. The jugs go back in the freezer after. I've had jugs stay half frozen for a week in an ice chest.
 
These are some great ideas. I like the ice chugs idea a lot and cant believe I didn't think to do that. All summer long i throw my lake erie walleye on my milk chugs every weekend. for some reason with deer i never thought of that
 
I've used dry ice when flying meat back with me. It can easily freeze meat into a ice block and isn't what I would ever want to use if I'm just going to be processing the meat in a few days.

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Dry Sacks/Bags

If you don't have room for frozen milk jugs in your freezers, you can put either the meat or bags of ice from the store in dry bags to keep water off the meat.
 
Steely Ty said:
These are some great ideas. I like the ice chugs idea a lot and cant believe I didn't think to do that. All summer long i throw my lake erie walleye on my milk chugs every weekend. for some reason with deer i never thought of that
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2 liter soda bottles fit easily and can be stuffed between layers of meat but don’t stay frozen quit as long as gallons.


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b73 said:
2 liter soda bottles fit easily and can be stuffed between layers of meat but don’t stay frozen quit as long as gallons.


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I use 2 liter bottles also. You can make them last alot longer if you add salt to the water and freeze them.
 
My hunting partner and I do an ice and apple cider vinegar soak for about 4 days. Just keep draining and refilling with ice and acv as the ice melts. Makes meat nice and tender and helps exsanguinate.
 
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