To flush with water or not?

[Steve]

Obviously, when cleaning your deer you want to be as careful as possible not to contaminate the meat. My question is once that is done and you have it hanging, do you flush the cavity with water. I always do to get the little extra cleaning. But I have heard no concencious on whether this should be done. Also, say you have days of about 40-45 degress for highs and you have you deer in the shade, how long do you let it hang before processing? Do you hang upside down?

[Salmonsmoker]

Steve,

At the time of field-dressing, we use snow or water to wash out the inside of the body cavity. No matter how careful one is, there is some seepage of liquids from the alimentary canal of the animal. This seepage can give the meat a bad flavor. Rinsing helps to eliminate that problem. In short, water will clean, not ruin the meat. (Leaving it soaking wet on the other hand, can promote bacterial growth.)

When we get back to camp, we hang the critter head-up to promote good drainage, then wash the cavity (using a mixture of 1 qt water and 1 Cup Vinegar), then use some rags to pat the inside dry. After that, let it hang. Ususally it will drain for 12 to 24 hours.

Aging the carcass is more a matter of personal preference - so long as the temperature is cool. (The ideal aging temp is 38 degrees. If the air temp gets much above 45 degrees, we stop hunting and start butchering.) We have experimented with field-boned meat (when we have packed back into a remote area) that was packaged and frozen within a day - to letting a carcass hang in a cool-dry place for up to 10 days. Aged meat is certainly more tender. Our preference is tender, so we age our venison The length of the aging process depends on weather, work schedules, and when time allows for a day of butchering on the weekend.

When it comes to skinning, we use a gambrel hook and invert the body so that we start the process at the hind quarters.

Hope this helps.

ss

[Steve]

Well I thought this topic would generate a lot more discussion as I have heard opinions that run the gammut. I like to hose the body cavity out. Is this too much water to use? I just like to get all the bacteria out of there.

[Banditto]

It just makes good sense to wash out any blood or fluids that might be inside the body cavity. We hose out the body cavity until the water runs clear. We hang upside down just because it makes the neck easier to handle, just make sure you cut the throat to give fluids an exit hole for draining.

[Salmonsmoker]

Steve,

My experience is that no amount of washing is too much. I agree with Banditto - wash it until the rinse water runs clear. Only don't stop there. The final step is to dry it with some old (but clean) towels.

I have read reports of freezing venison meat in bags of water - just as we do with fish - to prevent freezer burn.

I have not experimented with this procedure yet. Given a successful hunt this fall, I will and report on the results.

As a follou-up, the potential for meat degredation from digestive juices (even from cutting the esophagus) is far greater than any loss of flavor that might occur from too much water.

Just do it, keeping in mind, that the meat must be able to dry (thus needing good ventilation) in order for "the skin" to form over all surfaces of the exposed meat. This "skin" will help to retard mold growth.

ss

[This message has been edited by Salmonsmoker (edited 09-29-2000).]

[trout]

You can skin and quarter your deer to help it cool fast too.
Then take your large fishing coolers and line the bottom with ice. Lay a large clean towel over the ice. Place deer meat quarters in the cooler till they cool off. Check ice now and then and replace as needed.Cooling down asap is a good first step in having a tasty meal.
Never store game in a cold water creek.
Bacteria will love it and you won't.

[Salmonsmoker]

Trout,

Your comments are right on track. It is extremely important to cool the carcass as soon as possible after the kill - if you want the best flavor in the meat.

There is always a trade-off between convenience in the field and the best quality meat. Certainly, immediate field-dressing is the ideal. However, it is not always possible. Cooling the meat as soon as possible (on ice as you suggested) will also improve the flavor.

Back in July I posted "Quality Game Meat Starts When You Shoot." In that posting, I tried to compare taking game in the field with the production of market meat. The slaughterhouses have quality meat down to a science. All of the proceedures that they use are applicable to improving the flavor of venison or any other game meat.

That "gamey" flavor (that some anti-hunters use as an argument against hunting) is primarily a matter of improper field proceedures - not the fact that the meat comes from a wild animal. I have had several converts to hunting that came about as a result of eating venison that I served. As a side note, most studies that I have read indicate that venison is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef - thus a more healthy source of animal protien for all humans to consume.

ss

[Ebowhunter]

If I'm not going to mount mine, I will slit the skin up to the chin and pull the esophagus (we hang head up).

[Salmonsmoker]

Ebowhunter,

That would certainly help promote cooling and draining. Good idea.

We hang them head-up for the aging period, then turn them over for skinning and butchering.

Salmonsmoker

[outsider]

I am able to Put the hose to my deer prior to hanging it in the garage.I let the hind end hang off the tailgate and rinse until the water runs clear, then I hang it in the garage head up ,wipe the cavity dry and temps permiting leave it over night.
The next day I skin it and quarter it. I put the quarters in a used fridge that I bought cheap (50.00) .Lay the meat on freezer paper, and change the paper the next day ,to eliminate blood build up that acures in the first few hours.Then you are safe to age your meat for the 8 to 10 days that makes it so tender


Works For Me OUTSIDER

[Salmonsmoker]

Outsider,

I have used that technique whenever we had more venison to process than we had time for the job. My only comment on it is to be sure that you have plenty of room for air circulation around the meat and turn it each day when you change the paper. If there is room, hanging the meat during the aging process gives me better results.

Salmonsmoker

[William H Bonney]

I realize this is an old thread, but I just stumbled upon it.

I noticed that everyone seems to hang their deer "head up"

I can usually get my deer hung within an hour of the kill, and I will NEVER hang my deer "head up" again.

I used to do that, and then flip it around when it was time to skin and bone it.

Doesn't it make sense to have the fluids and blood drain into the less desirable cuts of meat? Like the head and neck?

I have noticed a 100% turn around in the flavor and texture of the meat, since I started hanging them by the hind legs.
And the quicker its hung the better. I age my deer for 5 to 7 days on the average.

I have a few friends that are butchers and also a few videos on butchering deer, they NEVER hang them by the head!

I've also been to a beef slaughter house, and they don't hang those by the head, either.
Anyway, that's my .02

[Salmonsmoker]

William,

I think the head-up position for hanging deer came from the days of bucks only hunting. It is a better way to show off the rack. Certainly, for the best meat, hang it head down. Anyone thinking about doing their own butchering needs to visit a slaughter house to see how the pros do it. They do it that way for good reason.