How long do you age meat?

[Hunt anything]

To get around drying game meat out even more I will at times go ahead and butcher it into meal sized portions and then vacuum pack it. After the desired amount of time I will stick it in the freezer.

 

[UKHunter]

Fellow Carnivores and Omnivores,

There is no doubt that I am one of the few weirdos who does not favor aged venison.
Game meat is not “marbled” with fat and so, it is already too dry (especially caribou).

Porcupine is the one exception that I have eaten.
Although, the two times I have eaten it, I still did not bother to age the huge rodents.

There may be other wild animals with natural fat deposits throughout their muscle fibers but, I have not experienced any others.
Hanging up game meat to dry out even more than it already is, has not been a rewarding experience for me.
Fortunately, marinating dry meat for several days helps.
But even after that method, if it still remains too dry, dunking each bite in gravy is a decent remedy.

Anyway, I prefer all meat, mammal, fowl, fish, molusk, amphibian, reptile, including both wild and farm raised animals, to be as fresh as possible.
Whatever the species anyone cares to name, for my taste (or my metaphoric lack of taste) is at its moisture content and flavor best, the moment it hits the ground.

Admittedly, many cuts from a grain fed domestic beef steer, are “marbled” with plentiful natural fat.
Sometimes the fat is too plentiful, resulting in a grill fire, (if you are an easily distracted simpleton like myself).
Anyway, grain fed domestic beef can tolerate dry aging very well.

Nonetheless, if I were to butcher a grain fed steer, I probably would not bother aging that meat either.
I would just trim off the largest chunks of fat and toss those steaks on the barbie.

Buon Appetito,
Weirdo Dog.

I don’t believe that fat content or the desire to have ‘drier’ meat are why there is wisdom to hand meat. Would be interested to know more about your views on far and having drier meat?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Fellow Carnivores and Omnivores,

There is no doubt that I am one of the few weirdos who does not favor aged venison.
Game meat is not “marbled” with fat and so, it is already too dry (especially caribou).

Porcupine is the one exception that I have eaten.
Although, the two times I have eaten it, I still did not bother to age the huge rodents.

There may be other wild animals with natural fat deposits throughout their muscle fibers but, I have not experienced any others.
Hanging up game meat to dry out even more than it already is, has not been a rewarding experience for me.
Fortunately, marinating dry meat for several days helps.
But even after that method, if it still remains too dry, dunking each bite in gravy is a decent remedy.

Anyway, I prefer all meat, mammal, fowl, fish, molusk, amphibian, reptile, including both wild and farm raised animals, to be as fresh as possible.
Whatever the species anyone cares to name, for my taste (or my metaphoric lack of taste) is at its moisture content and flavor best, the moment it hits the ground.

Admittedly, many cuts from a grain fed domestic beef steer, are “marbled” with plentiful natural fat.
Sometimes the fat is too plentiful, resulting in a grill fire, (if you are an easily distracted simpleton like myself).
Anyway, grain fed domestic beef can tolerate dry aging very well.

Nonetheless, if I were to butcher a grain fed steer, I probably would not bother aging that meat either.
I would just trim off the largest chunks of fat and toss those steaks on the barbie.

Buon Appetito,
Weirdo Dog.

@Velo Dog
My father's take on beef was
Whip it's horns off, wipe its arse and throw it in the grill.
To cook chuck it on, chuck it over the chuck it on the plate.
If it still bleeds a bit when you cut it that's fine but if it goes moo it's underdone.
He liked his stear rare.
Bob

 

[Velo Dog]

I don’t believe that fat content or the desire to have ‘drier’ meat are why there is wisdom to hand meat. Would be interested to know more about your views on far and having drier meat?

Hi UKHunter,

Regarding your first sentence, if I’m accurate in replacing the word, “hand” with the word “hang”, then I agree with what you wrote there.

However, I cannot figure out the meaning of your second sentence.
The word, “far” seems like it does not fit but, I have not been able to think of a word that will make sense to replace it with.

Cheers.
Paul
(Velo Dog)

 

[GuttormG]

game meat is not “marbled” with fat and so, it is already too dry (especially caribou).

Never experienced my meat drying out. We skin all deer within short time, so yes-we do get a dry surface. The carcass is cooled down in a shaded, well ventilated place until rigor mortis is over and then transferred to cool, well ventilated room (early in season this will be a refrigerated room).
Hanging a warn carcass that hasn't been through rigor mortis in a refrigerated room is an excellent recipe for getting though meat, and very often it will be fox bait due to mold forming.

"Gamey taste" very often comes from bad hygiene.

And any meat is really tender until rigor mortis begins.

 

[Velo Dog]

Never experienced my meat drying out. We skin all deer within short time, so yes-we do get a dry surface. The carcass is cooled down in a shaded, well ventilated place until rigor mortis is over and then transferred to cool, well ventilated room (early in season this will be a refrigerated room).
Hanging a warn carcass that hasn't been through rigor mortis in a refrigerated room is an excellent recipe for getting though meat, and very often it will be fox bait due to mold forming.

"Gamey taste" very often comes from bad hygiene.

And any meat is really tender until rigor mortis begins.

Hi GuttormG,

Yours and my experiences with hanging up game meat to age, are different.
That doesn’t make either of us out to be good or bad, right or wrong.
It just means we have had different experiences, resulting in different opinions.

The venison you have processed did not dry out from aging it.
The little bit that I have messed around with aging, left me with the opposite result, more than likely due to the blood dripping out of it.

Generally speaking, it is not a lot of blood escaping but it is moisture that is IMO, better off for our enjoyment of eating the meat, when the moisture stays put.
I suspect evaporation also occurs but I do not know if that amount of escaping moisture is significant or not.
Certainly the colder the meat, the slower it leaks and the slower any evaporation occurs.
But slow or not, occur it does.
And so, I prefer game meat (all meat really) as fresh as possible and not any drier than it has to be.

That doesn’t mean my preference for fresh venison, instead of aged venison is somehow the best thing for everyone.
It only means that I like it and think it is at its best when as fresh as possible.

There have been a few times that as soon as the innards have been removed and the skinning is underway, I have lit a stick fire, set my little back pack grill out, cut away a small chunk of back strap and placed same on the grill right there, 4 or 5 paces beside where the critter had dropped, perhaps 20 - 30 minutes prior.

You said:
“And any meat is really tender before rigor mortis sets in”.

Yes, I definitely agree with you on your statement there.
And with that, I like fresh venison best, taken from the grill when medium rare, just ever so slightly pink in the center but smokey-charred around the edges, hitting it with a little coarse salt as I slice and eat.
It has been some of the best back strap I’ve been blessed to enjoy.
Then, I get back to field prepping my animal.

Most but not all of my hunting friends do not agree with me.
They prefer venison aged.
Nonetheless, I remain unmoved by their disapproval.
Sometimes we poke fun at each other about this subject (plus other topics).
No doubt that quite a few of my behaviors are odd enough to warrant fun poking.

I do happily agree with those who say that when done properly, aging does tenderize meat somewhat.
However, the trade off with the drying factor is not a good trade for me.

You mention flavor, again we are in agreement.
Taking great care with the downed animal, from that moment we set our rifle and camera aside to make ready the knife, it is essential to not let the meat become tainted with hair, dirt, bile, you name it.

Having said that, rutting bull caribou meat is so horrid that even a pre-historic cave man such as I cannot eat it, properly cared for or not.
The hormones throughout that meat are so strong as to give it a chemical-like flavor, similar to what paint thinner smells like.
I will eat and have eaten almost anything.
But that one is not fit for man or beast to enjoy, simply disgusting.

And, rutting mule deer buck is strong enough of flavor that many people will not eat it.
I have eaten it many times and always enjoyed it.
However, it was via much garlic, rosemary, cumin, tomatoes, chile’ peppers, etc., etc., plus other strong flavored and plentiful herbs / spices.
Fresh cut mule deer buck meat during their rut is admittedly not very good eating, just grilled with a little salt.
Barely edible unless seriously disguised with herbs and spices.
As always, it must be properly dealt with beginning in the field.

Looks like it’s past midnight here and I have rambled on way too long.
So, I will stop.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[thriller]

14-21 days depending on what else is in the walk in cooler. (No hair is the walk in ever it screws up mold cultures in there leads to bad flavors)