Gamey Taste?

[monsterbuck07]

What were some of the ways posted a month or so ago on ways to get the gamey taste out of the meat...what are some good ways to tenderize the meat?

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

What do you mean by gamey???? What is it you think venison should taste like???

Don't over cook it..............over cooked means shoe leather.


FDXX75

 

[stik]

What do you mean by gamey???? What is it you think venison should taste like???

that is something i have never understood. what exactly is a gamey taste?

 

[monsterbuck07]

hmmmmm...let me think...I have cooked deer meat many times and the other night I ate it and it just tasted "different" than usual...dont get me wrong I have a freezer full and will eat all of it...I just wondered if there was a quick marinade rather than the usual Dales that works well...I know its a deer it should taste like a deer but the other night the backstrap just tasted as I said "different"...could of been blood still in the meat I guess...whats the best way to get it out? Thanks!

 

[Str8Shooter]

...could of been blood still in the meat I guess...whats the best way to get it out?

you could let it hang a few days before you process it. That would get the blood out

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

Ok, I get what you are saying now.

Well, deer are no different than any other type of meat.......not every single one tastes identically the same. I shot a buck about 12 yrs ago that was so rank, I couldn't eat the darn thing............I ran the entire deer through the grinder for jerky.

Here is what I have learned about venison and the final outcome(taste) It all starts with the way the deer is handled from the time it hits the ground until it's in the freezer and on the plate. But, you do get that unusual one every now and then that just has a more than unusual flavor to it.

I never understood the method of soaking the meat in ice water or mild salt water...............I have worked in many resturaunts and have yet to ever see one soak their meat in water to remove the blood. All you wind up with is a piece of tasteless muscle...................

You can purchase or make your own marinades/rubs.......personally I like a good garlic injectable, place some garlic, spices and olive oil in a blender or food processor then inject it into the meat and let set for a few hours.

FDXX75

 

[monsterbuck07]

alright guys I appreciate the tips thanks alot!

 

[Hawk]

hmmmmm...let me think...I have cooked deer meat many times and the other night I ate it and it just tasted "different" than usual...dont get me wrong I have a freezer full and will eat all of it...I just wondered if there was a quick marinade rather than the usual Dales that works well...I know its a deer it should taste like a deer but the other night the backstrap just tasted as I said "different"...could of been blood still in the meat I guess...whats the best way to get it out? Thanks!

Sweet milk.

 

[RodBone75]

i soak it in salt water over night then put it in buttermilk and a egg let it set in it for awhile.

 

[rastubbs]

Best way is to put in a cooler and let hang for about 7 to 10 days before skinning. I believe the taste you are talking about is from the testostrone that a buck lets off when in rut. Hanging takes care of that.

 

[shopson]

Beef dont taste like pork, pork dont taste like venison, and venison dont taste like beef.
I've always thought the alledged "gamey taste" is just the way venison taste. I must like the "gamey taste" because I can just cook and eat deer meat without having to do any draining or soakinor any other special preparations to try and hide or change the taste.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Any off the shelf marinade will work.The salt and vinager will draw the blood out.
I like to use Jane's Krazy Salt to tame my meat.Any of the season all type seasoning will work.Most meat tenderizers have Papaya in them to tenderize.The papain in the leaves works miricles on tough meat.The same stuff works on bee and wasp stings.
If a buck or doe has been Rutting or stressed the meat can have a gamey taste.Stress can be the result of being hard hunted or being chased by dogs.
http://homecooking.about.com/od/specifi ... cience.htm

 

[JimFromTN]

I have soaked it to get the blood out and I would much rather eat a gamey piece of meat.

I think the biggest things is to not over cook the meat. It should be eaten medium rare whenever possible. I don't like crockpotting deer because sometimes it turns out good and sometimes the dog has a hard time choking it down. If you can't handle medium rare, slice it thin and season it well and then sear. For tenderizing, I am old fashioned in that I beat it with a meat tenderizing mallet.

 

[stik]

Beef dont taste like pork, pork dont taste like venison, and venison dont taste like beef.
I've always thought the alledged "gamey taste" is just the way venison taste. I must like the "gamey taste" because I can just cook and eat deer meat without having to do any draining or soakinor any other special preparations to try and hide or change the taste.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I have soaked it to get the blood out and I would much rather eat a gamey piece of meat.

I think the biggest things is to not over cook the meat. It should be eaten medium rare whenever possible. I don't like crockpotting deer because sometimes it turns out good and sometimes the dog has a hard time choking it down. If you can't handle medium rare, slice it thin and season it well and then sear. For tenderizing, I am old fashioned in that I beat it with a meat tenderizing mallet.

Bingo,

As I mentioned earlier, the final outcome starts from the time the shooting ends, but the final cooking can ruin even the best piece of meat.

Over cooking and over seasoning are the two biggest mistakes, like Jim stated, venison is best if cooked no more than medium, it cooks very quickly and has a very low fat content, very similar to filet mignon or chicken.

If medium is not your bag, than thin cut and flash sear and remove from heat while the meat is still flexible, once it is stiffer or hard it is bound for the dog dish.................

Venison is a very delicate meat to cook AND has it's own taste/flavor.

I would say a Crock Pot is the safest way to cook venison, it is nearly impossible to over cook a piece of meat and make it tough in a crock pot. Per searing will help to keep a roast from falling apart and retains the inner juices as well.


FDXX75

 

[IceMann]

You need to age deer just like you do beef,only not as long,a day or to at most to let the blood and other factors work...I have never and never will soak venison to get the blood or gamey taste out.venison is venison,taste just like it should taste.you either like the taste or you dont.soaking in salt or other concoctions for days just ruins agreat piece of meat..The number one problem/mistake hunters make is killing and butchering a deer on the same day.You end up with a bloody ,slimy mess.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

As long as the temps. are between 35-40, I will let my deer hang with hide on for at least 4-5 days, if the temps. are above or below that, it gets skinned, quartered and placed in the 'frig for 5-7 days. (covered with plastic wrap to keep the meat moist)

You will see a huge difference in same day processing and several days of aging. Those extra days allows the natural enzymes in the tissue to do their work.........naturally break down the tissue and tenderize.

FDXX75

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

buttermilk

 

[biglefty20]

sprite and pineapple juice...works great

 

[Anonymous]

I have never had an issue butchering it the same day. I will quarter it and let it sit in the refrigerator for a day or so. I have never had an issue with it being gamey and I know what gamey meat is and I don't like it. I rarely ever do a soaking marinade. Sometimes I will do a dry rub marinade or perhaps put it in a sealed container with onions and fresh garlic. I used to soak it in an orange juice and tequila for a fajita marinade which turned out well.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I have never had an issue butchering it the same day. I will quarter it and let it sit in the refrigerator for a day or so. I have never had an issue with it being gamey and I know what gamey meat is and I don't like it. I rarely ever do a soaking marinade. Sometimes I will do a dry rub marinade or perhaps put it in a sealed container with onions and fresh garlic. I used to soak it in an orange juice and tequila for a fajita marinade which turned out well.

The fact that you place it in the 'frig "for a day or so" is basically the same as letting it hang, it is an aging process.

Same day processing from............bang, to no hang, cut and freeze is what we are talking about as same day, not skinning, quartering and chilling.

That is another issue, chilling the meat all the way through before actually processing it........I don't mean quartering, but the actual deboning, cutting and packaging of the meat. It needs to be chilled properly before processing it.

FDXX75

 

[WTM]

i age mine up to 5 days in a cooler. it makes it tender but deer is deer, it is high in iron and this what most folks call the "gamey" flavor. you can soak all the blood out if you want and replace it with some sort of marinade flavor, but you might as well be cooking a sponge.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

i age mine up to 5 days in a cooler. it makes it tender but deer is deer, it is high in iron and this what most folks call the "gamey" flavor. you can soak all the blood out if you want and replace it with some sort of marinade flavor, but you might as well be cooking a sponge.

Soaked in marinade.............LMBO

FDXX75

 

[Tiny]

IMO the Gamey tstes comes from the sinew/silver skin or deer fat being left on the meat.

 

[Trapper John]

IMO the Gamey tstes comes from the sinew/silver skin or deer fat being left on the meat.

Agreed. Yes, venison has its own flavor and it's not much like beef. But if I have venison that is surrounded by tallow or silverskin it certainly has a funky taste that I don't enjoy.

If it was handled properly and is trimmed properly I've yet to experience anything negative with venison.

However, I know some people that like that "funky" taste. That's the great part about butchering your own. You get to decide how you want it.

 

[JimFromTN]

I have found that professionally butchered deer is far more gamey than doing it yourself. They don't removed any of the sinew/silver skin off of the deer and it does not help that they run it through a saw and you get bone fragments in the meat.

I quarter mine and put it in the refrigerator for a day or so and then completely remove the meat from the bone and clean off as much of the sinew and silver skin off the meat as much as possible. I seperate the meat by the muscles which allows me to clean it up more. I seperate the meat into different groups - backstrip/tenderloin, roasts, big chunk, small chunk, and grinding meat. Depending on what I got already in the freezer, I may set the shoulders and neck aside whole for BBQing. Big chunk is basically steak sized meat. Small chunk is small pieces of meat which I could grind but hold out because they are good clean chunks with no sinew, usually off the hams or chunks of backstrip/tenderloin that got left behind. The small chunk is good for things like stir fry, taco, burritos, or any other dish that requires diced up meat. When you make dishes where the meat is diced up and seared, the spices have a greater affect on the flavor and there isn't any gamey taste. In traditional mexican cooking, allot of the meat is cheap cuts and sometimes going bad which is why they cook it the way they do, ie cut it up into slices for fajitas or slice it thin in the case of carne asada and then season it liberally and then sear. I like to go out and find recipes for lamb and goat and then substitute venison. The reason for this is that lamb and goat are gamey peices of meat and those recipes that have been around for centuries were designed to deal with it.

I have one basic rule which allot of people don't agree with. I don't crockpot venison. To me, it rolling the dice. I have had it good and I have had it awful, leaning more towards awful. There is something about cooking venison in a liquid without searing it first. It just seems like it brings out the gameyness sometimes. Maybe it was the cuts of meat that was used, I don't know. I just know that if I stick to a simple rule, "sear, don't boil", it turns out perfect far more times then not.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I have found that professionally butchered deer is far more gamey than doing it yourself. They don't removed any of the sinew/silver skin off of the deer and it does not help that they run it through a saw and you get bone fragments in the meat.

I quarter mine and put it in the refrigerator for a day or so and then completely remove the meat from the bone and clean off as much of the sinew and silver skin off the meat as much as possible. I seperate the meat by the muscles which allows me to clean it up more. I seperate the meat into different groups - backstrip/tenderloin, roasts, big chunk, small chunk, and grinding meat. Depending on what I got already in the freezer, I may set the shoulders and neck aside whole for BBQing. Big chunk is basically steak sized meat. Small chunk is small pieces of meat which I could grind but hold out because they are good clean chunks with no sinew, usually off the hams or chunks of backstrip/tenderloin that got left behind. The small chunk is good for things like stir fry, taco, burritos, or any other dish that requires diced up meat. When you make dishes where the meat is diced up and seared, the spices have a greater affect on the flavor and there isn't any gamey taste. In traditional mexican cooking, allot of the meat is cheap cuts and sometimes going bad which is why they cook it the way they do, ie cut it up into slices for fajitas or slice it thin in the case of carne asada and then season it liberally and then sear. I like to go out and find recipes for lamb and goat and then substitute venison. The reason for this is that lamb and goat are gamey peices of meat and those recipes that have been around for centuries were designed to deal with it.

I have one basic rule which allot of people don't agree with. I don't crockpot venison. To me, it rolling the dice. I have had it good and I have had it awful, leaning more towards awful. There is something about cooking venison in a liquid without searing it first. It just seems like it brings out the gameyness sometimes. Maybe it was the cuts of meat that was used, I don't know. I just know that if I stick to a simple rule, "sear, don't boil", it turns out perfect far more times then not.

Jim,

You brought out a huge point I had not thought about, the meat saw/band saw, not only do you get bone frag/meal in the meat, you get the bone morrow(sp)smeared across your meat from the blade. And if anyone thinks the processor cleans his saw between deer...................aaaahhhhh, NOT!!! It is an assembly line and time is a factor. A processor has about as much concern for your meat as he does when your next oil change is due in your car. They are in it for the money...............PERIOD!!!!!!

I have seen things at processing houses that would make the average person stop eating venison.

I do all my own processing nearly identical to your own method, the only meat that hits the grinder is stuff that cannot be used for anything else but jerky.

I also vacuum seal all cuts in dinner size blocks, the meat stays better than if pre sliced, let surface area.

I also believe that the conditions that the deer was taken plays a huge roll in the outcome of the meat..........I hard pushed deer that is all worked up is pumped right full of natural body chemicals that are not appealing to the tast buds......an animal that is relaxed, has no idea of it's fate will be a much better yield.

FDXX75

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

Another issue with sending your deer to a processor, who says it's your meat.........????? Or all of it is yours and did you get all of it?

I know a guy that part times for a processor, none of them have time to hunt once the season starts in their area, but everyone of the people that work there have "freezers" full of venison.

He told me they will pull one or two steaks, chops, etc from each deer and nobody is the wiser. They will do 300-400 deer a week sometimes, that adds up to alot of venison. He will even give it to his family once his freezers are full.

I have to much invested and time spent to "give" mine away unknowingly................

FDXX75

 

[deer f]

I too have a problem with people saying venison tastes "gamey". It starts with shot placement in my opinion. Once the guts are let out onto the meat for any reason you will have a probelm. So don't gut shoot your deer and don't slice open the gut sack during field dressing. Also a good processor is a must. All it takes is one gut shot deer to ruin the whole bunch. If they don't clean their equipment after processing one of these deer then yours too will taste like crap. I have never killed a deer that was not eaten and almost always the response from people eating it is wow that wasn't gamey at all. So it starts with the shot.

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I too have a problem with people saying venison tastes "gamey". It starts with shot placement in my opinion. Once the guts are let out onto the meat for any reason you will have a probelm. So don't gut shoot your deer and don't slice open the gut sack during field dressing. Also a good processor is a must. All it takes is one gut shot deer to ruin the whole bunch. If they don't clean their equipment after processing one of these deer then yours too will taste like crap. I have never killed a deer that was not eaten and almost always the response from people eating it is wow that wasn't gamey at all. So it starts with the shot.

Another thing to keep in mind is water, I have been told by butchers and some old timers, stay away from water. Try at all costs to keep your deer out of a creek or river while dragging it back to camp or the vehicle and "ONLY" wash the body cavity out if absolutely necessary.

The water starts the harmful bacteria train rolling and not only starts it, but will let it leech into the meat it self.

Yet another reason not to soak your venison in water, it ruins the meat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FDXX75