stik
Well-Known Member
FULLDRAWXX75 said:
my guy does 1 deer at a time and i know it is my deer when i go get it. he also scored 100% on his health inspection. i "processed" my first deer. i will gladly pay to have it done.
Gamey Taste?
- Thread starter monsterbuck07
- Start date
my guy does 1 deer at a time and i know it is my deer when i go get it. he also scored 100% on his health inspection. i "processed" my first deer. i will gladly pay to have it done.
JimFromTN
Well-Known Member
A few seasons back during ML season, I killed about a 80 lb doe on the first day and about a 120 lb 7 pt buck the next day. I did not have time to butcher both myself so I took the buck in to the processor. I got as much meat off of the doe that I butchered myself as I did off of the buck that I took in to the processor. I may have actually got a little more off of the doe because the meat from the doe did not have any bones in it.
I also had a friend who called the butcher back after having him process a deer for him and my friend told the butcher that he did not think he got all of his deer. The butcher told my friend to come back in and when he did, the butcher gave him about another 20lbs of meat. Somehow, I don't think that 20lbs came off of the deer he had brought in earlier.
Another thing that affects the flavor of the meat is the deer's diet which we have no control over. I have heard that deer out west can have quite a strong gamey taste as a result of the grasses that they eat.
I also had a friend who called the butcher back after having him process a deer for him and my friend told the butcher that he did not think he got all of his deer. The butcher told my friend to come back in and when he did, the butcher gave him about another 20lbs of meat. Somehow, I don't think that 20lbs came off of the deer he had brought in earlier.
Another thing that affects the flavor of the meat is the deer's diet which we have no control over. I have heard that deer out west can have quite a strong gamey taste as a result of the grasses that they eat.
IMO...I have posted on this subject before. deer f came the closes to the truth. It starts with the shot...Example, if you shoot a deer that has been running hard: make it hamburger...buck or doe. Now if a deer drops as soon as you shoot well these can be prepared anyway you like and will normally be tender. Be sure when preparing your meat take the outer layer of silver membrane off. No amount of tenderizer will get rid of it. We don't treat deer meat any different than any other red meat. Gamey taste comes from the deer's adrenaline level before it is shot. A good rule of thumb is to get the guts out as soon as possible and cool the meat.
I process our deer meat in accordance with the way the deer was taken based on the adrenaline level. Never had a problem with gamey taste...
I process our deer meat in accordance with the way the deer was taken based on the adrenaline level. Never had a problem with gamey taste...
getting the blood out is the most critical thing.
Adamjcksn
Well-Known Member
Soak it in salt water. Thats what I do to take a lot of the game taste out.
FULLDRAWXX75
Well-Known Member
Adamjcksn said:
Soaking in salt water does nothing but yield a piece of salty tissue.
FDXX75
BoonerBucks
Well-Known Member
i brush apple juice over it as it is grilling and love it
Cy
Well-Known Member
I don't use a processor any more, for all the reasons mentioned above. Over the years I have really worked to get the quality of my venison up a notch. Here's some conclusions I've reached (which doesn't mean it's right, just means this is what I think):
Chill fast. It's a rare day when I don't have the hide off within an hour of dropping a deer. During bow season I don't hunt without a cooler full of ice, and if I get lucky I skin, cut up and every full freezer bag goes right into a cooler full of ice. With a little luck, that deer is packed in ice 2 hours after it went down.
I can't tell a difference from aging. I'll hang for a day or two if it's cold enough (under 40, not much below freezing at night) but I can't tell a difference if it's hung 2 hours, 2 days or 2 weeks. Prime aged beef is good stuff, but unless you have the right temp and low humidity, you can't duplicate the process for aging beef. At least, I can't.
Moisture is a flavor killer, anyway it's used. I remove any hair after skinning with dry paper towels. I wipe out the abdominal cavity with a dry paper towel. No soaking. No hanging in the rain. No wet towels. Moisture is a pathway for contamination.
I don't try to wipe away anything that's not blood. I trim away anything that has made contact with anything else.
All traces of fat have to be removed. Deer fat is full of "off" flavors for some reason. One of the reasons I like to hang a couple of days is to chill completely so that fat will come off easily.
Connective tissue a little less so, and I don't try to remove every little trace. Separating muscle groups is a good way to get at it a little quicker, but I just don't take the time. Except for backstraps and tenderloin, all my venison goes into a grinder anyway.
I believe that most 'gamey' venison is a direct result of improper handling, and most of that is related to failing to get a complete chill (under 40) on the meat quickly. What do you think a nice $40 rib roast would taste like if you left it laying around for half a day at 70 degrees? Probably taste a little gamey.
I really enjoy sausage making. I put up smoked summer sausage, breakfast sausage and Italian sausage and it is as safe as anything you can buy at Publix and tastes better than most of it, too. I just try to think "70 pound Rib Roast, $9.00 a pound" from the minute the deer hits the ground until the last bag goes in the freezer.
Chill fast. It's a rare day when I don't have the hide off within an hour of dropping a deer. During bow season I don't hunt without a cooler full of ice, and if I get lucky I skin, cut up and every full freezer bag goes right into a cooler full of ice. With a little luck, that deer is packed in ice 2 hours after it went down.
I can't tell a difference from aging. I'll hang for a day or two if it's cold enough (under 40, not much below freezing at night) but I can't tell a difference if it's hung 2 hours, 2 days or 2 weeks. Prime aged beef is good stuff, but unless you have the right temp and low humidity, you can't duplicate the process for aging beef. At least, I can't.
Moisture is a flavor killer, anyway it's used. I remove any hair after skinning with dry paper towels. I wipe out the abdominal cavity with a dry paper towel. No soaking. No hanging in the rain. No wet towels. Moisture is a pathway for contamination.
I don't try to wipe away anything that's not blood. I trim away anything that has made contact with anything else.
All traces of fat have to be removed. Deer fat is full of "off" flavors for some reason. One of the reasons I like to hang a couple of days is to chill completely so that fat will come off easily.
Connective tissue a little less so, and I don't try to remove every little trace. Separating muscle groups is a good way to get at it a little quicker, but I just don't take the time. Except for backstraps and tenderloin, all my venison goes into a grinder anyway.
I believe that most 'gamey' venison is a direct result of improper handling, and most of that is related to failing to get a complete chill (under 40) on the meat quickly. What do you think a nice $40 rib roast would taste like if you left it laying around for half a day at 70 degrees? Probably taste a little gamey.
I really enjoy sausage making. I put up smoked summer sausage, breakfast sausage and Italian sausage and it is as safe as anything you can buy at Publix and tastes better than most of it, too. I just try to think "70 pound Rib Roast, $9.00 a pound" from the minute the deer hits the ground until the last bag goes in the freezer.
BowGuy84
Well-Known Member
When it was bad hot this year I field quartered my deer and there them in the cooler with ice. I had one for deer and the other for food and beverages...
FLTENNHUNTER1
Well-Known Member
I eat my deer meat medium rare, so it always has blood in it. I personally do not believe blood in the meat effects the taste.
I believe gamey tasting deer is caused by the hair coming in contact with the meat. Also, the deers diet probably effects the taste also. I believe this because of the goat milk I drank tastes different if the goat was eating hay and grains or if she was eating weeds the day before I milked her.
I always butcher my own deer and I really take the time to skin it carefully and try not to get anything on the meat. I also rinse it throughly.
I believe gamey tasting deer is caused by the hair coming in contact with the meat. Also, the deers diet probably effects the taste also. I believe this because of the goat milk I drank tastes different if the goat was eating hay and grains or if she was eating weeds the day before I milked her.
I always butcher my own deer and I really take the time to skin it carefully and try not to get anything on the meat. I also rinse it throughly.
If processed and treated right,(fielded dresseed and aged at proper temp) I have witnessed many people eat it and thought they were eating prime beef, when they thought it was beef.
Don't ever tell them though, many of them will freak out. I learned that lesson when I was a teen and lived at home.
My dad killed a doe at Big Sandy many years ago and had it processed. I came home from school on day and ask Mom what was supper. She said we are having "steak". I was excited, as we didn't often have steak, back in those days.
During the meal, I was fighting my brother and sisters over the last piece. Later on, I ask my mom about the "steak". She told me that it was the deer that your dad killed and don't mention it to your sisters.
Later on, I couldn't stand it any longer and I ask them if they really enjoyed supper and they said it was so good.
I informed them..........and that is when the you know what....hit the fan.
Don't ever tell them though, many of them will freak out. I learned that lesson when I was a teen and lived at home.
My dad killed a doe at Big Sandy many years ago and had it processed. I came home from school on day and ask Mom what was supper. She said we are having "steak". I was excited, as we didn't often have steak, back in those days.
During the meal, I was fighting my brother and sisters over the last piece. Later on, I ask my mom about the "steak". She told me that it was the deer that your dad killed and don't mention it to your sisters.
Later on, I couldn't stand it any longer and I ask them if they really enjoyed supper and they said it was so good.
I informed them..........and that is when the you know what....hit the fan.
Chris Tripp
Well-Known Member
Salt water will only toughen the meat.
Goshen Valley Boy
Well-Known Member
Tiny said:
This is it exactly!
Aging venison (or beef) does nothing to effect the taste. Aging breaks down the muscular structure and makes the meat more tender, but does not effect the taste.
The fat and silver skin is what gives it the gamey taste. I work really hard to remove all of it before it hits the skillet, grill, or crock pot.
sango
Well-Known Member
I have never experienced the "gamey" taste some people have associated with venison. Venison tastes like Venison.
I process all deer I kill and when grinding the meat I mix a Pork Shoulder with the venison to add fat while cooking. I do not feel this alters the flavor significantly but it does enhance the ability to brown the meat without the need to add additional oils.
I process all deer I kill and when grinding the meat I mix a Pork Shoulder with the venison to add fat while cooking. I do not feel this alters the flavor significantly but it does enhance the ability to brown the meat without the need to add additional oils.
