I usually hang mine in our walk in cooler, but before I had access to it, I would hang for 1 day and then just cut/process.

 

I have mine split and hung in a walkin cooler for 5 to 6 days. To properly age meat it should have air moving around it. As far as bleeding a dead animal, the little bit of blood that seeps out doesn't make very much difference.

 

I quarter and lay mine in an old frig,on the wire racks so air can move around the meat,set at 40 deg.Meat that is to be ground is soaked in salt water over night (in frig) to get the extra blood out.

 

No need to bleed a lung shot deer, already done. Skinning out and hanging older deer in a cooler for a few days before cutting up is always a good idea, especially older deer.

 

I age mine in a cooler also.

 

I age mine in a spare refridgerater at 34 or 35 degrees for 2 to 4 weeks.

 

Sounds like a good way to cool it in Tx...I likely would put meat in plastic bag so it was not exposed to the ice/water directly. I usually have the hind quarters aged in garage if cool, in fridge (wife loves that) if warm.

 

I was always told water promotes bacteria.

 

I was always told water promotes bacteria.

You heard right. That is why you are never supposed to wash out your deer if gut shot in a stream or other body of water. I will however hose a deer carcass out and then dry the inside of the cavity with paper towels. Cleans it out and dries the caivty to help prevent bacterial bloom. If I am completely unable to get a deer to the processor's that day, I will even go so far as to cover the whole, hanging carcass in clean, damp muslin cloth. As what little water remaining in the cloth eveporates, it cools the carcass without it being wet and protects it as well from the insects and the like.

 

I have aged deer up to 5 days,I also butcher them the same day,I can't tell the differance,Then again everything gets grind up,or canned,Except the backstraps

 

I do basically the same thing Robert. Had no choice in Eastern NC where I hunted for about 17 years. Works great.

 

I do similar to org post, but I keep the meat on top of ice separated by a layer of plastic (garbage bags) to keep the meat from getting water on it.

If I keep cooler in shade, not much ice is needed after initial fill up.

Works great!!!

 

I've aged them in coolers and in fridges. But I don't always have the time or werewithal to do this- example, once shot a doe, it was warm out all week, I had 1 day then traveled for work the next several days. In these cases I just cut the deer up and freeze it. When I thaw a package of meat out, once thawed I'll soak it in 2-3 changes of salt water. Works great, I can't tell the difference between cuts prepared this way and others that have been hung for several days.

BH

 

I have mine split and hung in a walkin cooler for 5 to 6 days. To properly age meat it should have air moving around it. As far as bleeding a dead animal, the little bit of blood that seeps out doesn't make very much difference.

I agree, a constance air exchange is needed to properly dry age meat, however I allow my vension to age as long as 14 days at 34 degrees. A couple sheets of rigid foam insulation and a cheap window air conditioning unit adapted to operate with a cooler/freezer control switch will bring astounding results.

 

Proper aging of meat takes 15-28 days.The enzymes in the meat break down the connective tissue making tender meat.You may get a fungal growth (mold) that needs trimmed.The meat is plenty safe to eat.5 days is not enough time for the enzymes to work.So yes it would seem the same.

 

Bah hum bug, Ive harvestd 95 deer and rinsed everyone out with water. No bacteria yet.

 

i have been boneing out my deer the last 6 years and placing the hunks of meat into plastic shopping bags in the bottom of my fridge....they stay there for 5 days and i start cutting them to package and then into freezer....i have from 4 to 5 bags from a mature doe with bout 30 lbs of meat....when i start cutting i'm done in two days and everything is in freezer then....i have never had any issue's doing it this way as i don't close the bags tightly, plus i have noticed a difference in the venison's tenderness like i have had my deer in a walk in cooler for 5 to 7 days.......bob

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Bah hum bug, Ive harvestd 95 deer and rinsed everyone out with water. No bacteria yet.

Agreed, another one of the thousand old-wives tales about meat processing & venison. You're more apt to get sick leaving the blood & shattered pieces of organs/intestines dry out inside the carcass than you are rinsing out the body cavity.

Old Uncle Zeke probably rinsed his deer out in a polluted creek in 1952 and got the runs, so now it's unsafe to rinse out your deer.

 

28 DAYS! I'll starve to death by then

 

Since the concept of aging meat comes up just about every year, I know I read somewhere from some "official" meat processors(those that do it for a living) that aging venison isn't the same as aging beef. I think some of the reasons were related to the amount of fat on a deer vs. cattle, and maybe something to do with actual muscle tissue too. I might be stretching it there. I don't recall. There might be some other reasons too, but from what I recall, those that process for a living said there was no benifit to aging venison.

 

Actually it is the same as aging beef, the same enzymes that work on the tissue are in deer as are in beef. Most all game is aged in Europe before it is eaten. Some people may not notice a difference, I do and age my venison.

 

I know a guy who had his own butcher shop and he butchered deer for a nearby wealthy family of hunters. He said they insisted that their venison was aged 6 weeks before processing. Even at proper temp control, he said he had to clean the venison of growing bacteria about 4 weeks in. But they swore by that process and never had an issue with the product he gave them.