Taking the game taste out...

[savage308]

Seen a post reguarding aging the meat and figured I'd start a post to let people know how some people do it down here. In South Texas we don't have the luxury of hanging our deer out and aging the meat, due to the heat. This is how we do our Deer, Hog, Elk, Nilgai, and other exotic game.

After cleaning the deer/hog etc., we quarter up the animal and put it in a large ice chest. (I use 96 qt or bigger) Fill the ice chest up with ice and pour in 1 gallon of white vinegar. Fill the ice chest up with water and let sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours drain the ice chest and refill with ice then top off with water (no vinegar) for another 24 hours. After this is done drain the water out of the cooler & keep the drain hole open in the ice chest this time. Keep refilling with ice for 3-4 days, leaving the drain on the ice chest open as to keep the water draining as the ice melts.

Using the vinegar will pull the blood out of the meat quickly. My family has done this for years and I've figured I'd pass it on if someone can find it useful. I can assure you it will not harm the meat and you won't taste any vinegar. You won't believe the amount of blood that comes out the first time you drain it. I've found that the deer form the northern states have a stronger taste and darker meat than the deer here in Texas. I've done this with various animals from various states and have found that it works wonders. Hope this is useful to someone.

[223reload]

thats real interesting as for me ive only killed one deer in my life that tasted gamey it was a small forkhorn that jumped at the shot an i hit him in the ham then had to track for three miles talk about a stink but as for the rest they tasted like deer nice and sweet

[flathead willie]

Thanks Shelby. I'm always interested in learning new ways to handle venison. I've never heard that method but it sounds good. Have you ever tried the old method of cureing it in salt and pepper? Sometimes I take a wooden box and put about an inch of salt and pepper in the bottom, put a hind quarter in it and cover it up with more salt and pepper. Then just store it in a shed, root celler or basement for 30-90 days. It cures like a country ham.
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Richard, that deer you shot that was gamey might be a result of the shot and the distance you had to track it. The more stress a deer goes thru before it dies, the more adrenelin it pumps out, and that makes the meat taste stronger.

[stoney]

thanks sounds like a good set up...

[STC T&F]

We do alot of frying for deer meat. meat is covered with Andy's seasoning breading and fryed. These are small pieces. To help tender them up and remove any gamieness we soak them in mile overnight. Simple, cheap, and the results are great.

MJO

[Stainless]

Someone told me to soak it in warm salt water for a few hours before cooking. I tried it a few times and it seemed to work for me. Anyone else try this?

[blackhorse83]

I just grill up the loins and steaks the way they are, the rest is made into jerky and sausage.

[catgetter1]

I've heard of the process of water,vinegar, and Ice..... seems ta work for a few of my buddies... I've always wondered why they just don't go out and buy a steak.... I want my venison ta taste like venison, gamey and all.. really never figured what was ment by gamey taste though.... anyhow's to each his own......

[Netmanjack]

I will have to agree with Rupert, I hunt and eat wild game because of the wild taste. I never could understand why people want to take it out. The only exception would be deer that eat a lot of sage, like out west. Here in Ohio our deer are corn fed.......yum yum :big_smile:

[trnsmsn]

I do the same thing as Shelby does with 2 exceptions, #1 I keep The meat top iced for 7 days, really tenderizes it good # 2 I don't put vinegar in it but only because I didn't know about it.

I WILL try it next one I get, Thanks Shelby

[savage308]

your welcome elliot. You'll find that it really draws the blood out of the meat.

[bootshowl]

Great posts. I've had two suggestions from the old timers. One was the salt water, but for just a couple hours in chilled water, draws the blood out for all fish & game.(Don't understand how but I agree it improves flavour). We always did this for rabbit, squrrels, coon, woodchuck, etc.
The other came from my great grandmother who dutch oven cooked. She put in pepper corns, uncracked, on the venison roast and steaks. It didn't make em spicey, but it was hard to tell it wasn't beef. I still do it that way. My wife is a city girl and I fed her roast and steak several times without telling her it was "Bambi". Tell her after, and man she would get mad....she does'nt like venison.(burp)
:lol:

[Blue Duck]

I think it all starts as soon as you shoot it. If you get it skinned and cooled out the sooner the better. I have seen quite a few game animals handled very poorly. Poor handling and warm weather spell disapointment. Its not the games fault. A good beef would come out the same way if its not handled properly....

[flathead willie]

The 'Gamey taste' comes from two things, primarily; adrenalin coused be stress from a badly placed shot causing a slow death, and by butchering an amimal without 'ageing' it in a cool place. I was just reading an article in Field & Stream that said the same thing I did in my thread on Ageing Deer. A small one should be aged for at least 2-3 days and a bigger one for 5-7 days before butchering. This eliminates any sign of Gamey Taste without spices or soaks. The meat can then be prepared useing the very same recipes you would for beef, pork, or any other meats.