To those that do their own butchering (or at least quartering)...do you just throw the meat on ice (both to keep cool and bleed out) bare or do you wrap it first. If the latter, what do you wrap it in...plastic wrap, butcher paper, etc??

I put mine in ice and water. Chage out the water every day.

When I did my own processing I would skin and quarter the meat straight into an ice chest and leave it for a week or so and then open and drain water daily, adding ice as needed. It helped to tenderize and clean the blood out of the meat. I used butcher paper and double wrapped when I could or used a vacuum sealer.

i hang mine in an old fridge thats turned to the warmest setting until theres a thin layer of mold on the meat, normally about two weeks. best non gamey meat you'll ever eat!!

straight in the ice, as it melts and make water, it blleds the meat out well

I also use ice, but add a bottle of red wine vinegar.

Until it's moldy? Seriously?

I do the "ice chest/drain/add more ice" thing, but not for any set length of time: usually just till I get back from where ever I am.

agreed on the red wine vinegar..

X2

hang until mold? umm NO way

straight into ice in a cooler. wrap when its going into the freezer.

ya'll know that beef hangs for several months before you get it on your plate. if you like venison thats not gamey tasting you have to let it age. my wife hates venison but says mine taste just like beef. im from oregon where there r no "deer processors" weve always hung our deer outside in the cool weather for atleast two weeks before butchering. and of course you cut the moldy "shell" off the meat before cutting steaks. deer that go to a "processor" are frozen and then cut up with a band saw..... i dont like bone chips in my steak. just my opinion

I like to use apple cider vinegar but I am sure that red wine vinegar works pretty good

Allowing game meat to air also means keeping it dry. For that reason, I follow the same practice as many other hunters and never keep game meat so that it contacts moisture. Some will even go far as to never use a water hose when cleaning a deer. Moisture is one of the two things (the other being dirt) that aids in the growth of bacteria. If the meat cannot be hung up to air in a cold environment, its best placed in plastic bags before going into an ice chest. As a final step for storage, vacuum-sealed bags can really make a long-term difference.

I quarter it up and get it on ice right away. I don't wrap it up until I finsih processing it or take it to the processor.

This is what I do

No sir, it hangs for 28 days just above freezing

What is the purpose of the red wine vinegar?

What do commercial venison operations do? I've done the ice bath, drain water. I've also just butchered and freeze. I wonder how we can age venison here where we never get cool in the fall.

yes, just above freezing (that is why i just kill enough deer to fill my freezer) i never buy store meat.


as for the general processors, they just toss them on the floor of the big freezer until its time to skin and cut up.

Most commercial operations have walk in hanging coolers

We put the quarters and carcass into individual plastic bags then add ice.

If its at or under 40, i leave my deer to hang as long as the temp holds, any warmer than that i skin them ASAP. i freeze empty juice bottles to make ice blocks,

Place the frozen jugs on bottom of cooler, plastic or butcher paper on top, then the meat, more paper then more ice blocks.

Keep it cool and as dry as possible

Ive hung them in a walk in for two weeks and it made no difference. I do know it does with beef though

i use frozen one gallon ice jugs with caps on and put them in coolers just to keep the blood from drainin a little i don't like all the blood gone i love red meat but if you don't do the ice just like you would a hog