Just got a chance to eat some of my 28 day wet aged backstrap. I took the meat off the deer and then I wet aged it in meat containers in the fridge at between 36 and 38 degrees for about 2 weeks. Then processed it down further by cutting all the silverskin, fat, etc off and vacuum sealed and replaced into the fridge for another 2 weeks in the fridge. After those two extra weeks i then opened up the bags and washed off any remaining blood/myoglobulin and cut into serving sizes and vacuum sealed with some different seasonings. The package i ate tonight was a smoky paprika.

Brought to room temp on the counter and then heated up the cast iron skillet. Added some salt and pepper and cooked to a good medium to medium well (i cant help It, its just the way i like my steaks cooked). Let rest for a few minutes then cut and ate.

Meat was really tender (the point of the long aging) and the flavor was almost spot on. The smoky paprika added a good flavor, but i think next time i will add something to add a little heat, but not much. It was very good. Little to no game flavor and i think my wife would eat that willingly.

Just letting you all know a longer age process at the proper temp did a great job allowing the meat to be super tender. I know there have been threads about this topic this year. So just giving an update. Sorry no pics, it didnt last long

No pictures? You over cooked it didn’t you 🤣

Geez, that’s a lot of work. You must be retired

Aging makes a huge difference. We have cook it to well done and it was tender.

Nah bruh…it was as stated a perfect medium to medium well, as i prefer. And it was still very tender. I have found previously processed venison with a shorter time to age to be much more tough when i cook it the way i like.

I will make sure and take some pics next time

Would like to hear more about the process and pictures sounds more in depth than keeping the cooler on the back porch full of ice for a month.

It is, but it doesn't really have to be. If you have any type of vacuum sealer, you could do this really easily.

Really the only requirements are a method that holds a temp between 36-38, just above freezing but not too warm. definitely want to keep temp below 40. I use a fridge, but you could still use a cooler as long as temp is maintained.

A vacuum sealer is not totally 100% necessary, but helps, as it allows you to get a good seal on the meat and make sure no contaminants are getting to the meat during the aging process.

Other than that, it is just time in the cold but nonfreezing temp to allow the enzymes to continue to break down the muscle and make it tender.

I let the meat just sit in the blood/myoglobulin in the sealed bags and then rinse off for final cuts, but the initial part is in a plastic tub with perforated portion (meat container or meat tub, pretty cheap online) to allow fluid and blood to drain down. I am always surprised how little blood has drained after two weeks. The amount of blood that comes out after the processing and ends up in the sealed bags is not insubstantial.

I can take pics next season when I go thru the process again. It really takes no more time than it would normally take, but add about 10-15 minutes to cut the first vacuum sealed bag, rinse, make final cuts and vacuum seal again.

bruh BOBO - nice!

fresh or dry aged fo me


Cool to try different thigs though

Medium-Medium well wild game is amateur hour no matter how you slice it. All that good work done for nothing.

I quarter mine, put the quarters in 13-gallon unscented trash bags in an old fridge set at thirty-eight degrees for at least two weeks (usually three or four), then wash it down, dry it off, process it into the cuts I want, wrap it tightly in plastic food wrap, then into vacuum sealed bags for the freezer. It's good like that for two years easily and will come out of the freezer like the day you froze it.

I hang mine skin on in a cooler for a month.

lol, just razzing, now I want to wet age some venison

This is best if you are set up for it.

I would be nervous about that.

With a fan it’s good to go.

I always over coook my venison.

waiting for my nilgai to be done

Skin on sure helps minimize the loss due to a drying, we remove the tenders first.
I was told that leaving the skin on may cause an undesirable taste but after aging about 50 deer, skin on and skin off, I can tell any difference.
We leave the fan on the cooler running for circulation.

Medium well+ would be better done sous vide, you won't lose as much moisture.

I wish we had a way to age them skin on, that would be my preference.

For those that age dry/skin on/wet for a month, do you take any special precautions for keeping the meat clean?

Seems any gut cut/shot animals would be iffy er due to potential contamination. Any use of disinfectant etc?

I do a gutless approach to doing the initial rough process/debone, and wash it down before it goes into the meat containers. Then into fridge for 2 weeks in fridge. Then do the trimming process where i take down the silverskin, fat, all the tendon, and then vacuum seal and back into fridge for 2 weeks. Then open bags, rinse off all the blood, final cuts, seasoning, and vacuum seal for freezer.

I cut away anything that looks suss, and try to take as much connective tissue off. I trim heavy, but it works well.

So not sure what more “extra care” could be done, but that is my processing regimen.

For future reference I pretty sure I read meat freezes at 28 degrees and <40 degrees stops bacteria growth. So essentially you hang between 29 and 39 degrees. Which was reconfirmed as I was told if I wanted to enter my BHSH into B/C book it was best to keep it in a fridge at 38degrees for the 60day drying period

All accurate.

I tend to age with the skin off (Especially for larger animals) as it keeps the meat insulated much longer than most people realize. You'll develop a dehydrated pellicle, but if you are going to portion and vacuum seal, the pellicle usually rehydrates without issue during that stage

The pellicle not as big an issue with the wet aging. Dry aging absolutely it will be an issue.

I typically waste very little meat from dried pellicle in the initial phase, no more than i would waste from just trimming and what-not, and there is no pellicle formation with aging in a vacuum sealed bag.