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Post by dtucker on Jan 1, 2015 7:57:12 GMT -7
A few days ago our neighbor brought us a deer. (We told him he could hunt from our tower anytime he wanted if he brought us a deer). It has been years since I have cleaned and processed a deer--and my hubby has no experience at all.
It was a surprise when he brought it to us and we had nothing set up for this kind of work. All together from start to finish it took me about 2 hours. (Everything from digging out the good knives to gutting and skinning it and getting it in the fridge)
Is that too long or is that good timing?
I did not quarter it but I cut the meat off after I skinned it.
I understand it is necessary to gut it if it will be hanging a while but is it necessary if you are going to cut the meat off right then? I did cut the liver and check it.
I remember growing up that my daddy gutted them every time and quartered it.
Thanks everyone
Hope yall have a wonderful New Year !!
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Post by woodyz on Jan 1, 2015 13:51:20 GMT -7
Most cases 2 hours is plenty safe.
The only exception would be if it were extremely hot conditions.
99% of the time I gut it where it fell, less wait to drag out or throw into truck or 4 wheeler.
If conditions were warm I would have a bag of ice in a cooler and place it inside the carcass. If conditions were cool enough the gutted carcase might stay in the bed of the truck for four or five hours.
Once it was hung up the temp conditions again dictated whether I skinned and quartered and stored the quarters in ice chests or just let it hang.
I am one who believes the length of time it is allowed to hang or is stored in ice chests directly effects the taste of the meat.
The skin is easier to remove while the carcass is warm, but not very hard to remove either way.
In colder weather I have let skinned and unskinned deer hang for days, some people like 7 to 10 days.
The key effect of dry aging is the concentration and saturation of the natural flavour, as well as the tenderization of the meat texture.
My Grandfather would hang deer/beef/hogs in a walkin cooler for weeks while he cutup/sawed and packaged it. Thanksgiving was always "butchering time", family gathered and he/we butchered up to 20 hogs and 10 beef calves, gutted skinned/scraped and hung, before Thanksgiving Dinner.
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Post by Redneckidokie on Jan 1, 2015 17:01:00 GMT -7
You did ok. Most folks can't kill one, get it out of the woods, back home and cut it up in two hours. Naturally the faster is better. Heat is the killer. On average I shoot mine less than an hour before sun down 85% of the , by the time I drag it out of the woods with the four wheeler, load it and take to the barn, process into quarters to cool in ice chests is close to that two hour mark. Unless I'm really tired and call a friend and say ''hey I got ya a deer''.  |
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Post by dtucker on Jan 1, 2015 17:10:59 GMT -7
Thanks Woodyz, I appreciate it. It was only about 15 min after I heard the shot that he showed up with the deer. It was in the mid 30's when I was cleaning it. I believe it does help the flavor to let it hang a few days, I left it in the fridge 3 days and let it "drain" and made sure to keep a wet towel over it. We had deer spaghetti the night I processed it and it was great  I did notice this deer had a good bit of fat on it. |
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