I have just hung two Rusa stags {size of Red Hinds} in the cool room at our family farm.
What is the ideal amount of time to leave it hanging and is appox 1deg cel a good tempreture to set it at?
ozhunter

Personally I don't like to let game meet hang at all. It has very little or no marbling or fat in the meet like cattle. I bone out package and freeze as quick as possible

I agree with RM007. According to our USDA aging meat should be without skin, in a proper butchers cooler at 2-3 C.Enzymes in the meat offer some tenderizing and change flavour. There is no benefit to aging more than about a week. But as far as tenderizing ,freezing is the equivalent of 5 days aging.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
I agree with RM007. According to our USDA aging meat should be without skin, in a proper butchers cooler at 2-3 C.Enzymes in the meat offer some tenderizing and change flavour. There is no benefit to aging more than about a week. But as far as tenderizing ,freezing is the equivalent of 5 days aging.

mete, I for one would not let any pencil pushing scientist suggest how long I should hang meat for. I do it to suit my palete.

I like beef that has been dry aged for 21 days. The taste and texture is IMO far superior to wet hanging for anylenth of time. All supermarket meat is wet hung as it retains the moisture and therefore weight and therefore can be sold for more.

In this country at least we have forgotton what good beef taste like.

Back on topic, I prefer venison with little of no ageing.

Regards

Ozhunter,
How do you like your venison?
If you are hanging to mature then 2-4 degrees is ideal and about a week with the SKIN ON!!!
If you are storing then 1 degree would keep then them for about 10-14 days, one of the problems is how effective is your cooler, does it condense the water to outside. If it does not then the length of time in the chill reduced. If the belly cavity has any blood residue it will turn mouldy and taint the flesh, especially if the atmosphere is humid.
The drier the better.

regards
griff

Deerdogs, what is the difference between dry and wet hanging?

We have a great local butcher here who hangs most of his beef for 28 days. I am just about to roast a rolled rib from a highland longhorn, he told me yesterday it has been hanging since the 02nd May. Looks fantastic.

Agree that beef from a supermarket is rubbish.

I tend to agree with Griff...

With Fallow, I like them hung in the jacket for between 7 and 14 days, depending on the quality of the cold room...As already mentioned, temperature is only one aspect, but the humidity is also important, the drier the better...carcasses can loose a bit of weight when hung in such dry conditions, but that is minimised by keeping the jackets on...

If after several days in the cooler, you notice a slight smell and perhaps a little mould on the inside of the carcass, thats the time to deal with it...wipe/pat the insides down with kitchen role soaked in white vinegar and it will remove the mould and the smell...

If the stags have been shot during the rut, that alters things a lot...personally I don't want to eat a fallow buck or a red stag thats been rutting, but thats a personal thing...

Regards,

Pete

FWIW, in my family we have hung our moose (skinned, and often sawn in two halves) for a minimum of what we call "40 day degrees". In other words, if it is 5 degrees celcius, we hang the animal for 8 days (5 degrees X 8 days = 40). So in theory, if it is a stable 1 degree celcius, it would hang for 40 days. However, we have found that our moose age best at around 3-5 degrees, and I personally usually use "50 day degrees". And it does make a differance, as even many of the normally tougher cuts of meat become chewable! Granted, if the weather is not as dry as we would want it, I sometimes have to cut off a bit more of the outer, semi-dried layer that has formed, but the quality of the meat beneath makes the relativly small waste worth it IMO.

Claret
Most commercial abbatoirs will turn the carcass into big chunks that are shrink wrapped and stored in a cool room for a week maybe two. Because of the plastic wrap, the weight of the meat is retained. Kg=£. Been around Midland Meat Packers and seen them do it.

But the meat needs air to properly mature and give the flavour. However, the longer meat is matured without the plastic, the more it drys, the lighter it gets, the less it is worth, unless the price goes up.

Supermarkets want to sell a cheap product, while telling us their meat is "aged" so they wet hang. You butcher will have dry hung his beef and likely as not it will cost more. And rightly so for a better product.

I HIGHLY recommend Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's book MEAT. It should be on the national curriculum. Seriously.

Ok Deerdogs, I understand your meaning.

I just would not consider vacum packing and refridgerating as hanging or ageing.

My butcher reckons a carcase can lose as much as 30% of its deadweight in a 28 day hanging period, my understanding is that this depends on its fat to lean ration: ie, a leaner continental bred beast will lose more than a traditional British breed with a higher fat content. I have my eye on an Aberdeen Angus heifer here who should make great freezer fodder in the autumn.

By the way, the Longhorn was delicious with some new spuds and horseradish.

Also, I have the meat book. HFW is my hero.

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:

If after several days in the cooler, you notice a slight smell and perhaps a little mould on the inside of the carcass, thats the time to deal with it...wipe/pat the insides down with kitchen role soaked in white vinegar and it will remove the mould and the smell...

... then wash off the vinegar and get it down to the game dealers sharpish!

Seriousy I hang in a chiller for up to a week at 1celcius (condenses to the outside) in the fur if I am selling (allows a weekly run and enough time for the dealer to sort)

For my own consumption I hang till I am seriously concerned it's safe to eat.

Hi

I do about the same as ErikD. 40 day degrees, and maybe a bit more.

I also check the meat regularly by pressing my tumb hard agains the thigh of the animal. If the dent stay put and not bounses out again, I butcher it down and put it in the freezer.

If you are mincing the meat, it doesn't need hanging, but I do it anyway, because it's easier to leave the carcass whole.


Here is an earlier post on the subjec:
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tp.../689100673#689100673

Johan