Hanging meat

[tenrag]

A couple questions for all you guys and gals who process your own meat at home.


After skinning the animal how long do you let it hang before processing the meat?
What is the ideal temperature for hanging? Our day time temps are hitting +7 with overnight temps of +2 or +3. Is this too warm?
Is resting the meat in a spare fridge a bad idea? The meat would be rotated frequently to prevent it sitting in one side the whole time.


Any other tips would be appreciated.

[MOL]

My opinion only!!!!

What is it? What condition was it in? How long was the hide on?

I typically do not hang meat for any length of time, especially with temps above zero. I learned a lesson about this years ago, and part of an elk spoiled at the shoulder bone, never again. I believe, after 30 plus odd years of hunting, that you cannot cut it too soon. The longer it sits the more likely there is for spoilage.
I always feel the meat regularly to make sure it is cool to touch, and let the air get at it if at all possible. And if you think it is too warm or marginal at best, time to cut.

Make sure you open up any bloodshot and trim this area out! Get the bags off, make sure it is air exposed, and can dry out.

Hope this help, I know every hunter, meat cutter have their own opinion! Happy cutting!!! I cut some of mine if I have time, and am not an expert, and have been to know to label "may contain steak or stew or trim" LOL.

[Linksman313]

We typically hang WT in the shop until meat starts to harden up (2-3 days same temp as you) to the touch. I'm sure there is an ideal temp for hanging but without an industrial freezer I'm not sure how to achieve it. As far as the spare fridge goes, we were lucky enough to score a horizontal deep freeze and if we happen to get an early deer in September, we skin, quarter and place the meat in this deep freeze (minimum temp), then hang it at night. As far as rotating the meat I cannot see how it would not help in the long run. Sorry not too much info here but hope it helps.

[Pemby_mess]

I don't have a lot of experience but I've done it a few ways and each time just kept an eye on it.

I hung a deer in the shop with temps around +/- 0 for about 5 days. That one turned out the best but it was a spike blacktail so the meat probably would have been great no matter what.

I've cut it up and put it in the freezer immediately a couple times - I'm not sure if its my imagination or if the deer were older but the meat seemed a little tougher and easier to overcook. Like it would dry out unless I braised it or something.

I just finished hanging one in quaters in the fridge for about 8 days. I put a battery powered fan and thermometer in there and made sure temps stayed at 3 degrees. Cracked the door for an hour every couple days to let the fan blow moisture out - cause the walls were getting wet after a couple days. Certainly seemed like it did the trick and meat seemed perfect when I cut it up and put it in the freezer

[Leaseman]

Hang it with a fan on it at your temps and you are fine.....

Butcher the deer once rigor comes out and all good...deer does not need to be aged!

[Philcott]

A couple questions for all you guys and gals who process your own meat at home.


After skinning the animal how long do you let it hang before processing the meat?
What is the ideal temperature for hanging? Our day time temps are hitting +7 with overnight temps of +2 or +3. Is this too warm?
Is resting the meat in a spare fridge a bad idea? The meat would be rotated frequently to prevent it sitting in one side the whole time.


Any other tips would be appreciated.


I'll take a shot at answering your questions.

I have cut up animals after hanging for only 1 day or up to 9 depending on the temperature I was able to keep the meat at. The over night temps you mentioned are good but the daytime is a bit high. Not a lot high but a bit. I like to see under 5 degC daytime to allow my deer to hang for much time. At 7C daytime, I'd probable want to cut it up before about 3 days. That said I'd be checking it a few times a day and smelling for odors.

I have rested meat in a fridge but as others have said you need to get the moisture out. This will cause mold to form on the meat if you don't.

I have also found, unlike beef, game meat doesn't need 14 or 21 days to tenderize and since most of us don't have a good cooler to hang meat in I'd cut it sooner rather than later.

The above is only from my experience not any scientific study.

[tigrr]

Most of my moose, deer and bear are butchered next day or ASAP. It is not beef that needs aging.

[adriaticum]

There is tons of information about this on youtube.
Meat can hang on any temperature common fridges can cool at.
between 2 and 5 C I think.
I had my quarters sit in the fridge for 2 days and they were much easier to deal with after that.
It's worth aging it in my view.

[todbartell]

If possible hang @ +3c for a few days then butcher it up.

every hunter should try to care for their meat as best as possible. Invest in building your own cooler so you're self sufficient and not relying on cool weather or a butcher to have room to hang your game, to keep it from spoiling. https://www.storeitcold.com/

[Huevos]

I usually try for 5 days if conditions allow. This has worked well for us. One time I shot a deer in late November at -20. Where I grew up the Chinooks usually warmed it up for a week or so above freezing and I would butcher the deer then, but that year it never warmed up for more than a day or so at a time. I finally loaded up the deer late February, and had to take it to my uncles heated shop for a couple days to thaw. Hide was still on the whole time. This was arguably the most tender deer I have ever eaten. Wouldn't recommend hanging it for 3 months under normal circumstances, but dang was it good. I could literally cut my steaks with a fork. I have used a fridge before, but if you are worried about it spoiling, its usually better just to butcher it. I'd rather worry about it being a bit tough as opposed to a bit spoiled. If you decide to hang it at these temps, remember to keep it out of the direct sunlight. Good luck.

[wideopenthrottle]

another thing is a fan will make all the difference if temperature is a bit too warm where you are hanging it....I brought mine home thanksgiving Monday and thoroughly hosed it, quartered it, and hung it in the garage with a fan on high....butchered it Tuesday after work and it had set up nice and dry even after the hose down the night before...

[trapperRick]

All wild meat like deer/moose/elk should hang for at least 14 days and up to 21 if you can, treat it just like beef . If you do this once you will always do it, it really makes a difference with the meat. Temp about +2F or so

[Darksith]

funny, I see there are a lof of different ideas here...so why the hell wouldn't I weigh in on this. Meat is meat, to say a cows meat needs to age but a moose or deer doesn't simply doesn't compute in my brain. That being said though, high end aged beef will never be frozen, wild meat will be. Freezing it acts somewhat, not completely like aging it though as the cellular membranes are broken by frozen ice crystals. Now a 2 point deer or young moose is already a pretty tender specimen, so there isn't a huge need to age it (hanging it) but it will obviously make it better (more tender) as all hanging is is controlled breakdown of cellular structure.

Ideally you want the meat to cool to 4C...this is what butchers coolers are set at, and this is the ideal temp to allow slow controlled bacteria growth which is what causes cellular breakdown. From experience (never lost anything) you can hang meat in fairly warm temps (just had an elk hang this year) it was getting to about 2C at night but fairly warm 10-15C in the peak heat of the day. Be sure to hang in the shade, allow good airflow and at warmer temps your enemy is more flies than anything. The hardening of the exterior of the meat (2nd skin) will prevent flies from being able to attack it, but allowing a second skin to form is waste as you will need cut it off eventually...it won't form at the butchers because of the controlled temps.

Don't be afraid to hang meat, IMO anyone that doesn't hang their wild game is not doing it justice but to each their own...I guarantee that an old moose that is hung, will be better on your plate than an old moose that was cut up the next day. Hanging animals in a shed or garage is fine, but make sure you get airflow, humidity and lack of air flow is worse than warmish temps during the day.

[Koot]

Last year I really paid attention to how long and for what temp we hung our game. I aged the deer for 12 days at a few degrees on the plus side.I checked it every day .
When my dad ate the first steak he called me up and asked what I had done different this year with the meat. He had no idea that I had aged it but he sure could tell that the meat was fantastic. The meat was so tender and it made a believer out of me!

[todbartell]

All wild meat like deer/moose/elk should hang for at least 14 days and up to 21 if you can, treat it just like beef . If you do this once you will always do it, it really makes a difference with the meat. Temp about +2F or so

+2F is -17c

Hanging for that long, you'd be reskinning a thick layer of dried crusty black meat off the outside of the meat beneath. If the game is that tough that you'd resort to hanging for 3 weeks to make it more tender, I'd probably grind the whole thing into ground from the get go!

[Bobfl]

This is only my take, I hang until the meat sets up than put in vacuum air/water tight bags and stick in creek or lake at 40 deg. These are the bags you use a vacuum to suck air out with. Look at in a day to make sure bags do not leak water. A cooler is about 35-40 deg. most high mountain lakes and creeks are 38-40 deg

[Rob Chipman]

When I'm out hunting I hang it as long as I'm there, generally. If it's warm I try to get it under shade, and if it's rainy I try to get it under a tarp (sometimes the tarp protects against both things).

When I get home I keep it in the fridge for anywhere from a week to 10 days. As you can imagine, a moose can take 3 fridges!

I obviously check it for going bad, but I've never had it happen.

Is it necessary? I don't know, but the results I've had are awesome. To be honest, I'm more worried about keeping meat clean than keeping it cool - it's not that I don't worry about cooling it (I do) but in practice I find a lot of time spent cleaning up dirty/hairy meat that can be avoided if you're careful and have a tarp/bags/extra hands.

I think that we're generally pretty safe as far as cooling meat goes here. Remember, guys hunt in the US in much warmer temperatures. I just butchered a bear that I hung for 4 days during the trip and then left a week in the fridge. All good.

[Darksith]

When I'm out hunting I hang it as long as I'm there, generally. If it's warm I try to get it under shade, and if it's rainy I try to get it under a tarp (sometimes the tarp protects against both things).

When I get home I keep it in the fridge for anywhere from a week to 10 days. As you can imagine, a moose can take 3 fridges!

I obviously check it for going bad, but I've never had it happen.

Is it necessary? I don't know, but the results I've had are awesome. To be honest, I'm more worried about keeping meat clean than keeping it cool - it's not that I don't worry about cooling it (I do) but in practice I find a lot of time spent cleaning up dirty/hairy meat that can be avoided if you're careful and have a tarp/bags/extra hands.

I think that we're generally pretty safe as far as cooling meat goes here. Remember, guys hunt in the US in much warmer temperatures. I just butchered a bear that I hung for 4 days during the trip and then left a week in the fridge. All good.

Yup keep it dry. Halving and quartile definitely help with air flow and I have hung many animals in warmer than ideal Temps with no spoilage. 5-7 days usually if you must

[Arctic Lake]

Hmmmm...... Okay I'll weigh in here. When you hang domestic beef ( hung on the rail - dry aged) the temperature and humidity are closely monitored . Beef that is raised for the consumer and aged in a cooler has a fat cover that prevents the waste of actual meat. Natural occurring sugars that are present in the meat turn to lactic acid and cause the connective tissue in the meat to breakdown. Most beef processing plants don't hang beef sides anymore they are slaughtered cooled and cut into primal cuts and cryo vacced for retail distribution. Those primal cuts depending on the retailer can stay in the bag for a few weeks ( wet aged ). The debate between those two different methods as to which is more tender, has been going on for awhile .
Arctic Lake

[KodiakHntr]

I'm going to disagree with a few folks here.... Last years bull elk hung 14 days due to circumstances beyond my control. (Buggered my back, and ended up taking it to a butcher who had to let it hang for an additional 7 days over my 7 days).
Absolutely. Amazing. Tender and perfect meat.

Looking back at that, this years bull elk hung for 12 days. Again, amazing flavour and tender enough to cut with a fork. (Mind you, I prefer a bull elk as eating meat over anything other than stone sheep.)

Thinking I'm going to try the same hang time with a whitetail this year, just to see how it turns out.

No more meat loss to dried out surface area than any other bull hung for 3-7 days.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

All wild meat like deer/moose/elk should hang for at least 14 days and up to 21 if you can, treat it just like beef . If you do this once you will always do it, it really makes a difference with the meat. Temp about +2F or so

What?????

ok ...
the only reason why meat is hung is to break it down and soften it up and let bacteria do its thing

2 degrees F??? be rock hard as that is about -16Celcius ... a walk in cooler is 2-6 degrees Celcius anything outside of that is the bacteria growth zone

you can acheive the same result of a 21 day hang in 4 ... a 21 day hang is done in 2 degree eviroment ... if you average temp is say 6 I wouldnt hang it for more than 3 or 4 days before cutting and wrap

[adriaticum]

What?????

ok ...
the only reason why meat is hung is to break it down and soften it up and let bacteria do its thing

2 degrees F??? be rock hard as that is about -16Celcius ... a walk in cooler is 2-6 degrees Celcius anything outside of that is the bacteria growth zone

you can acheive the same result of a 21 day hang in 4 ... a 21 day hang is done in 2 degree eviroment ... if you average temp is say 6 I wouldnt hang it for more than 3 or 4 days before cutting and wrap



Mikey, you don't want bacteria on your meat.
OK, maybe you do, but I want enzymes to work their magic.
Meat bacteria - very bad.

[shottyshooter]

I've been keeping a spray bottle of watered down vinegar and spritzing deer as they hang. It keeps flys away, kills surface bacteria and I'm pretty sure it pre- marinates it hahaha. As others have said - shaded/sheltered, use a fan and keep fresh air flowing, IF it cools quickly I leave the hide on to preserve moisture and prevent waste due to the crusty dryed outer layer. I've gone up to 10 days with noticeably different tenderness and juiciness than animals that were skinned and taken to the butcher within a day or two

[BigBanger]

That home built walk in cooler is awesome. If I lived closer to hunting and had the opportunity to hunt more, I'd definitely build myself one.

[Livinlarge]

A guy at a camp next to ours this year had one of those laser digital thermometers (Costco had/has them). With this he was able to tell the temp of the hanging meat instantly. I had one sitting in my tool box, never thought to bring it. Next month it will be making the trip.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

Mikey, you don't want bacteria on your meat.
OK, maybe you do, but I want enzymes to work their magic.
Meat bacteria - very bad.

your right ... my bad ... its the lactic acid I want to break down the meat

yes bacteria = bad

[rocksteady]

Hang til cool to the bone... then butcher

[Frango]

I have hung wild game for a minimum of 14 days. If the temp is correct what harm can hanging do? I really don't understand people who cut it asap.Why? If you don't have a cooler then fill your boots.If you do have a cooler then enjoy your better meat.

[Gateholio]

I see many people don't really understand the process of aging.

properly dry aging meat is beneficial, however most hunters don't have the ability to do it properly. You need the proper temperature and air flow to inhibit bacteria growth but also encourage enzyme activity.

If you can't keep it (whole, halved or in quarters) around 4C with some air flow then you may as well get it into the freezer within a day or three, sooner if it's really warm.

it's probably easier for most hunters to wet age if they have a vac packer, as you can just stack the vac sealed meat portions up in your fridge.

[rocksteady]

I have hung wild game for a minimum of 14 days. If the temp is correct what harm can hanging do? I really don't understand people who cut it asap.Why? If you don't have a cooler then fill your boots.If you do have a cooler then enjoy your better meat.


Hanging longer just dries dries it out.

[two-feet]

When i was young and road hunting with my dad we would drag the animal out whole, keep very clean, and hang with the hide on for a week or so. The hide keeps it very clean and prevents it from drying out.

The way i hunt now is a bit more adventurous, the meat will often go from a back pack, to a boat, to a plane, to a truck. Bottom line- it might get a little dirty. So with the introduced nastiness i do not want the meat hanging around. Last couple of years we will get home from our trip around dinner time, grab a bite, kiss the woman and kids then cut meat all night. Trim off all exterior surface area, bag in large chunks and straight to the freezer. Then i will take out the bags as needed and make sausage, jerky, stew packs roasts etc.

[.264winmag]

Hanging longer just dries dries it out.
I'll take that bet;) HA

[elknut]

Yah I also believe in hanging my elk ...A cow elk I hang for 7 days and a bull 12-14 days at the butcher..Ideally it would be in halves as this stretches the loins like beef sides ...But Ive never tried this ...Usually just bringing in quarters for hanging...My elk is very tender no matter if its a big 6point bull or a dry cow ...Everyone to his own I guess..Dennis

[SaintSix]

I think prep is a big part to that question. you need to remove any bloodied area, completely cut out entrance/exit holes. another big one is the windpipe cut that right out. after that hanging for me was always about temp, best I could hope for on big game moose/elk was a week if the temp was low enough. Most my deer I butchered next day or two. at +7 during the day your not at a bad temp but I wouldn't go more then a few days.

[.264winmag]

Regardless of temp I'll try and hand till it has that hint of sweaty sock smell, but maybe that's just me haha. I've had a bit of fuzz on the exterior before, just wiped off and cut up ASAP tasted great.

[lowball]

Have always hung deer for at least 21 days, keeping the temp as close to 2 degrees as possible. Our season starts the second week of November, so cooling is not an issue.. LOL

[REMINGTON JIM]

Just shoot it - Clean it -Skin it - Cut it up and then cook & EAT it ! :wink: 1-3 days is always good for me . jmo RJ

[Barracuda]

im with RJ . the most important part is a clean kill proper field dressin and then simply butcher and enjoy . most game meat is wrecked before it gets to the butcher through poor handling very often on the hunting trip .

[.264winmag]

Seen a test in a magazine years ago. Took a meat cow out in the woods and killed it, drug it through the swamp and handled it poorly from trigger squeeze to freezer. Test results came back as people calling the meat 'gamey'. 90% is taking care of animal, but I still stand by that other 10%/aging etc. to be worth it if convenient. If at all worried by all means cut/wrap ASAP.
Hope to find a muley soon, gonna hang from the horns till the body falls off and see if that makes em edible HA

[sawmill]

Hanging longer just dries dries it out.

True that. I hang mine just long enough to tighten up and cool. Anything longer just wrecks meat. I hate skimming off the whole outside to get rid of the black skin that ruins the taste of the meat. Temps now are +6-8 in the day and 0 at night. If I get one in the morning I butcher the next day. And cut out the tender loins while you are skinning it, they dry out fast so save them first.
14 days? Holy Christ, it just might come back to life and make you kill it again.

[Pemby_mess]

What's the wisdom on bear meat? Any special considerations?

[lowball]

[QUOTE=Gatehouse;1831833]I see many people don't really understand the process of aging.

When your as old as me, you understand more than most!

[rocksteady]

What's the wisdom on bear meat? Any special considerations?

hang it until the smell gets so bad your wife makes you take it to the dump...

not it a bear meat fan :)

[tomahawk]

What's the wisdom on bear meat? Any special considerations?

IMHO....Meat is meat. Any amount of time the meat hangs is good time to me. I find that more important to bears is not hanging so long but on a fall bear its getting rid of the excess fat, prefer spring bears. Bear fat is very greasy. Bear burger mixed with 8% fresh beef fat is my fav of all wild game.

[tigrr]

I guess I have never shot anything old enough that I had to hang it for 14+ days for it t be tender.

[two-feet]

I love the fall bears for the fat. We never hang those, treat them like pork.

[Pemby_mess]

I love the fall bears for the fat. We never hang those, treat them like pork.

yeah that would have been my first thought - thanks.

[Looking_4_Jerky]

Ahhhh, the great aging debate. We will never all agree.


I once had a conversation with a meat cutter that used to teach at the University here. His position was that beef has different composition than game (fat content, type of fat, sugar content and thus enzyme and lactic acid levels), and that unlike beef, wild game benefitted very little from aging, and in fact, aging may enhance the "gamey" taste associated with some game.

As others have said, get it cool inside and buck up your buck!

[BigMrMeats]

What's the wisdom on bear meat? Any special considerations?

Don't age bear meat. It won't do you one bit of good and you run the risk of contaminating more meat. Just not worth it. Get it cold (below 4C) then cut it up. The gentleman above had a comment about mixing it with beef... that does work very well. Nice mix.

You don't need to age bear, deer, pork, lamb, etc.

I've been a meat cutter for 20 years... I could explain the science, but it really doesn't matter. Everyone has a different opinion.

[Pemby_mess]

Don't age bear meat. It won't do you one bit of good and you run the risk of contaminating more meat. Just not worth it. Get it cold (below 4C) then cut it up. The gentleman above had a comment about mixing it with beef... that does work very well. Nice mix.

You don't need to age bear, deer, pork, lamb, etc.

I've been a meat cutter for 20 years... I could explain the science, but it really doesn't matter. Everyone has a different opinion.

I would have figured as much with the bear meat.


i really would be very interested in the science. I could swear I,ve had better anecdotal results aging venison but I've been wondering if its my imagination or not. Your insight could help put those questions to bed - thanks

[.264winmag]

Quite a few old timer butchers' will say the opposite. Fak science I'll go with my tastebuds. Aging, curing and preserving meat is becoming a lost art. To many lossy rules, what happens when the power is turned off:wink:

[.264winmag]

http://www.fieldandstream.com/how-long-to-hang-deer-for-tenderest-meat?src=SOC&dom=fb

[ff89]

http://www.fieldandstream.com/how-long-to-hang-deer-for-tenderest-meat?src=SOC&dom=fb I'm no expert I've only butchered 5 deer but contrary to what it says I always butcher it and freeze it within 24 hours and I've never had any issues with tough shoe leather meat, maybe all my deer were too small to be chewy though.
"If you must butcher your deer today, don’t freeze the meat. Rigor mortis, which sets in soon after death and lasts 12 to 24 hours, contracts and stiffens muscle tissue, making meat less tender. Freezing before this is complete results in thaw rigor, or more colloquially, “shoe leather.”

[J_T]

If possible hang @ +3c for a few days then butcher it up.

every hunter should try to care for their meat as best as possible. Invest in building your own cooler so you're self sufficient and not relying on cool weather or a butcher to have room to hang your game, to keep it from spoiling. https://www.storeitcold.com/This right here.

We have a cooler in one of the trailers, if it's +30C or -30C the animals are skinned, cleaned/tidied up and hung in the trailer. Airflow and temperature are controlled. If we don't have the cooler and/or it's freezing out (-10C) we'll take it straight to the butcher, and leave it hang a couple of days there.