How long do you hang your meat, elk moose.

[rafike]

Just wondering how long you hang your wild game before you butcher, my shed/cooler is 8 degrees and l hang for about 10 days.

[swampthing]

I have never found a difference between hanging and not hanging. Because of that I always cut and wrap asap.

[M.Dean]

Weather depending, I've let some hang for a week, others I've cut up the next day. If you cut a animal up in a day or two, you'll find that the packages will have way more blood in them when you thaw them out to cook. Also, if a guy shoots a young Buck you don't have to hang it for a extended period of time to tenderizer it, you can cut the steaks with your fork anyways!!!

[BCLongshot]

Depends on the temp.

Hang as long as u can the cut and wrap.

I'm getting hungry...............:)

[Jetboat]

Wild game isn't marbled like prime beef and doesn't benefit from extended aging. I hang game meat long enough to allow most of the blood to drain then it's cut, wrapped & into the freezer, so generally about a week. A few years back several of us hung our bucks in my garage, both skinned and unskinned. Then on days off (a week later) we processed the bucks. The skinned out carcasses were dry and had that dark crust on the outside. When we skinned out the other bucks just before cutting them up, we had nice pink meat with no dry outer crust. Didn't make any difference with the taste, but sure was nice not to have to skin off all that dry crust and thus way less trimming to do.

[meat eater]

Wild game isn't marbled like prime beef and doesn't benefit from extended aging. I hang game meat long enough to allow most of the blood to drain then it's cut, wrapped & into the freezer, so generally about a week. A few years back several of us hung our bucks in my garage, both skinned and unskinned. Then on days off (a week later) we processed the bucks. The skinned out carcasses were dry and had that dark crust on the outside. When we skinned out the other bucks just before cutting them up, we had nice pink meat with no dry outer crust. Didn't make any difference with the taste, but sure was nice not to have to skin off all that dry crust and thus way less trimming to do.
i have heard of guys doing this do you do this with your moose an elk to??

[bosca]

Sounds like you have the right idea.
I usually hang for about 1 week...or my next day off...Then cut.
If you can keep the temp cooler than 14C and keep the bugs away its all good...with in reason.

[bosca]

Wild meat will also benefit from aging. Aging meat is simply 'temperature controlled decomposition'. It is the decomposition that tenderizes the meat. Temperature being the most important variable on how long to age. Also, in marginal conditions (ie., higher than 14C) leaving the skin on might slow the 'cool down' process...All depends on temps.

Like m.dean said...if its a nice young buck letting the blood out is the important thing...after that you can cut. Other factors might be rutty buck...

All things factored in ...anywhere from 3 - 10 days is pretty safe bet.

[elkdom]

Wild meat will also benefit from aging. Aging meat is simply 'temperature controlled decomposition'. It is the decomposition that tenderizes the meat. Temperature being the most important variable on how long to age. Also, in marginal conditions (ie., higher than 14C) leaving the skin on might slow the 'cool down' process...All depends on temps.

Like m.dean said...if its a nice young buck letting the blood out is the important thing...after that you can cut. Other factors might be rutty buck...

All things factored in ...anywhere from 3 - 10 days is pretty safe bet.



we(6) had med-rare BBQ'd elk T-Bones from my 5x5 Bull elk I killed 3 days ago, about 12 hours from the bull elk dying ,,until his T-Bones were on the BBQ,,, cut them with the side of a fork, as good as the best steak any of us have ever eaten, at home of in a restaurant,,,

as for "how long" ?? to hang wild game?
it MAY or MAY not make a difference,,,,,,,,,,,,,:-?

[325]

It does make a difference if you have ideal conditions (i.e. a meat cooler), and give it enough time. For those who have a cooler try this with one of your quarters: Set cooler to 3 degrees and leave the meat alone for 3 -4 weeks. Don't worry about a little mold formation. After three weeks, trim the dry "skin" and any mold and cut as per usual. Next, through a steak on the BBQ and cook to medium rare. Finally, enjoy the best wild game steak you've ever had!

[Jetboat]

i have heard of guys doing this do you do this with your moose an elk to??

With heavy game like moose, I like to get 'em hung, quartered, the hide off & cooling down asap.

[bosca]

I haven't eaten today and now I'm craving a big elk steak to.

Don't get me wrong...I have grilled deer meat on an open campfire ( a little salt and pepper) that I just sliced off of the hanging deer that was some of the best I have eaten....but if your going to stick to a rule for consistancy's sake then hanging for a few days or more will likely do more good than harm.

Congrats on the elk hunt!

[Allen50]

you can cut it the same day if you like or hang it 21 days like beef, just remember to have air flow, a fan of some kind, to keep the air movening this drys the meat and keeps it cool,, thats why all shops have fans in there coolers,,

[BCKID]

This might be worth a read.

http://www.wyomingextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B513Rpdf.pdf

[Phil A. Bowl]

just till its green.mmmmm jk. I hang mine till its time to pack up camp then the butcher hangs it till he gets a chance to cut and wrap

[rocksteady]

Hang it til its cold all the way to the bone, then start cutting....Its not getting any colder after that, just dehydrating and rotting :)

[city hunter]

It does make a difference if you have ideal conditions (i.e. a meat cooler), and give it enough time. For those who have a cooler try this with one of your quarters: Set cooler to 3 degrees and leave the meat alone for 3 -4 weeks. Don't worry about a little mold formation. After three weeks, trim the dry "skin" and any mold and cut as per usual. Next, through a steak on the BBQ and cook to medium rare. Finally, enjoy the best wild game steak you've ever had!

you meant deer or moose meat doesn't have to cooked well done,Just about 80 % will fine if we frozen it for a week then defrozen it,is it correct ?

[elkdom]

you meant deer or moose meat doesn't have to cooked well done,Just about 80 % will fine if we frozen it for a week then defrozen it,is it correct ?

myself and family and friends have been eating Med-Rare grilled, BBQ'd or pan fried , deer, moose and elk steaks and wild game prime-rib, for 40 plus years,, all are healthy and well fed !

,and most of us do not really like store/restaurant beef at all anymore!

[city hunter]

myself and family and friends have been eating Med-Rare grilled, BBQ'd or pan fried , deer, moose and elk steaks and wild game prime-rib, for 40 plus years,, all are healthy and well fed !

,and most of us do not really like store/restaurant beef at all anymore!Really,I would like to try it with my deer meat tonight,it should be taste better than well done,thanks buddy.

[rocksteady]

myself and family and friends have been eating Med-Rare grilled, BBQ'd or pan fried , deer, moose and elk steaks and wild game prime-rib, for 40 plus years,, all are healthy and well fed !

,and most of us do not really like store/restaurant beef at all anymore!

I agree with all, except I don't have the 40 years of experience...maybe 35... :) Medium rare is a beautiful thing...

[sherpa-Al]

I'll hang most animals as long as possible, usually 7-10 days after a skin has formed. I always keep a fan blowing on the quarters to keep them cool and moisture free. After that the meat is usually excellent, with the exception of a big old bull moose which gets hung until the quarters touch the floor!

[Looking_4_Jerky]

BCKID, thanks! That's a kick-ass paper on aging game. I found it interesting in that it supported several of our member's claims, even though they were radically different from each other.

I had been told by a former university meat-cutter program instructor that venison and beef differ in their respective abundances of enzymes, and consequently venison does not benefit from aging in the same manner as beef. This article supports that - in some cases. It seems like it does promote significant aging of bull elk & moose, if the temps are right and the animal died instantly. Other than that, I think I'm going to stay on my typical program and cut my game as soon as possible once it has cooled. I don't have a cooler, and I think that trying to age animals harvested in summer (even into late October in Kamloops on some years) is a bad plan, even though I have a stomach of steel and have eaten some questionable foods (chicken sandwiches left in a hot truck for a couple of days - tasted good as a surprise find after a long day of hunting with not enough food brought along!).

[shureshot]

I have foundthe fat coverage also determans on how long to hang it. With a lean animal you dont hangit as long because it will drt out all animals are a little diffeant.