Bobson
Member
So I'm trying to prepare for my first deer hunt this Fall. I've been reading up on how to prep the game for freezing (lots of "field to freezer" articles are helping with this). I've butchered domestic pigs and chickens before, but we never really did any aging of those meats. The animals were killed in the morning, and the meat was always prepped and in the freezer before bed of the same day.
The articles I'm reading say it's best to age venison for up to 16 days (but 7 days minimum) for best flavor and tenderness. My wife is going to be slow to try the meat as it is, so I want to do my best to ensure it's prepared and aged properly. I'm thinking of aging the meat for about ten days. The thing is, the articles all say it needs to be aged from 34-38 degrees F. Makes sense.
Except I don't own a walk-in refrigerator (who does?), and when the regular season comes around in early October, it won't be cold enough outside yet. If I hunt archery season (which opens September 1st here), and that is still a possibility, it definitely won't be cold enough.
So what do you guys do? I know I could just take the meat to a butcher and have them deal with all this, and there is a great local butcher in my town that many hunters use, but I really want to do it all myself this year, if possible. Any ideas?
I've got a garage where I can hang it, the storage isn't a problem. Just trying to figure out how to get the temp down to where it needs to be. I read that quartering the meat and stowing it in a spare refrigerator could work, but that seems like it would trap in a lot of the moisture - and I've been reading that there needs to be good circulation around the meat during the aging process.
Any help is appreciated, as always.
The articles I'm reading say it's best to age venison for up to 16 days (but 7 days minimum) for best flavor and tenderness. My wife is going to be slow to try the meat as it is, so I want to do my best to ensure it's prepared and aged properly. I'm thinking of aging the meat for about ten days. The thing is, the articles all say it needs to be aged from 34-38 degrees F. Makes sense.
Except I don't own a walk-in refrigerator (who does?), and when the regular season comes around in early October, it won't be cold enough outside yet. If I hunt archery season (which opens September 1st here), and that is still a possibility, it definitely won't be cold enough.
So what do you guys do? I know I could just take the meat to a butcher and have them deal with all this, and there is a great local butcher in my town that many hunters use, but I really want to do it all myself this year, if possible. Any ideas?
I've got a garage where I can hang it, the storage isn't a problem. Just trying to figure out how to get the temp down to where it needs to be. I read that quartering the meat and stowing it in a spare refrigerator could work, but that seems like it would trap in a lot of the moisture - and I've been reading that there needs to be good circulation around the meat during the aging process.
Any help is appreciated, as always.