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marksman13
Member
Mete, milk contains lactic acid...just like buttermilk...the acid tenderizes, and for whatever reason, the milk/water mixture draws out the blood which is the main culprit behind the "gamey flavor.
Removing "gamey" taste from venison...
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ambush
Member
O.K. If you are looking to turn venison into beef...forget it. Venison has a distinctive flavor that I 'm sure you all know. The milk bath, IMO, did reduce the wild flavor of the meat, however it did not remove the distinctive venison flavor. I enjoyed my dinner tonight, and will use the milk bath in the future for the thicker cuts. My 13 Y.O. liked it very much, my youngest did not eat any meat tonight (said he wasn't hungry). My wife....well, she's a beef girl. She just can't get passed the venison flavor. She will eat venison chilli and meat balls, but didn't care for the flavor of the steaks. All in all, It worked as stated and I give it a thumbs up.
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marksman13
Member
Glad to know you liked it, Ambush. I grilled up some steaks tonight myself. My wife is the same way about vennison. She refuses to eat at all though. She doesn't believe that eating wild game is very sanitary. I'm gonna have to talk her in to a visit to a cattle, pig, or chicken farm.
tomhorn
Member
we use 7 up for 30 min to 2 hours in the refrig...
Try this
Good meat starts BEFORE you shoot. Kill it cleanly, gut it ASAP. I prefer to open the rib cage and make sure the windpipe is removed from the neck. If the weather isn't miserably cold, we would put milk jugs filled with water and frozen in the freezer in the body cavity.
If we can't butcher it immediately, we quarter it, put each quarter in a black trash bag, and put it in the refrigerator. Butchering should be done as soon as possible - 'aging' the meat does nothing but increase the bacteria count. This is not opinion - it is the result of studies done at the University of Wyoming for the Wyo Game and Fish.
I always butcher my own, and do it by removing all bones and fat. It is fast and easy, after you've done it once. I saw this method in an article in Outdoor Life (I think) in about 1970 or so. You could probably find the info on the 'net.
Done this way, it fits into my freezer easier and there is never an objectionable taste. It works on elk, deer, and antelope. People who swore they would never eat game have eaten the meat done this way and loved it!
Good meat starts BEFORE you shoot. Kill it cleanly, gut it ASAP. I prefer to open the rib cage and make sure the windpipe is removed from the neck. If the weather isn't miserably cold, we would put milk jugs filled with water and frozen in the freezer in the body cavity.
If we can't butcher it immediately, we quarter it, put each quarter in a black trash bag, and put it in the refrigerator. Butchering should be done as soon as possible - 'aging' the meat does nothing but increase the bacteria count. This is not opinion - it is the result of studies done at the University of Wyoming for the Wyo Game and Fish.
I always butcher my own, and do it by removing all bones and fat. It is fast and easy, after you've done it once. I saw this method in an article in Outdoor Life (I think) in about 1970 or so. You could probably find the info on the 'net.
Done this way, it fits into my freezer easier and there is never an objectionable taste. It works on elk, deer, and antelope. People who swore they would never eat game have eaten the meat done this way and loved it!
scout26
Member
obxned,
Do not use trash bags to store or transport meat. The bags have been treated with some nasty chemicals to help them breakdown (and breakdown the trash) when they hit the landfill. You don't want those nasties on your meat. If you can't get it butchered and into freezer wrap or freezer bags (and then into a fridge or freezer), then getting it cooled quickly and packed into cheese cloth or a game bag works best.
I've found in warmer weather that using regular black pepper also help keep the flys and other bugs off.
Do not use trash bags to store or transport meat. The bags have been treated with some nasty chemicals to help them breakdown (and breakdown the trash) when they hit the landfill. You don't want those nasties on your meat. If you can't get it butchered and into freezer wrap or freezer bags (and then into a fridge or freezer), then getting it cooled quickly and packed into cheese cloth or a game bag works best.
I've found in warmer weather that using regular black pepper also help keep the flys and other bugs off.
Harve Curry
Member
In the mountains if there was a stream running I lay the whole carcass in it to rinse out and cool down fast, if not I use some water to help cool it. Then I hang it in the shade covered from flies if their around.
At home we have always rinsed meat out again, blood in cold water and while we are processing it meat chunks are setting in ice water. We don't leave any fat, grissel, or scrape the bones. That taste like
.
Rinse, salt and freeze in ziplocks with some water, or make jerky.
At home we have always rinsed meat out again, blood in cold water and while we are processing it meat chunks are setting in ice water. We don't leave any fat, grissel, or scrape the bones. That taste like
. Rinse, salt and freeze in ziplocks with some water, or make jerky.
Old Time Hunter
Member
Get as much of the sinew/fat off and marinate in lime juice over night in frig. Do not over cook! Always remember, venison is and always will taste like goat more than beef. That is probably why it makes better sausage!
This tells much of the story ,see the George Roof posting http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9811043/m/416102995
shenck
Member
Gamey????
Some one please tell me what "gamey" taste like? We are talking about wild animals that eat everything from corn to tree bark. Animals that range in age from 1 year to 5 or 6 years old. the chances of having two deer taste the same are slim. there are some things you can do to make deer meat less tough. ( some are going to be tough no matter what you do and some are just as tender as you would want ) But you are never going to make it taste like corn feed angus beef.
Some one please tell me what "gamey" taste like? We are talking about wild animals that eat everything from corn to tree bark. Animals that range in age from 1 year to 5 or 6 years old. the chances of having two deer taste the same are slim. there are some things you can do to make deer meat less tough. ( some are going to be tough no matter what you do and some are just as tender as you would want ) But you are never going to make it taste like corn feed angus beef.
gunmn74
Member
meat care and cooking ideas
A couple of months before deer season I start saving milk jugs.
I fill them with water and store them in the deep freeze. If you
let it hang a few days it will "age" nicely. Hang it in the shade
and fill the body cavity with the frozen milk jugs.
I also soak the meat in Butter milk before cooking, this will pull
all the blood out of the meat and help with the "gamey taste".
A couple of months before deer season I start saving milk jugs.
I fill them with water and store them in the deep freeze. If you
let it hang a few days it will "age" nicely. Hang it in the shade
and fill the body cavity with the frozen milk jugs.
I also soak the meat in Butter milk before cooking, this will pull
all the blood out of the meat and help with the "gamey taste".
/*My wife is the same way about vennison. She refuses to eat at all though. She doesn't believe that eating wild game is very sanitary*/
LOL, my sister is the same way. I told her to go out to any of the half dozen local meatpacking plants around here (Nebraska) during shift change and see some of the people handling "her" meat.
We have one hamburger plant that has a chronic problem with E coli. It seems some of the workers were used to indoor plumbing that can't handle toilet paper being flushed down the toilet, so by force of habit they throw it away...
...only problem is, American bathrooms don't have wastebaskets in the stalls, so the used TP ends up on the floor.
Sorry to ruin anyone's lunch, just cook Hell out of any hamburger you buy, and you'll be okay.
LOL, my sister is the same way. I told her to go out to any of the half dozen local meatpacking plants around here (Nebraska) during shift change and see some of the people handling "her" meat.
We have one hamburger plant that has a chronic problem with E coli. It seems some of the workers were used to indoor plumbing that can't handle toilet paper being flushed down the toilet, so by force of habit they throw it away...
...only problem is, American bathrooms don't have wastebaskets in the stalls, so the used TP ends up on the floor.
Sorry to ruin anyone's lunch, just cook Hell out of any hamburger you buy, and you'll be okay.
scout26
Member
Reason number 47 on why I procure my own meat.........
Okay, I saw this written up before Internet ever was. Here is a hilarious read as towhy your deer tastes "gamey":
Controversy has long raged about the relative quality of venisonand beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison istough, with a strong “wild” taste. Others insist that venison is tender and that the flavor is delicate. To try and resolve this issue once and for all, a blind taste test was conducted by a certified research group to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions. First, a high-choice Holstein steer was selected and led into a swamp approximately a mile and a half from the nearest road. It was then shot several times in various locations throughout the carcass. After most of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged over rocks and logs, through mud and dust, thrown into the back of a pickup truck bed and transported through rain and snow approximately 100 milesbefore being hung in a tree for several days. During the aging period the temperature was maintained at between 25 and 60 degrees. Next the steer was dragged into the garage and skinned out on the floor.(PLEASE NOTE: Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the processing within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs were allowed to sniff at the steer carcass, but were chased out of the garage if they attempted to lick the carcass or bite hunks out of it. Cats were allowed in the garage, but were always immediately removed from the cutting table.)Next, half a dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic individuals worked on the steer with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 200pounds of scrap, 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushels of meat scrapsfor stew and hamburger, two roasts and a half a dozen steaks that werean inch and a half thick on one end and an eighth of an inch on the other.The steaks were then fried in a skillet with one pound of butter and threepounds of onions. After two hours of frying, the contents of the skillet wereserved to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers who were asked if theywere eating venison or beef.Every one of the panel members was sure they were eating venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had been eating at the hunting camp for the last 27 years.The results of this trial showed conclusively that there is no differencebetween the taste of beef and venison.Author Unknown
Controversy has long raged about the relative quality of venisonand beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison istough, with a strong “wild” taste. Others insist that venison is tender and that the flavor is delicate. To try and resolve this issue once and for all, a blind taste test was conducted by a certified research group to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions. First, a high-choice Holstein steer was selected and led into a swamp approximately a mile and a half from the nearest road. It was then shot several times in various locations throughout the carcass. After most of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged over rocks and logs, through mud and dust, thrown into the back of a pickup truck bed and transported through rain and snow approximately 100 milesbefore being hung in a tree for several days. During the aging period the temperature was maintained at between 25 and 60 degrees. Next the steer was dragged into the garage and skinned out on the floor.(PLEASE NOTE: Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the processing within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs were allowed to sniff at the steer carcass, but were chased out of the garage if they attempted to lick the carcass or bite hunks out of it. Cats were allowed in the garage, but were always immediately removed from the cutting table.)Next, half a dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic individuals worked on the steer with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 200pounds of scrap, 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushels of meat scrapsfor stew and hamburger, two roasts and a half a dozen steaks that werean inch and a half thick on one end and an eighth of an inch on the other.The steaks were then fried in a skillet with one pound of butter and threepounds of onions. After two hours of frying, the contents of the skillet wereserved to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers who were asked if theywere eating venison or beef.Every one of the panel members was sure they were eating venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had been eating at the hunting camp for the last 27 years.The results of this trial showed conclusively that there is no differencebetween the taste of beef and venison.Author Unknown
mohican
Member
whoever mentioned deer eating acorns - it is usually deer eating acorns from red oaks that have a more bitter taste-the red oak acorns have more tanic acid. Around here that usually means later season deer. In early acorn drop, the deer, squirrels, turkeys go after the white oak acorns first.
that being said, people are on the right track when they say quick field dressing and removing the fat.
Freeze it right away? Either processed right away or hung for a while. Often, the day two-day4 window leads to tough meat. If it's kept cool and doesn't spoil, then it starts getting tender again.
some of the best venison I've had has hung at just above freezing for about a week. (34-37°F)
that being said, people are on the right track when they say quick field dressing and removing the fat.
Freeze it right away? Either processed right away or hung for a while. Often, the day two-day4 window leads to tough meat. If it's kept cool and doesn't spoil, then it starts getting tender again.
some of the best venison I've had has hung at just above freezing for about a week. (34-37°F)
Byron Quick
Moderator In Memoriam
Go buy a cow on the hoof and slaughter it. Cut it up, wrap it, and freeze it. Put a couple of steaks on the grill. They're going to taste funny to you for the meat hasn't been aged.
I age my venison for a week. Don't have to soak it in anything.
I have had people who were adamant against eating game ask what it was.
Aged red meat tastes different from fresh red meat. And better to most people. Diet makes a difference. Aging makes a bigger difference.
Lysosomes are organelles present in all cells. Basic function in a living cell is to clean up the cell. The lysosomes burst as the meat is hung, releasing enzymes that partially digest the cell. This changes the taste.
I age my venison for a week. Don't have to soak it in anything.
I have had people who were adamant against eating game ask what it was.
Aged red meat tastes different from fresh red meat. And better to most people. Diet makes a difference. Aging makes a bigger difference.
Lysosomes are organelles present in all cells. Basic function in a living cell is to clean up the cell. The lysosomes burst as the meat is hung, releasing enzymes that partially digest the cell. This changes the taste.
On my long hunting trips I might kill a deer on Saturday and not butcher it until Thursday or Friday of the next week. Most of the time I am 244 miles from the house and the only thing I can do is cut the meat off the bone and keep it on ice in the cooler until I get home. It don't seem to hurt a thing letting it age a while. After I cut up the meat at home I vaccum seal the meat and then wrap that in frezzer paper. Back in November I was cleaning the frezzer out for my fresh 2006 deer meat and found a couple of packs left over from 2005. I gave the old meat to a nice lady down the road and she laid waste to that deer meat and said it tasted just fine. I would assume that the vaccum seal was the key to it.
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