Always learning new things.

[ShadeTree]

I always let my deer hang in the cooler for about a week, sometimes a little longer, before cutting them up. Never have a strong tasting deer.......rutting buck or not. A guy I trust who I know is fussy about his wild game meat convinced me to try hanging them in the cooler hide on. I'm a believer! Red terrific looking meat and not dried out in the least. I cut my own deer up and am fussy about getting the fat and silver skin off for the hamburg meat.

I usually grind in 15% beef fat, but this yr on a recommendation from a different buddy I tried fresh bacon (not cured) otherwise known as pork belly. Because it has meat mixed with it and is not pure fat I got 30% of the fresh bacon ground in. Had some burgers tonight. That is some quality tasting venison let me tell you. All the fussing and work paid off. Kept out the backstraps and neck roasts separate which I'm anxious to try, and with the fresh bacon added in with the ground meat, I got 40 lb of loose hamburg.

 

[JD338]

I add 80/20 beef burger with my venison.
It's pretty darn good.

JD338

 

[ShadeTree]

I add 80/20 beef burger with my venison.
It's pretty darn good.

JD338

Yep, don't doubt it. Anything to add some grease to a fat free meat.......what and how much is something I'm still experimenting with. Just had 1 burger so far but I have to say this was a really good burger. My main thing was the discovery of letting them hang hide on...............it just didn't seem right to me, but after I talked to this guy that's been doing it for years and I know he's fussy about how his deer meat is done up, I decided to give it a try. Just 1 deer so far, but I'll be doing it on the next one based on these results.

 

[hunter24605]

Never thought about leaving the hide on, but I may well do that should I ever end this slump and connect with one. It's getting harder and harder to find just the fat. Used to be any butcher shop, even those in the big chain grocery stores, would sell/give away beef and pork trimmings. The last hog I killed I had to buy the fattest boston butt I could find and grind with the hog for sausages.

 

[hunter24605]

I add 80/20 beef burger with my venison.
It's pretty darn good.

JD338

Jim, what ratio of beef burger to venison grind do you use?

 

[ShadeTree]

Never thought about leaving the hide on, but I may well do that should I ever end this slump and connect with one. It's getting harder and harder to find just the fat. Used to be any butcher shop, even those in the big chain grocery stores, would sell/give away beef and pork trimmings. The last hog I killed I had to buy the fattest boston butt I could find and grind with the hog for sausages.

Try it. I was highly skeptical, but ended up being highly impressed. First off, unless you'd be skinning your deer hot within 10 minutes, it can't get much nicer to skin. All the rigamortis that sets in very quickly after a deer dies is gone. Everything is limber.

But the big thing is how good condition the meat is in after hanging that long. I've long been a proponent of letting them hang in a cooler, especially when serving venison to people that might have to be won over on deer meat. Let a deer hang a week to 10 days and there will be zero gaminess, buck or not, makes no difference. Want a little bit of gaminess flavor, maybe let them hang 4-5 days. The only problem is the meat gets dried out on the outer layer and dark. This way there is none of that except the exposed inner hams from where they were opened up during gutting. They need to be in a good cooler......just above freezing. 33-35 degrees is about perfect.

 

[JD338]

Jim, what ratio of beef burger to venison grind do you use?

15-20 % 80/20 beef burger turns out really well.
There is no grease in the pan when fried up. Folks who don't like venison have commented on how good it is. Chilli, tacos, spaghetti, burgers, etc. are excellent.

JD338

 

[jimbires]

I've been adding bacon , to my burger for a quite while . we prefer bacon over pork fat , or beef fat . I buy bacon scrap chunks from a local processor , if available . chunks are easier to get an even mix . so if I'm using strips , I cut them into short pieces . I add 10% bacon to venison .

I try to get the hide off ASAP . it's a lot easier when the body is still warm . I never thought of it protecting the meat from drying out . I might try letting it hang hide on next time .

 

[Wolfshead]

We always leave the hide on and we like to let it hang for at least a week.
Sometimes it’s too warm to leave it hanging and have to process it right away but if givin the choice we’ll let it hang.

 

[ShadeTree]

I've been adding bacon , to my burger for a quite while . we prefer bacon over pork fat , or beef fat . I buy bacon scrap chunks from a local processor , if available . chunks are easier to get an even mix . so if I'm using strips , I cut them into short pieces . I add 10% bacon to venison .

I try to get the hide off ASAP . it's a lot easier when the body is still warm . I never thought of it protecting the meat from drying out . I might try letting it hang hide on next time .

Jim, you're talking real bacon I'm assuming and not the fresh bacon I referenced? Not sure why people around here call it fresh bacon, as it's really not bacon at all since it's uncured. Is simply the slab of meat/fat on a hog that is used to make bacon. My local butcher charged me $3.19 a lb for it.

As I stated earlier I was highly skeptical of letting them hang in the hide. It just didn't seem like that could be the right way to do things, despite a couple people telling me to try it. I'm not saying there wont be something negative about the procedure I discover somewhere along the way, but based on the impressive results from this last deer, I will definitely be letting the next one hang in the hide as well.

We always leave the hide on and we like to let it hang for at least a week.
Sometimes it’s too warm to leave it hanging and have to process it right away but if givin the choice we’ll let it hang.

Some of us are slow learners I guess. Ha. Been letting them hang in a cooler for a week or thereabouts for years...........in the hide, nope. But I will be on the next one I can promise you that.

 

[cloverleaf]

Not arguing with any ones experience here. It certainly does fly in the face of conventional wisdom dosent it? I mean for years its been "get 'em out of the hide as fast as possible.. I know people who quarter antelope on the hide (skinned) in the field, and get them in a cooler on ice before they get to the truck. That is likely a different issue though...thats trying to keep the meat from spoiling due to heat. Years ago .... Ive seen antelope stacked in the sun in front of the locker plant opening weekend. Wouldn't have fed some of them to my dog. Contrary to the old adage "the grinder will NOT take that out". Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy! CL

 

[jimbires]

Jim, you're talking real bacon I'm assuming and not the fresh bacon I referenced? Not sure why people around here call it fresh bacon, as it's really not bacon at all since it's uncured. Is simply the slab of meat/fat on a hog that is used to make bacon. My local butcher charged me $3.19 a lb for it.

As I stated earlier I was highly skeptical of letting them hang in the hide. It just didn't seem like that could be the right way to do things, despite a couple people telling me to try it. I'm not saying there wont be something negative about the procedure I discover somewhere along the way, but based on the impressive results from this last deer, I will definitely be letting the next one hang in the hide as well.




Some of us are slow learners I guess. Ha. Been letting them hang in a cooler for a week or thereabouts for years...........in the hide, nope. But I will be on the next one I can promise you that.

yes , I've been using regular bacon . one time I used what I think you're talking about . if I remember right it was called fresh side , from the place I bought it . my memory is a little foggy , but I think it was just as you say , fresh uncured bacon .

 

[ShadeTree]

Not arguing with any ones experience here. It certainly does fly in the face of conventional wisdom dosent it? I mean for years its been "get 'em out of the hide as fast as possible.. I know people who quarter antelope on the hide (skinned) in the field, and get them in a cooler on ice before they get to the truck. That is likely a different issue though...thats trying to keep the meat from spoiling due to heat. Years ago .... Ive seen antelope stacked in the sun in front of the locker plant opening weekend. Wouldn't have fed some of them to my dog. Contrary to the old adage "the grinder will NOT take that out". Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy! CL

Probably the clincher for me of convincing me is I've recently in the last yr started watching a show called Farming the Wild. The host of the show is a master chef that owns a 5 star restaurant over in Europe somewhere I don't recall exactly where. For the most part the show is about all of the dishes served at his restaurant is wild game that either he takes himself or is bought in by other people he hunts with.

I watch it for the entertainment and because I learn some new things and tricks about cooking wild game. He produces some amazing looking dishes. He specifically has stated more than once that he likes to leave deer type game hang in a cooler hide on. Although he only does so 2-3 days if I remember correctly. I figured if someone like him sees an added advantage to it, it can't be wrong.

 

[ShadeTree]

CL, something else your comment about getting them out of the hide fast as possible reminded me of that I do. Might be in my head, but I never have a strong or off tasting deer, ever, so I stick with it. I carry a separate knife..........just a good sharp pocket knife will do, and the very first thing I do when I get to a deer, whether it be a doe or buck, is remove the scent sacks. I use that separate knife and I do it with no gloves on. Then put that knife in my pocket and put on those cheap throw away plastic gloves I keep in my pack and a different knife to gut the deer. That way I'm not cross contaminating anything with either my hands or my original knife.

That and I remove all traces of fat and as much of the silver skin as I can on any pieces of meat to be ground up for hamburg. A lot of any off taste associated with wild game comes through the fat. Or at least with deer, can't comment on moose and the like. Some of it gets stronger the longer it goes even when frozen. The impurities if you wanna call it that, are in the fat.