Can You Age Deer Meat In A Refrigerator

I can t think why having the deer boned still would prevent it from aging properly.

Can you age deer meat in a refrigerator. In this video we age venison at home in the refrigerator but you can apply this method to beef as well. When you re ready to eat some venison remove it from the freezer let it thaw and sit in the refrigerator for 7 14 days depending on the age of the deer the older the deer the longer aging time. Butchering while these muscles contract will result in tough meat. Wet aging before freezing.

For this method it might be cheaper for the average hunter with a lot of meat to age to look into local meat locker rentals. The first and simplest is in a cooler on ice. At 20 degrees it crawls. In a perfect world you d age the meat at 33 to 36 degrees until it s as tender as it can get.

Newly killed deer must be aged in the refrigerator before being butchered to produce tender meat. The enzymes are still at work breaking down the tissue and the bag seals out all air to prevent any potential contamination. Younger deer will be fine with 7 days. Last week we shared with you my successful buck hunt.

When you take it out to cut it up the outer parts may have a bit of a spoiled smell but if you rinse it off and start cutting it up you will find that it has a pure beef type smell to it. During the first 24 hours of death the deer goes through rigor mortis which causes the muscles to stiffen. Essentially all you do is vacuum seal your meat and leave in the fridge at normal temperature for 7 to 28 days to age. After aging use the venison as you normally would.

Next comes dry aging simply hanging the venison in the proper temperature range be that outdoors in a meat locker or inside a spare refrigerator. If you are really serious about aging meats especially for an extended period the supreme temperature control and air circulation are perfect but pricey to install. A big buck is always fun to harvest. At 80 degrees it gallops.

If you harvest a lot of deer or wild game a walk in cooler is the best way to age your meat in a controlled environment for long hang times. When they ve dried aged to perfection cut off the moldy nasty stuff on the outside and enjoy a cut of meat you never would imagine came from a wild animal up. If you want high quality dry aged steaks it s best to age the deer whole for a week or so then bone it out and age your steak cuts like a whole loin or ham separately. The final method is wet aging inside a vacuum sealed plastic bag either in a meat locker or refrigerator.