Deer Processing Tips to yield good venison.

[tortoise]

I think FEM means he wasn't very dear, so XH would work, lo

wait, what? DH = Dear Husband? ... I thought it was "Damn Husband"

 

[Britesea]

What about making up a venison stock to use when canning the meat, rather than just water? Just curious- I've never had enough venison to do anything more than eat it fresh when we've been gifted by a friend. I don't know what sort of prep was done to it, but it didn't have what people call a gamy taste that I could recognize.

 

[Beekissed]

What about making up a venison stock to use when canning the meat, rather than just water? Just curious- I've never had enough venison to do anything more than eat it fresh when we've been gifted by a friend. I don't know what sort of prep was done to it, but it didn't have what people call a gamy taste that I could recognize.

Usually deer meat is canned in a raw pack manner, no water is added as the meat will make its own broth. I've done a bone broth with deer bones and it was a great soup base...VERY packed full of good minerals and vitamins from those bones.

 

[tortoise]

I've never tasted "gamey" venison. I am a fussy eater too, I wouldn't eat anything with off flavor. We hang ours in an unheated outbuilding a couple days, below 40 degrees always that time of year. Our butchering of large animals is entirely weather dependent. There's a very short window of opportunity where weather is between 32 - 40 degrees for several consecutive days. We process venison and lamb/mutton side-by-side, same process for both.

I've never brined venison. I ruined a few rabbits by brining them. Ick! Never again! Haven't canned venison yet, but I successfully canned chicken, so I'm not so scared of canning meat now!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've seen this in action....the meat is drained of any life and color and one can only imagine that the flavor has been sucked out as well.

Brine - I'm a fan. It's not intended to drain the meat of anything - it is intended to add flavor. I haven't tried it on any red meat, but sure is good for pork and chicken.

The science behind it is conflicting but it has been proven to add moisture. They have weighed the meat before and after and as such "proves" that the meat has absorbed the brine. Also has been proven that it retains that moisture by a finished product that weighs more than an un-brined piece of meat.

For turkeys we use salt/sugar and spices. Either you're a fan or you're not I think.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We do our pigs the same way... no loss of flavor there either!

 

[Beekissed]

I have never heard the brine idea... That's odd. We do sometimes grind venison and fatty ground pork together- it is a good mix and does cut the gaminess.

A young buck in rut is one thing, but an older buck in rut is gamey. My husband has been butchering deer his entire life, and the older bucks taste distinctively more like a buck in rut smells, lol. Not pleasant.

I was wondering if he's touching the hocks with his hands during his gutting process or even using the knife he cuts the hocks off with to further gut or skin the deer? The hormonal secretions from those hocks can taint the meat pretty quickly if it comes in contact with the carcass.

 

[NH Homesteader]

The gamiest bucks, we grind with fatty ground pork and make sausage. DH tries not to get those big old trophy bucks, but sometimes it's all that snows up! Never brined anything but turkey (which is delicious) but that sounds like one to try it on! Lol

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Good to see ya @FarmerJamie!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Depending on what day it is it can be Dear, Demanding, Delicious, Dreamy, Dreary, Disgusting, Dreaded...the list goes on and on, lol!