Processing your own meat

[Top Of Texas]

I have always let quarters sit 7-10 days in ice bath, no bags. It will discolor meat exterior because it draws blood out, which you'll notice when draining. Ice bath does NOT make it "soggy" or water-logged or anything else claimed by the dry people. It's delicious. I have converted many non-venison people at my table.

I never heard of avoiding meat contact with water until a year ago or so on that Meat Hunter TV show. Since then, it's now taboo. Sounds Band-wagon to me.

If you wanna go dry then go dry, each to his own. I've had other hunters "dry" meat that was delicious also. But I assure you there is no problem with ice bath. That's about 10 doe per year for the last 15 years talking.

[WItoTX]

Generally next day. However, we have left a deer hang for days, but we hunt in sub 30's.

Once we skin the deer, we will process it down to quarters for travel, freeze the quarters, then once we get home, cut it up into roasts and whatnot. I still have a quarter in my freezer I am going to try to cut up this weekend.

[Stoof]

I have always let quarters sit 7-10 days in ice bath, no bags. It will discolor meat exterior because it draws blood out, which you'll notice when draining. Ice bath does NOT make it "soggy" or water-logged or anything else claimed by the dry people. It's delicious. I have converted many non-venison people at my table.

I never heard of avoiding meat contact with water until a year ago or so on that Meat Hunter TV show. Since then, it's now taboo. Sounds Band-wagon to me.

If you wanna go dry then go dry, each to his own. I've had other hunters "dry" meat that was delicious also. But I assure you there is no problem with ice bath. That's about 10 doe per year for the last 15 years talking.

I don't think it's taboo or a problem. It is a preference. At the end of the day it usually comes down to how well an individual can cook but that's a whole other can of worms.

[GarrettH]

pack with ice for at least 5 days usually 7 draining everyday and adding more ice when necessary

[Jspradley]

Soaking has no benefit, the potential drawback, other than just butt nasty looking meat is if you have gut contamination then you are soaking your meat in gut fluids. Yum.

Fresh water does not, and cannot, draw blood or anything else out of meat. Osmotic pressure pushes water into the cell membranes on the outer layer of meat, pops them and the heme and cell fluids turns the water red which makes folks think blood has drained out of the meat. If you cut that 16th of an inch or so grey layer off then put the meat back in the water it will do the same thing and you will have more "blood drained out of the meat" and more red water so yeah. Don't soak meat in ice water, it either does nothing or potentially spreads nastiness.

With that said, I've left meat on ice with the drain plug open for a week and a half with no problem. Yanke... I mean people in cold climates hang deer for a few weeks dry aging so a you have a lot more time than you think.

[2B4Him]

I have no specified amount of time I plan on leaving on ice. I usually put off butchering for 2 to 3 weeks. I drain the melted ice and repack as often as necessary.
I've never had a problem or bad taste, and I cut up much more of the deer into steaks than most folks.

[SwampRabbit]

I wipe the quarters down good and let them air dry for an hour or two. Depending on the outside temps and the number of fly's and bugs cruising of course. Then pack them up in bags and try to get the air out.

I would much rather hang them in a walk in but most of us don't have that luxury. I do wet age individual cuts in the fridge.

I am going to have to try this once to see how it goes.

I forgot to mention that lately, at least the last couple of hogs/deer I have tried something different with the ice.

I used to put a layer of ice on the bottom and then layer meat/ice on top of that. The idea is that I wanted the meat to cool down quickly. But after a day or so, all the meat ends up at the bottom and if you want to keep the meat up high, you have to keep re-arranging. Usually I tilt the cooler and drain often so the meat doesn't soak.. but can be a pain.

Now what I do is I still break open a bag of ice to put on the bottom and drain... but the ice on top stays in the bags and I just keep it like that. The bags hold the water and the meat still stays relatively dry. This also lets me not have to drain as much since the ice cold water still stays in a bag.

I had been thinking about trying something different where I put the ice in sealable bags that stay on top of the meat and just replace them when the ice has nearly all melted. The honest truth is when you drain out that ice cold water... you are draining something that is keeping the cooler cold... While Ice on my way home from the lease is cheap... the ice at the corner store is not.

I just need to find a good set of re-usable bags that can hold the ice/water/slurry.

[Aggiehunter08]

7 days in a cooler for me. Don’t let meat get wet.

[Hunteraudit]

I set it in the cooler with ice on top.. Crack drain plug with opposite end up higher to help drain in yard.. Never sets in a pool of liquid. Check ice twice a day. Love it when it is cold outside doing this because the ice stays. I go 4-5 days but have gone up to 9. Depends really on when I can get to it. We have three deer in a 110 quart cooler right now about to be cut up tonight.

Same here. Ain’t nothin wrong with ice touching meat. Never had a bad result.

[NaClH2O_therapy]

As soon as I have time to do it. Anywhere from 1 day to 7 days. Quarters go on ice immediately back strap and tenderloins and hearts go on top of the stack, or in plastic bags. Meat is layered in cooler ice on the bottom, meat, then more ice.drain plug always open with cooler angled so all water drains at,all times. Replace ice or repack layers as needed.

[Txprowler]

Wow thanks for all the input, My son shot a doe Sunday and I haven't had time to process yet. I have it in a ice chest with drain open and elevated on opposite end. It's been a very busy week so I'll get it processed this weekend.

[Jspradley]

As soon as I have time to do it. Anywhere from 1 day to 7 days. Quarters go on ice immediately back strap and tenderloins and hearts go on top of the stack, or in plastic bags. Meat is layered in cooler ice on the bottom, meat, then more ice.drain plug always open with cooler angled so all water drains at,all times. Replace ice or repack layers as needed.

Nailed it! Next best thing to dry aging!!!

[TxDispatcher]

Wow thanks for all the input, My son shot a doe Sunday and I haven't had time to process yet. I have it in a ice chest with drain open and elevated on opposite end. It's been a very busy week so I'll get it processed this weekend.

You're good...as long as you're keeping it iced down and draining the water off, I wouldn't get in too much of a hurry until you're approaching 10 days

[LeanMachine]

7-10 days in ice water for me.

[WamBow]

If going to grind I don't worry about wet or dry, but always take special care of the BS and tenders to not get wet.