Deer in a cooler

[cram369]

7-14 days on ice. Keep drain loosened.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Arrowflinger84]

Weeks. Just keep it iced down good. It will drain all the blood and age the meat.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Usually a week to 10 days. one time i went 18 days, 12 hours, and 32 minutes and it was still fine

[AntlerCollector]

When you leave a deer in the cooler, I assume it is quartered. Or are you leaving it in the cooler gutted with the skin on?

I’m not sure if you’re serious or not, but I will answer. Never put your deer in the cooler with the hair/skin still on it. Skin and quarter it up.

Follow-up question, when you are putting it on ice after quartering it, are you putting the meat directly on the ice, or putting it in some type of game bag or ziploc bag?

I place the meat in trash bags to keep it out of the water. Your venison will look like a boiled chicken if you let it sit in ice and water for a week or more. Even leaving the drain open will still not preserve the meat like keeping it as dry as possible in some type of bag.

I will probably get bashed by the “Ive done it like this for 50 years, and it tastes fine” crowd.


Doing something forever doesn’t mean it’s the best way. You will never see a professional butcher keep meat touching ice/water.

[locolobo]

Until I can get it processed. Usually < a week.

[TB80]

I’m not sure if you’re serious or not, but I will answer. Never put your deer in the cooler with the hair/skin still on it. Skin and quarter it up.




I place the meat in trash bags to keep it out of the water. Your venison will look like a boiled chicken if you let it sit in ice and water for a week or more. Even leaving the drain open will still not preserve the meat like keeping it as dry as possible in some type of bag.

I will probably get bashed by the “Ive done it like this for 50 years, and it tastes fine” crowd.


Doing something forever doesn’t mean it’s the best way. You will never see a professional butcher keep meat touching ice/water.

Yes. Serious question. I’ve always been close enough to to where I gut my deer and take it to the processor ASAP. I didn’t know if you could throw a gutter, but not quartered, deer with the skin on in a cooler with ice for a day or two until you took it to processor.

[bpa556]

Yes. Serious question. I’ve always been close enough to to where I gut my deer and take it to the processor ASAP. I didn’t know if you could throw a gutter, but not quartered, deer with the skin on in a cooler with ice for a day or two until you took it to processor.

A day or two will be perfectly fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Top Of Texas]

20 years of ice bath, no bags, for 7-10 days. Drain periodically.

I had never heard of the "Don't let your meat get wet!" thing until a few years ago. I assure everyone, it does no harm to the deliciousness of the meat. Each to his own.

Being a curious guy, I started an experiment just 2 days ago, 11-25-2020. Killed 1 doe. Half will be aged in ice bath. Half in separate ice chest but kept dry and not in bags. Everything will be treated the same. Process, season, and cook the same. Then I'm inviting my neighborhood to come taste and score the 2 different methods. Then the world can have an unbiased, independent, objective evaluation of the 2 methods.

May the best method win. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

[justletmein]

My target is 7-10 days, try not to even touch it for 7. I've gone up to 15 days before and it was a-okay.

[ShoootLow]

20 years of ice bath, no bags, for 7-10 days. Drain periodically.

I had never heard of the "Don't let your meat get wet!" thing until a few years ago. I assure everyone, it does no harm to the deliciousness of the meat. Each to his own.

Being a curious guy, I started an experiment just 2 days ago, 11-25-2020. Killed 1 doe. Half will be aged in ice bath. Half in separate ice chest but kept dry and not in bags. Everything will be treated the same. Process, season, and cook the same. Then I'm inviting my neighborhood to come taste and score the 2 different methods. Then the world can have an unbiased, independent, objective evaluation of the 2 methods.

May the best method win. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Which one got sprayed with the WD-40?

[dphillips62]

7-14 days with drain open. I keep it on a rack to keep it out of any moisture but covered in ice. No bags for me I don't like it sitting in the blood.

[Mr. Stickers]

A week to 10 days.... there abouts

[Ætheling]

10

[.243 WSSM]

Which one got sprayed with the WD-40?

Lol. I guess it's used in place of cooking oil for the seasoning to stick to form a good bark on the smoker

[jmeghunts]

You mean venison tofu, yea I don’t get it. Treat it like you do any other meat, except the aging process does not necessarily benefit venison because of the lack of fat. If you butcher beef and place it on ice, I guess do the same with venison. If not then don’t ice venison, processors never soak them. You can soak it to try and make up for poor field care but man if taken care of properly it’s so unnecessary. There was someone making tofu jerky, I believe I seen it on this sight, and now every time I see one of these posts, I picture that in my head.

This. If you don't like the taste of deer meat then go shoot a cow.