Deer meat temperature question

I took a tour of a cruise ship butcher shop. These guys butcher in a temperature controlled room at 36 degree's. Very clean operation.
No rusty band saws. stainless steel tables.

Is that what I have to look for; for a once a year butcher shop ?
Click to expand...

Well it wouldn't be a bad choice. There are professional butcher shops that will take game. Some require that you skin the deer first. Google or search your local yellow pages for one in your area. The one I have used in WA. charges 65 cents a pound. So it pays if you do the rough cuts first.

bswiv is right that we in the food industry are a bit more paranoid than is necessary for private consumption. But that's the ground I know and advice I give is from that professional view point.

He is also right in that you should be looking at cleanliness for a amateur butcher. Bleach solution or iodine based sanitizers should be evident. Equipment that easily cleaned and kept separate from the butchering area before use and in a separate area from clean tools after use. The butchering should also be done in an enclosed area that has been cleaned and sanitized.

The health department tells me the "danger zone" is between 45f and 140f. That is the range at which bacteria grows best. Ideally they want the time in that range to be as short as possible. The time limit I've been given is 4 hours from one extreme to the other.

It would be unlikely that hunters are going to meet the ideals that I'm expected to have in the kitchen.

If you're going to use a small time butcher then help him out. Gut, skin, and quarter Bambi, then but him on ice asap. If he doesn't have refrigeration, leave your ice chests, with fresh ice if needed, for him to use.
 
I'd bet most of us have seen some of these fly-by-night, so-called processor's that we wouldn't let our dog eat anything from them. I had a guy from work tell me of a place which he regularly used. I took a deer there and wanted it cooled quickly as the temp was in the mid 50's.

Upon arrival, I saw a mound of probably 10-12 deer next to an old wooden,dirt floored garage. The deer were laying in the direct sun and it was hard to imagine what the temp. of the deer on the inside of the pile were. Flies buzzed the pile and it stunk.
The doors of the garage were open and two guys were cutting deer up on what looked to be rough cut lumber tables dripping in blood. I sit in my truck looking in disbelief as this was clearly the nastiest,dirtiest place I'd ever seen for processing deer. I didn't see any running water and a kid came passed my truck carrying a 5 gal. bucket of water, stopped and told me if I wanted my deer cleaned ,put it on the pile and fill out a piece of paper they had there.

I had to just smile,said ok, put my truck in reverse and left.

If the place isn't clean, I leave. Plain and simple.

Talk to some of your butcher shops and ask them who processes deer in your area. Talk to other hunters and ask the same. Don't know where you live but if you could say the state and county here on TFL maybe some fellow hunters here could help you out with a place.
 
Cabelas has the hanger and block and tackle setup for deer at 15.00 :) go get a few and have at it. We had over 25 deer first day hanging :) was a neighbor hunt, we all get together and push the deer to each other until our tags are filled. Then we butcher.
 
Never used a block and tackle for deer, didn't realize I was doing it wrong :p

I have had the misfortune of having venison that was processed with a saw :barf:

Never again.
 
It's probably just fine.:)I, over the years have had to wait overnight, track deer in a rainstorm, in 55 degree weather for a mile, and still not be able to find it until next day, and they were all fine!!!!:) Serious, if it's green, throw it out if not, eat it with all the confidence that it's okay. Hell I really like to hang a deer, for a couple days, ( only if its cool enough)to break down those pesky meat enzymes.;) In my old age I really appreciate, the finer things in life like "fry-sausage", summer-sausage, bologna, etc., made from my deer. There is a little place in Ridgeway Missouri, right on I-35, that makes amazing sausage, it's the best I have ever had.:)
 
There are guys here that routinely hang a deer at 45 degrees or so for several days before they cut it up and want no part of a deer that isn't aged.
 
What did people do before they had temperature controlled trucks and plenty of available ice? Just butcher it immediately and hope that none of it spoiled before it was ate? Or did they lose alot to spoilage?
Also is there anything that can be done to preserve the meat until it is butchered other than ice? Like rub it with salt maybe? I am not talking about salting it or drying it just something to extend the time when the meat is still 'good'. I don't know I am just asking.
 
What did people do before they had temperature controlled trucks and plenty of available ice?
Click to expand...
Well, there was drying, smoking, salting, pickling, and so on. And iceboxes, cellars filled with sawdust, and ice caves. Of course, the short answer is this: have you ever wondered why hunting season is in the fall? Or why hogs are slaughtered in the winter? Ancient civilizations knew of the value of cooling meat quickly.
 
Once again the 'mold on meat makes it yummy' comment surfaces.

I have a guy in camp every year who swears it's good tasting meat under the mold. I just can't buy it. Mold on meat is a type of putrefaction. Am I wrong?

Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Aged I get - nothing like a nicely aged elk or deer carcass - but mold? Seems like mold=rotten.

Tom
 
It is important to get the insides out of game so it can cool. If the deer is gutted, and propped open to get the body heat out then it will last several days.
I once asked a vet about it, and he said if you get the insides out, and let it cool you can safely eat the meat as long as you can stand the smell.

I have also been with folks who shot a deer at dark and had to wait until the next morning to find and gut it. The weather was in the 70s in the daytime and 40s at night. The deer were always OK.

Regards,
Jerry
 
Reading this thread, I see there are some facts and Myths...shooting a deer and finding it the next day and then field dressing it to have it for food later on is a "Eat At YOUR Own Risk" logic.

Much of what I have read here is why people often say they don't like the taste of Venison..it's gamey tasting meat they say. What I suggest is that anyone who hunts should study first about how to take Venison from field to table. Hunting is one thing..but when the Deer is down, the real work now starts. Heres a few baic tips..take it or leave it..it's free pointers.

1) Once the Deer is down, start Field dressing it within 30 min if posible.
2) rinse out the cavity of the Deer with a canteen of water and dry with a towel and pry open the cavity with a stick to allow cooling.
3) Once you have the Deer home, Quarter it up and place it in your fridge on the shelves or racks..it should fit inside, now that it has been quartered up into small sections. ***** Placing it in the Fridge will keep it at a constant Temperature and will also keep it odor free. Hanging Deer outside with fluctuating Temps and the Oders in the air will greatly effect the taste of your meat.
4) After 3 or 4 days in your fridge, you can then trim the hard dry outer coverings of the meat quarters and cut it up into roast or steaks and then wrap and Freeze. This is the most prefered way to take Venison from Field to table and enjoy your meat without any reservations about it being safe to eat or tasting nasty and nauseating.
 
I have a guy in camp every year who swears it's good tasting meat under the mold. I just can't buy it. Mold on meat is a type of putrefaction. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

You are wrongish. Mold is caused by spores that land on the meat and use it for food. There are a wide variety molds. We eat mold when we eat old cheese.
Don't want to eat the mold on meat though.
It is a very good idea to rinse of your deer with a solution of vinegar and water. Both the cavity after you gut the animal and the surface of the large cuts if you hang them. The former controls bacteria that may have gotten on the meat from the gut. The latter controls air borne bacteria and spores that may come into contact.

But putrefaction is happening to the meat, under the mold. Aged meat means rotted meat. It's just not rotted to the point where it stinks because it has rotted, hopefully, in a temperature controlled environment that slows the growth of bacteria.
What makes meat real stinky isn't the bacteria. Either bacteria that the immune system had kept under control during life, or bacteria introduced from the outside. That's what makes it unsafe to eat.
 
Ok,my 2 cents.
I do not claim to be an expert.It is bugs like E-coli,chlostridium,salmonella that we are talking about.they can be serious.
The muscles inside the membranes begin pretty much sterile.uncontaminated,they dry and glaze over a bit,things are reasonably stable.Anything wet will sour.A windpipe left in a carcass will spoil it quick.digestive tracts ,bullet wounds,etc can dump bacteria on the meat,
Clean shooting,clean gutting,make a big difference,then,dry makes a difference.Open to air makes a difference.I am no biologist,but there is something about anaerobic bacteria being the pathogens.they grow in a moist environment and make toxins.hide off,open cavity,that dry skin-over is good.Everything cut,damaged or soiled is contaminated.As I process,it all gets trimmed.I clean my knives a lot.
generally,the bad bacteria grow slowly or not at all below 40 f.At 40 f or below,you can age .enzymes are working,bacteria are not growing.some molds can grow.I don't do this,I get it cold and cut it up.
I agree band saw paste tastes awful.I bone everything.You can do this in camp.Skinless,hairless hindquarters,backstraps,shoulders,etc cold from the night,can be dry packed in coolers,the coolers taped,and transported a couple of hours on their own cold.Don't let anything pool in bloody fluid,though.Seems like they used to pack beef in sawdust to transport it.
The nose knows.If it smells like fresh meat,go for it(cooked,of course)if your nose says naah,that ain't good,believe it.
 
The nose knows.If it smells like fresh meat,go for it(cooked,of course)if your nose says naah,that ain't good,believe it.
Click to expand...

Exactly. There is a reason rancid meat smells bad to us. And, a reason that we cook it.
 
One of the biggest reasons I was happier yet when I got into hog trappin' and runnin' them with dogs...

Nearly every hog has been brought to the house alive... If for me, I get to take my sweet time as the hog is out side caged up waitin' for me... It also gives me plenty of time locating a recipient if I have plenty... gives me time to make calls to folks who wanted on "the list"...

Once they are at the house, I dispatch, gut, skin and quarter it up.

They have a cooler iced down and waiting for the meat...

And the only guy that asked me if the meat was fresh was jokin' as we swilled barley soda...:D

Brent
 
Every year there are a couple of million deer killed, processed, stored, aged, in unsanitary conditions. Every year millions of people eat millions of such deer. Read your new paper obituaries. How many people have died from eating such meat? Hint, none.
In the "old days" people purposely hung meat for a very long time. Not only does it improve texture, it improves taste. The problem with most people and their perception of aging meat, emotional not reality.
Note: It was a common practice to hang waterfowl, and pheasants, complete with internal organs until the tail feathers could not support the weight of the bird and it would fall to the ground. It was not considered fit to eat until that happened.
 
hogdogs,

How ya been? Wish I was closer to ya. Some smoked pork loin and barley pops go great together.;)

As far as the meat being good, I'd thnk it probably is. Look at the color. Slightly aged meat will be brown(not green) on the outside but deep maroon on the inside. It should not be real slimey to touch. Both color and feel should resemble beef. Deer not being near as marbled.

The smell will not be the same as beef but should not smell overpowering or bad.
There will be a different smell in the kitchen when cooking deer virsus beef but it shouldn't be a bad/putrid smell. If your deer was an old buck, it will usually taste/smell a bit more gamey or stronger. Thats the reason alot of people will take a buck ,cut the tenderloins out and make burger, sausage,jerky etc. out of it.

If you don't trust your own sense's, maybe you could take a piece to your nearby butcher and show it to them. Surely they could give you some advice.
Would hate to see a perfectly good deer go to waste.:eek:
 
What did people do before they had temperature controlled trucks and plenty of available ice?
Click to expand...

People had a real problem storing food before refrigeration. Prior to the Civil War, if you lived in a town, you could buy ice blocks and stick them in your "Ice Box" to keep things cool till you needed a new ice block.

A web search found this History of Ice Harvesting put together by a first grade teacher in Providence Rhode Island . :) http://www.iceharvestingusa.com/iceharvestingusa.html

In the country side they built "spring houses" over running water, that kept things cooler than ambient but of course, not as cool as an ice box.

People also stored stuff in cellars. Just a couple of degrees cooler than the upper part of the house.

This is Andrew Jackson's Smokehouse
DSCN7269Smokehousefront.jpg


There are two hollowed logs in the smokehouse. These were labled as salt logs. I assume meat was rolled around either in a salt brine or salt before hanging from the rafters.

The building still has a smoke flavor!


DSCN7272Smokehousesaltinglogs.jpg


Meat is regularly aged, all the beef we eat is aged. I have a shooting bud who had a hanging rack. The aging process broke down the deer meat and he said the deer were excellent.

However you have to read about the proper temperatures. Get the meat too hot and it is ruined.

And lots of people died of food poisoning back in the day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top