Dry Aged White Tail Leg for Mother's Day

[Carlos88]

Check this out. Very interesting and could be cheap and effective. There are links to the ac bot in the article.

Homemade Walk-In Coolers Helps Hunters Save Money and Eat Better

Nick Duncombe was tired of paying too much for processing. He built his own walk-in cooler so he could process game himself.

www.storeitcold.com

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

I have a friend that lives in NE PA and when he built his house he had them pour a 8' X 10' addition on his foundation for a "Root Cellar" . Stays at a stable temp and he has hung deer in the for a few weeks to cure.
I was on a NATO operation in Europe many years ago and in a small town I remember seeing Pheasants hanging at a Butcher Shop with the bones almost coming through the skin. They would hang them for a few weeks. I thought that I would get sick eating, but being a Marine we could anything. Best Pheasant I ever ate!

 

[yotekilla250]

You're welcome. I've been playing around with pressure canning venison as well. A friend in PA does a lot of canned venison - perfect for that late-night snack or breakfast venison hash.

I've canned venison since I could hunt. Just open it up and put it over mashed potatoes. Quick easy meal the whole family likes.

Also been aging my venison at least 21 days. We always have did this. People are always telling me how they dislike the flavor of venison then I make them some of my steaks or roasts and it completely changes there minds. Same with duck and goose. Alot has to do with preperation, but aging really helps. Especially on an older deer.

 

[JimFromTN]

I never hang my deer regardless of size, age, or gender. I just prefer the flavor. I see where people leave their deer on ice for a period of time but thats not dry aging and probably reduces the flavor even more because its removing blood whereas dry aging concentrates the flavors. Back when I used to pay to have my deer processed, they would hang them for 5 days to a week and I did not notice any real difference in the tenderness of the meat but the taste had a stronger muskier/gamier flavor that would really come out in things like stews and roasts. It made me understand why some people say they don't like the taste of venison. It maybe the way they did it and could be avoided but I have tried several different processors over the years and it all turned out the same so as a result I don't hang deer. I might leave the meat in the refrigerator for a few days uncovered but thats as close as I get. I have yet to try any that has been aged where the flavor was not impacted in a negative way for my tastes. I have seen where people hang their deer for months and say its the best deer they have ever eaten. They always talk about how tender it is but rarely say anything about the flavor. A fresh turd is really tender but I ain't eating it. I admit that I am a girly man and I don't like liver of any kind or any other organ meat. I don't like that gut taste. I also don't like what is referred to as sweat meat. That all being said, the pictures look wonderful. I would love to try it but I am afraid if I tried it myself that I would end up feeding the entire deer to my dog. I guess my question is, how does it taste? Based on what I said I don't like, is this something that a wuss like me would enjoy or is it a required taste?

I know I do it completely wrong but it sure tastes good doing it wrong and I have never had a cityfied non-hunter ever not love whatever venison I cooked for them and I have fed well over a hundred of them over the years. The hunters don't seem to complain either. I take that back. There was one guy from New Mexico who had eaten wild horse and was disappointed that the venison wasn't gamier.

 

[Wedgy]

Looks delicious and thanks for sharing ! The jalapeno relish has my attention, a friend gave me some apple jalapeno jelly her family made that I thought didn't sound very good but boy was I wrong. I wish I could get more.

 

[Tac-O]

@JTComfort , you absolutely should write a book. It may not be a Harry Potter level seller, but there sure is a market for a book containing old school game aging techniques. Throw the info in about hanging doves, and I bet you'll outsell Harry Potter