Substitute for hanging meat

[JMikeyH]

Listened to a podcast where they had a meat scientist on who have definitive science behind the various different things we do to an animal after it's dead to improve the quality of the meat. Without getting too much into detail about what he went on about (though I can post the podcast link or give a brief summary if anyone's interested), the main take away from it I got is that I want to age my meat.

Slight problem though, I don't have a chiller where I can hang up a carcass, nor the space to put one in.

So, what is an alternative for this? Can I cut off haunches in fur and leave them in the fridge? Can I take them out of fur at risk of drying the meat? Desperate to find a solution, please let me know

Cheers,

 

[Gsd99]

Nothing in fur should be kept in same chiller as anything out of fur

 

[pezz69]

Could you post the link to the podcast, I'm rather interested.

 

[JMikeyH]

Could you post the link to the podcast, I'm rather interested.

Ep. 227: Red Cutter | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with meat scientist Dr. Chris Calkins, Spencer Neuharth, Corinne Schneider, and Phil Taylor.Topics discussed: debunking meat myths; how stress affects the flavor of meat; myoglobin and hemoglobin; why you shouldn't cut into an animal before rigor mortis is complete; muscle is...

www.themeateater.com

Available on Spotify if you want to listen while working or driving

 

[JMikeyH]

Nothing in fur should be kept in same chiller as anything out of fur

Is there any reason other than the obvious dirt/hygiene aspect of the fur/fleas?

 

[Gsd99]

Is there any reason other than the obvious dirt/hygiene aspect of the fur/fleas?

Just the cross contamination risk as far as im aware mate, have you considered a drinks fridge(if that works for you)? Even a single one can get a munti or roe in, poss small fallow if lucky.

 

[YoungGun]

Cut it up into portions/primals, vac pack it and wet age in the fridge.

 

[JMikeyH]

Just the cross contamination risk as far as im aware mate, have you considered a drinks fridge(if that works for you)? Even a single one can get a munti or roe in, poss small fallow if lucky.

I've already got a freezer in the living room for my shot game I daren't get a chiller in here too or I'll have to deal with the wrath of the missus

 

[deerstalker.308]

I've already got a freezer in the living room for my shot game I daren't get a chiller in here too or I'll have to deal with the wrath of the missus

Get a new Mrs?

 

[Gsd99]

Get a new Mrs?

Getting a new fridge so may aswell upgrade all round haha

 

[badbob]

The main thing is to bleed, allow to cool naturally.,
skin and butcher the next day, keep joints clean , well covered,
keep below 5 degrees in refrigerator. Venison does not need as long a beef.
you dont want fur in your food fridge... there are critters lurking in the fur.

 

[JMikeyH]

The main thing is to bleed, allow to cool naturally.,
skin and butcher the next day, keep joints clean , well covered,
keep below 5 degrees in refrigerator. Venison does not need as long a beef.
you dont want fur in your food fridge... there are critters lurking in the fur.

Therein lies one of my issues is the "skin and butcher the next day", can't really leave the carcass out overnight during the summer when it's staying above 10 degrees :/ That really is all I'm after, one day of hanging to allow it to go through rigor mortis and cool before getting worked on

 

[stalker.308]

Chillers do nicely strip moisture out of it, I find meat in the fridge quickly gets a mould due to lack of air circulation (if it’s stuffed with meat)

 

[Fursty Ferret]

Have you got a garden? If so get a shed and put a fridge in it

 

[Roestalker39]

Would you have room for a tall slimline fridge ?

 

[JMikeyH]

Have you got a garden? If so get a shed and put a fridge in it

In a rented place, have got an old coal shed out the back but no power going to it, not sure if I could convince the landlord to allow me to run a cable but that is something I've considered

Would you have room for a tall slimline fridge ?

I've got space for one, but only in a room that is carpeted, anxious of leakage/drips...

 

[willowbank]

Do you have a friendly butcher?
Put feelers out for local stalkers who may have facilities.

Willowbank

 

[Freeforester]

Cut it up into portions/primals, vac pack it and wet age in the fridge.

Not ideal. The enzymes responsible for tenderisation of the meat don't work in a vacuum, and the vacuuming process too early draws out too much of the remaining moisture content but leaving the meat swimming in its own juices, again, not ideal.

If you want to eat comparatively tough venison with no real depth of flavour, then crack on - Willowbank gives sensible advice in the meantime. You did say you wanted to age the meat, for the reasons given by the scientist, didn't you, or wasn't this the advice you wish to heed?

Air circulation for maturing meat is governed by volume of space in the cold room and the velocity of the air moving; basically you look for a big space with relatively low velocity but good volume of air circulation/flow; not at all possible in a wee fridge without a fan, ideal in a large airy larder with good airflow passing fairly slowly about the carcass. Anything in between is your compromise, and many are indeed happy to compromise - you decide. Personally speaking, if I were in your shoes, I'd offer the guy with the really decent chill £10 to care for your meat for you, it will be money well invested, but if you can't do that then you must compromise.

The contamination aspect is so much of a red herring in reality, but some EHO types might get excited about it - but as long as they don't physically contact one another, there is the same level of bacteria in the circulating air, quite some good, maybe some bad, whether the deer has its jacket on or off; care when lardering the beast helps here, as does knowing what to do. moisture content and its reduction - impossible to achieve in a vacuum bag when sealed too soon- prior to cutting up (to thereafter vac seal) is what you are trying to achieve, otherwise why would it be that so many people demand dry-aged beef, or the scientist suggest it's the way to go?

Just an opinion, mind, and though I make my living with production of the end product, I might easily be wrong of course.

ps Does anyone consider the level of ph of the meat?

 

[Erik Hamburger]

Occasionally you may have to take haunches and loins off a carcass without doing a gralloch - for example when the shot placement is too far back and you know you're going to get into a hell of a mess when opening the cavity. That venison will be as good as any 'properly' hung venison, providing you give it a few days in the fridge and you've skinned the haunches. An earlier poster suggests the word 'wet-aging', a nice term to use. I would have the meat an a food tray in the fridge but not vac-pack it for 3-4 days, as vac-packing slows down the ageing, and therefore you'll achieve the opposite of what you want.

 

[Heym SR20]

I just dismantle carcass into haunch, shoulders and loins and then age these in the fridge for a number of days. Don’t cover though with cling film or plastic - use a cloth or tea towel. A lot of ageing is due to drying out and looseing some of the excess moisture in the meat.