Hanging Roe deer

[shakey jake]

2° and anything up to 21-28 days in the skin or until mould starts forming on the internal ribcage which ever comes first.

Whats your reasoning for this?

 

[Leec6.5]

Whats your reasoning for this?

I trained under a master butcher many moons ago, I was trained to understand meat and how it behaves

At the age I hang it you can almost butcher it with your fingers

 

[shakey jake]

I trained under a master butcher many moons ago, I was trained to understand meat and how it behaves

At the age I hang it you can almost butcher it with your fingers

Does the flavour improve? Or is it just easier to handle?
Ive done lots of the small deer never left them long maybe a few days,always taste good, loins tender, legs fine, shoulders slow cook well

 

[Leec6.5]

Does the flavour improve? Or is it just easier to handle?
Ive done lots of the small deer never left them long maybe a few days,always taste good, loins tender, legs fine, shoulders slow cook well

Flavour definitely improves, my daughter will eat loin almost cooked blue and had done since she was about 4 if not younger!

It’s all comes down to how long you are prepared to run your chiller.

Also I don’t even bother recording humidity, it’s usually about 70% ish

 

[JockStalk]

I hang roe for 6/7 days at 2-4 degrees and 70-80% humidity in my chiller.
When I have to I’ll skin and butcher the day after shot but 6-7 days and the meat has relaxed and is a lot easier to work with.
Flavour wise I don’t see any difference but the meat is definitely easier to work.

 

[Heym SR20]

Personally I would disagree with 40 degree days, I work on 20. But then I don’t like really well hung meat - it tastes off to me.

I like to skin asap. Leaves the mess outside and a warm deer skins very easily. Hanging in a chiller then allows the fibres to all stretch out, some of the water content all evaporates and everything just seems to get a structure and firmness. This then makes butchering so much easier.

I will happily leave a roe hanging in a chiller for up to a week.

If a chiller is not available, then quarter and put in fridge.

 

[jb1]

I trained under a master butcher many moons ago, I was trained to understand meat and how it behaves

At the age I hang it you can almost butcher it with your fingers

I will add that air movement would be necessary to hang that long. I personally think that 3 weeks is a bit too long but again it's personal choice.

 

[Leec6.5]

I will add that air movement would be necessary to hang that long. I personally think that 3 weeks is a bit too long but again it's personal choice.

That’s why there is a blower in the mono bloc in the wall in chiller

 

[moeggesit]

Corrections below, cannot delete

 

[moeggesit]

Magic number 40....5 days at 8 degrees, 8 days at 5 degrees etc....but not 1 day at 40 degrees !

I would regard these as absolute maximum times. It also depends how long it takes you to get it into the chiller in the first place.

 

[biffo]

I would regard these as absolute maximum times. It also depends how long it takes you to get it into the chiller in the first place.

Agreed!