Hanging muntjac - Do the tenderloins benefit/need it?

[pob]

I tend to hang my munties in the skin for 7-10 days before butchering. However, I am wondering if I can whip the tenderloins out as soon as I get it home? It wouldn't disrupt the rest of the carcass. (And a tasty little morsel to see me through the wait).

Do they need it? Will they cook and taste better? They never look as 'plumptious' after hanging, but they sure taste good.

I could undertake my own experiment, but I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has been there before me.

 

[Pine Marten]

I don't have any refrigerated facilities, so I never leave them hanging for more than a day in my shed. I can't say that I've ever found the tenderloins tough at all. If you cut angles slices about an inch thick into them, you can treat them exactly like a mini-steak. I don't really think that smaller deer like muntjac, CWD or young roe really benefit from any hanging.

 

[Tackleberry270]

Best to leave overnight to let the rigor mortis pass. I don't know the technical details and I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come along but from passed experience the only time I have had practically unchewable meat is when I took the backstraps off a Muntjac for supper a few hours after shooting it. The Muntjac wasn't more than 3 or 4 years old. Otherwise I don't tend to worry about hanging in the chiller for more than a couple of days.

 

[pob]

Well, I think I am going to leave them in for a bit longer next time, as I usually do. To my mind, they develop a bit more flavour. I wasn't suggesting that I have ever found tenderloins tough (there's a clue in the name ).

It seemed a bit trickier getting them out neatly when fresh. It was all knife work, whereas I can usually do a lot of the extraction by hand. It's largely water-loss, I suppose.

After reading a few other comments, I think I may try skinning them when still warm and hanging for a shorter period, to see if that saves effort.

Thanks for the responses chaps. Happy eating.