Hanging, skinning etc…

You'll often hear "40 degree days" mentioned when it comes to hanging deer - so 6-7 days if the chiller is running at 6 degrees, 10 days if it's running at 4 degrees, 20 if it's running at 2 degrees, etc.

That said, because 99% of the deer I shoot are roe and muntjac, if I am out on stalking on a Saturday or Sunday then for convenience I will hang them until the following weekend when I can butcher them. However because I also have a full-time job that often involves foreign travel I have to fit things around that, so I've also had to butcher deer the day after shooting them, and sometimes leave it until after 10 or 14 days. To be honest I've never been able to tell the difference regardless of how long the beast has been hanging - they all taste equally delicious!

Personally I would be far less concerned with the amount of time the deer has been hanging in the chiller than I would the amount of time it spends cooking in the oven, particularly when it comes to a prime cut like a haunch or fillet. In general venison is ruined more by over-cooking than insufficient hanging!
I'm similar actually - longest I've left a red hind was 10 days. Meat was very tender but still delicious. Just had some of the chops last night and they were superb. It had hung in the larder fridge for 10 days at 4 degrees. Normally I try and butcher within 7 days. I'd imagine those haunches will be fine if hung for a few days. Without any covering they may go dark and dry on the surface of the meat but this is fine.
 
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