I can definitely see who has the common sense in your family. You are absolutely right about hanging deer in the temperatures of today! Just as most of us have adopted to computers, wireless phones, microwaves, etc. it's time that the "old school" hunters adopt to the conditions of today's environment.
Whether we believe in global warming or not it is obvious that hunting seasons below freezing have gone the way of .99 cent gasoline! Unlike our fathers and grandfathers, the deer harvested in most areas of this country no longer freeze while hanging. Unfortunately because of this far to many deer are left hanging and end up spoiled in whole or part, which is one of the reasons many people dislike the taste of venison!
If a deer cannot be "properly" aged in the controlled temperature of a cooler then it should be processed immediately if the temperatures are above 40 degrees. For every degree above forty bacterial growth accelerates proportionately. At 60 degrees a deer could be spoiled in day or two.
I wonder how many people would buy meat at the store and consider letting it "age" above 40 degrees for two or three days and then still eat it? Heck I see dozens of customers that refuse to buy meat because the "sell buy date" is today or tomorrow, and this product has been properly handled and would be good for a few more days! And yet some of these same customers may turn around and hang a deer in warm weather. Makes no sense to me.
As far as utilizing the most meat you can, I believe in boneless processing only. I feel that the bone marrow and bones may contribute to the so called "wild taste." However all of the boneless meat can be used including the meat off of the ribs, brisket, shanks, and neck. The reason the "old school" doesn't use the rib meat is because the inside of the ribcage is the first area to spoil during their "hanging/aging" process. Because it's spoiled is why it got the bad rap, if handled properly and processed ASAP it provides excellent trim for burger or sausage.
If you look through our website you will find the primal chart I created, just right click on it and you can save it to your computer for printing.
Just remember to stick to what I call the 3 C's and you will have much better venison eating:
3C's
Clean It.
Cool It.
Cut It.
Thanks for visiting,
Dave & Ruth
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