My friend and good hunter Will Brantley says he has eaten some really fine deer meat, and some really bad, tough, gamey deer meat. In this post he outlines 12 mistakes that can turn good venison bad in a hurry. It’s great advice as most hunting seasons kick off across the country.
BTW, do you cut up and process the deer you kill, or take them to a butcher?
I take them to the same farmer that has been doing my deer for 40 years. I have done them myself since I worked at a butcher shop years ago, but to be honest, for the price and quality, I get to squeeze out a couple of more hunting days instead of taking that time to process them. I know it sounds bad but hey…I love deer hunting!
Age them if possible and cut them myself.
We butcher our own almost exactly like he says with one exception: We age them hide-on in a walk-in cooler for at least 1 week. That is the absolute best way if you have that option. The university of Alabama actually tested this many years ago, and found hide-on aging to be the best.
Great post with hunting season just getting started. We donate most of our management deer to the San Antonio Food Bank, but we also take a large number of deer directly to a processor each weekend during hunting season. Most of the processors have standard offerings re: cutting, wrapping, seasoning, smoked sausage, etc. but will do it any way you desire.
I just called my son and told him we were going to try the deer burger using one pound of bacon to five pounds of venison. Can’t wait to see how it comes out, might even use peppered bacon.
Good luck to all the Big Deer followers out there.