re: Packing your game in water before freezing really helps pull out the blood when thawed

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For years we have all been taught by our hunting mentors to soak deer and hog meat in ice water. I’ve heard some hunters say soaking the meat overnight is enough and others who prefer a week or more. This is one of the worst things to do to any animal carcass after its slaughter. Putting the meat in water allows bacteria (primarily E. coli) to grow and spread over the entire carcass. It also removes all of the flavor from the meat. Imagine eating a good ribeye after soaking it in water for a week.

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i call bullshite on this part

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Years ago, before hunters started feeding deer like they do today, deer meat had a strong gamey taste. This led to the practice of soaking the meat to remove the gaminess. Actually most of the deer we harvest today have access to more and higher quality feed than what we feed the vast majority of our cattle and domestic pigs in this country. This leads to a higher grade of meat which lacks much of the typical gamey taste.

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I don't think cutting the jugular does anything once the animal is dead. From my experience in a meat lab when you hit a cow with a captive bolt gun it is stunned, cutting the throat allows the heart to pump the blood out. i think cutting the deer's throat once it is dead will just drain some of the localized blood out. when you put a arrow/bullet through the heart/lungs of a deer most of the blood is pumped in to the cavity. I don't think cutting the jugular hurts but i'm skeptical that it does anything

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After the Shot. The first thing to do is properly bleed the animal. Cut the jugular vein as soon as possible. It minimizes blood clots and bruising that occur around the shot area (especially with a shoulder shot). It also cleanses the meat of lactic acid buildup that occurs when a deer runs off after getting hit (this is even more important when a deer is running from dogs). Lactic acid adds to the gaminess of the meat.

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After Skinning and Gutting. Leave the carcass hanging and do your best to remove any feces and hair. Use a sharp, smooth knife to trim any areas with visible signs of feces and discard them. Remove as much hair with your fingertips as possible. If the shot was in the shoulder, use your knife to open up and lift both shoulders to trim away any bruised or bloody meat.

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Washing. At this stage use your hose to clean the carcass as best you can. Use a heavy stream and be sure to get the inside of the stomach cavity and any other bloody or messy areas such as the neck, pelvic area, and under the shoulders if you opened them up after a shoulder shot. At this stage, water is your friend.

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Hanging. After washing the carcass, leave it hanging to let it dry. If the temperature is below 48 degrees, the carcass can easily be left out overnight. The longer you can hang it, the better. Hanging the carcass lets excess blood drip out of the meat, allows the surface of the meat to dry up, and causes the meat to firm up so it is easier to debone. After the surface is good and dry, it will be easy to pick off any hair or trim any blood or feces that was missed earlier. Even if it is fairly warm, you can hang the carcass as long as 2-4 hours.

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Packaging. When you are ready to ice down the carcass, break it into quarters or halves. At this stage, use care not to allow the meat to get wet again. Put each piece separately into plastic bags (garbage bags, ice bags, etc. the thicker the better to prevent bones from puncturing the bag) and tie or seal the bags tight. Put the carcass into ice chests in layers. First put a layer of ice on the bottom, then put one or two pieces of the carcass, add ice and repeat. Always cover the top of the meat with ice (cold air sinks). Pull the plug on the cooler so water does not build up in the cooler. Check the cooler regularly and add ice as needed. You should get the meat to a processor as soon as possible; preferably within 3-4 days.

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Final Word. The process described above will minimize the spread of bacteria, make the job of cutting up or deboning the meat much easier and cleaner, and also maximize your yield of meat. The end result will be a much better tasting final product.

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it's in an easy to read format but it's a facebook link

LINK

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Yeah, I just can't fathom why someone would want to eat that piece of meat on the right. That looks disgusting.

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i used to soak my deer for up to two weeks. Wouldn't even touch it until it had soaked at least a week. It was just how my dad had always done it.

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Yeah, I just can't fathom why someone would want to eat that piece of meat on the right. That looks disgusting.

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Yet if you cut that piece in half, it will be just as purple as the one on the left in all but the outside 1/4" that was exposed. Diffusion out of meat that hasn't been previously frozen is incredibly slow. A very gamey deer will still taste gamey unless cut into very small pieces and soaked for a long time. Variances in deer lead to a lot of anecdotal evidence on both sides.

I don't soak because best case I think it's pointless and worst case it provides a nice environment for bacteria to grow as posted above. What I do instead is quench in ice water as soon as I can. In the southern heat bacterial growth starts really quickly and contributes to off taste. Bleeding is a real thing but isn't really feasible for most people. One thing everyone can do is dunk the individual quarters in ice water as soon as it's off the carcass. This will drop the internal temp quickly and the meat will hold up much better. Once it's cool it can be removed and allowed to dry, then stored.

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One thing everyone can do is dunk the individual quarters in ice water as soon as it's off the carcass. This will drop the internal temp quickly and the meat will hold up much better. Once it's cool it can be removed and allowed to dry, then stored.

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This is what I do and I will never go back to the soaking ways of old

I never knew there was any other way to freeze freshwater fish besides in a ziplock bag full of water


I would love to vacuum seal it because it would be so much easier to store



For those that have vaccum sealed bass and sacalait, does it work just as well as water and ziplock?

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The other option is glazing but I'll be the first to admit it's a pain in the arse up front

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I did this once and pain in the arse is correct. I try to freeze mine in single meal portions, so I have a crap ton of frozen ziplocs. I may finally pull the trigger on one of the recommended vac sealers and try that way again.

Yea that's terrible.

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The marinating in apple juice is what I do and it's excellent on the grill.

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sweet works great with venison. i make a rub/cure with brown sugar, fresh cracked pepper, and sea salt. i then put a super thick coat or cover the venison with it and refrigerate for a while. i shake the rub off before grilling and put it on hot. it leaves a nice caramel type crust on the edge.

Not to be a dick but if you need to mask the flavor of venison then you are butchering it