sewlinzi Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 I realised that there are quite a few deer hunters on the forum so here's my question. I got a roe deer this week (fresh road kill) and a friend butchered it for me. He brought it today but I think it smells rather "ripe". He says it is OK and if you give a good close up sniff it is fine but there is definitely an odour that is a bit off-putting. I know you usually hang deer for a few days but how ripe dare I go?! In the olden days people would just add spice and eat it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcquilting Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 I'd say if it has been kept cold and it's only been a few days your fine. I would def. recommend grinding the meat up and adding spices or even pork fat then freezing it. That is what we do. Soaking the meat in ice cold, salt water will help draw out the "gamey" smell/taste your noticing. And if you really want to be sure it's done right, take it to a slaughtering house. Typically they will process the meat into whatever you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 DH has been deer hunting for more than 30 years (and I've shot a few myself! ) and he always field dresses the animal. He only leaves one hang if he doesn't have time to butcher it immediately. He removes the meat from the bones and as much of the tallow as possible, which gives the meat the gamey taste. I prefer only the backstrap to fry with onions in butter and grind the rest of the meat. We pack it in 1 pound packages and I use the ground meat for chili, casseroles, sloppy joes, etc. We do not put any spices with the ground meat when we freeze it and prefer to spice it as appropriate for the dish being cooked. It will have a gamey odor when you cook it but it will taste great! If you want sausage you could take some of it to a butcher shop where they have the casings and recipes. You will definitely need some beef and/or pork fat with the sausage because venison is extremely lean. Again, you don't want to use the fat from the deer or you will get a gamey taste. OK, this is just my experience and preference and you will get different opinions from others. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriVB Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 what a timely post--It is opening deer season in Iowa this weekend and my son got his second buck of his life--he was so excited. He just wants the antlers and gives the meat to the landowners who he went hunting with--but I do soak his pheasants in the cold salt water and that does take out a lot of the gaminess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted December 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Thanks for those tips. I have just put it all in the freezer until I decide what to do with it. It is not so much a gamey smell as a nearly off smell! I think if I defrost it in salty water then come up with a spicy rub, it should be OK. I reckon it's the blood and remaining furry bits that are stinky, not the meat! I'm thinking of cooking it whole in cranberry juice with plum jam or redcurrant jelly and lots of Christmassy spice with mashed potato. It used to be the done thing to cook vensison in wine but apparently that toughens up the meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Linzi, Plz be a tad leary... How "fresh road kill" is "fresh?" Jason and I both deer hunt. And, we butcher our own meat. If any of the "gut bag" or the bowel sacks touched the meat, you will get a bad smell. We never pick up road kill and butcher it. NEVER. And, believe me, in Nebraska, we see road kill deer every day. Get the specifics. If he was the one to kill the deer, or see when it happened, to give you an exact day, then good. Go with that. We also wash off our deer after skinning with a Cider Vinegar bath. Everyone does theirs differently, but if your smelling a foul smell...to me, i'd pitch the deer vs getting ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 I echo SheriB....if it doesn't smell right there could be spoilage. Unless you killed it yourself you have no idea how fresh the road kill actually was. And you say that there is hair still in the meat...yucko. If I see one hair, I'm done and won't even eat it...if there is hair in the meat the processor didn't do a very good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted December 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Well, the thing is - you can get the whole deer story on my blog but it was still very alive when I got it. I need to get my friend's husband to promise me that he gutted it straightaway. He's a gamekeeper but a bit slapdash. Cider vinegar is a terrific idea for cleaning the carcass. There was fur left on the hoof area, not all over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hi Lenzi, I'm a country girl from the wilds of Idaho, through and through. I have lived a number of winters on Elk and Deer that my husband has harvested. That being said, I've never utilized an accidently killed deer, it is illegal in our state. Wild meat does smell 'different' however it shouldn't smell rotten, I don't know how to phrase it any more clearly. That said, everyone's nose is a little different and if you aren't accustomed to wild game, it could pretty easily be interperted as stinky. Have your "gamekeekper" acquaintance check it out for you, he should be pretty familiar with most of your local types of game. Mule Deer smell and taste different than Whitetail, Fallow Deer may have their particular smelll/taste, I don't know, I haven't ever had the chance to make one's acquaintance. Alfalfa and field grazers taste and smell much different than sagebrush grazers. Soaking the thawed meat in a salt solution as advised, will help it taste less "gamy". That being said, I'd way rather fix, cook and eat any type of venison or elk than lamb or worse . . . mutton. I just can't go there . . . it smells lovely cooking, but gags me when I try to eat it, so I say if it isn't gone sour from being too warm or exposed to insect populations, you should be good to go. I would suggest taking the meat off the bone and remove and toss all of the fat. The bone and fat will ruin the delicate flavor of the meat. I'd never just grind it up and make sausage from it, what a waste. My favorite use for any of the tougher, stringier cuts of meat is to dice it into about 1" cubes, lightly season it with salt and pepper and gently saute, then braise, until it's falling apart, then make a Mince Pie! Minced Meat has been made with game meat since colonial times. If you don't have a good recipe let me know. The various fruits, berries, liquors and juices really meld with the meat and you will have one very fine meat pie for your Christmas repast. What a treat for your friends and family!!! I remember making Minced Meat with my Grandma for Holiday Pies, that was a long time ago 50+ years and people don't do things the same these days, but I do encourage you to try your windfall. If you don't like it, feed it to the dog . . . I have found other cuts of Vension really benifits from a light seasoning of Garlic Powder and just the tiniest wave of Smoked Saltand of course pepper to taste. Dreg in flour and lightly saute in butter until the juices are not evident. I use the poke test, poke it with my finger and if it slightly resists that's usually about done. Personally, since it is wild game, I never consume my Venison, rare. I cook it until it is "firm" done but not dry. Have fun! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted December 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hmm - he said "ripe" but not "off"! Dixie-Lee - I would LOVE to have your Colonial minced meat pie recipe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hmmm, if he said ripe I wouldn't eat it! In meat terms, ripe isn't good! That would translate to spoiled in my book. I will get the recipe and U2U it for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega QW Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 I know very little about this subject except to mention something I haven't yet seen here. I was surprised to read about discarding the fat, that that is what made the gamey smell. My father was a hunter, and he said that the very first thing that had to be done (the minute was animal was down) was remove all the glands, particularly the sex glands, because that is what made the gamey taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Originally posted by Omega QW I know very little about this subject except to mention something I haven't yet seen here. I was surprised to read about discarding the fat, that that is what made the gamey smell. My father was a hunter, and he said that the very first thing that had to be done (the minute was animal was down) was remove all the glands, particularly the sex glands, because that is what made the gamey taste. And he was right...the glands on the bucks is nasty and can even get onto your cloths and its a mess to get out... Dad would cut the leg glands off before he even opened up the deer to gut...we field dressed our deer right where he/she landed, and he was very very picky about how our meat was processed. If he saw even one tiny hair in the hamburger, we all caught hell for being sloppy...He would wash the deer with water and all the blood and hair was gone before he even took it into the house. Also we removed all the bones from our deer...even though they were pretty much grain and hay fed he still didn't want the bones in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I agree with Bonnie, I grew up in the mountains of PA and we got our meat from the "woods". The first thing I was taught was to remove the gonads (glands) and field dress the deer right where it was shot. Dad said the faster you gutted the animal the "less" gamey it tasted and the less chance it had to "ripen". I believe that he was correct. Linzi, I would be very careful using that meat, the smell shouldn't be offending, even the wild smell. You should taste a small piece of the meat before you add the spices which could hide the "spoiled" taste. If it tastes ok then use it however you like. PA now allows you to keep fresh "road kill" once the game warden is notified. If you don't want the deer, they will take it and process it. They give the meat to the needy. This year they're also asking hunters to donate their deer and wild turkey meat to the needy. I want to move back to PA so bad but the jobs just aren't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 You are right Connie! Field dressing it a.s.a.p. is the secret. The musk off those glands is an awful nasty smell. The Bucks squat with their legs together and pee down them so the urine will pass over those glands then onto the ground, leaving "their scent." Ea. buck has their own scent, and they are trying to be dominant over their territory of other bucks in the area. Just an FYI for those who didn't know. I could go on....and on...etc. (being the hunter that I am) but i'm sure you get the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcquilting Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 "When in doubt, throw it out!" If it is "ripe", not just gamey, I'd trash it. But you have to do what you think is best for you and your family. Whatever you decide, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April W Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 My sister always soaks the pieces of deer meat in milk and vinegar to get all the blood out of the meat before she processes it herself. Doesn't matter how she cooks it, it is always delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 You are all a mine of information! No time to check the furry legs in the freezer this week - but I'll let you all know what I do with it in the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeAnn Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I agree with all that Sheri said. I would add that my DH (a deer hunter for 40 yr) says besides field dressing it right away, it should be cooled as quickly as possible. Some people who say it tastes funny are the ones who haul the whole deer home from far away on top of their vehicle when the weather is nice. Just as beef is cooled right away, so should any game meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I am impressed with all the "deer" knowledge on here. Sheri, thanks for reminding me what the word was for deer smell, "musk." Remember not to long ago when they were making mens "musk" fragrance!!! I thought it smelled terrible, must have been the urine running down the leg or was it the tracks in the underwear, lol, what memories. Another note on hunting, the hunters here go for rabbits early but it doesn't get cold here in Virginia until late JAN early FEB. I remember my Dad and others wouldn't go hunt rabbits or squirrels until after the first deep frost/freeze. They said it killed the "worrbles/worms"? I can cook venison or any other verment but I don't have the heart to shoot them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallre Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Originally posted by sewlinzi Hmm - he said "ripe" but not "off"! Dixie-Lee - I would LOVE to have your Colonial minced meat pie recipe! I would also love to have the recipe for minced meat pie!! thanks! Rose Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 I know that when a deer gets gut shot that it leaves a bad smell. Possibly the smell is from the accident. The trauma of the accident usually messes up the muscles and such, making it a little different to eat than a normally shot deer. Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Yikes, Linzi you just now gave all of us (me) a very important bit of information . . . with your last post. Your venison is in the freezer with the hide/hair still on? "Furry legs in the freezer". I am so sorry, I sure never guessed it wasn't skinned. OMG niave country girl that I am, I just forget how much I take for granted some of the basics. It's hard for me to conceive that a gamemaster gave someone venison that wasn't skinned and/or dressed. To me, meat doesn't get home with the hide on . . . there's all kinds of icky things on the hair and hide, everything from bacteria to parasites to larvae. Could he be messing with you??? ;)Let's see if she will really eat this meat??? Like most of the gals have said, most hunters take the hide/hair off and leave it where they field dress the animal, the scavangers will clean it up, glad for a meal. I didn't mention removing the hide and/or scent glands because to me if you had it in your freezer, it would have to be dressed. The bone and fat, left near the meat make it taste strong and smell strong, that is why I never have a "butcher" process my wild game. If they aren't savy, and most aren't in my experience, they will cut it with a meat saw and smear the bone and marrow across each cut of the meat. All ruined as far as I'm concerned. Leaving the hide/hair on it and freezing it will make it pretty rank. As a kid on the ranch, we always Quartered the skinned/dressed animal and hung it to age in the 'Milk Room'. We aged our venison for quite a long time. The Milk Room had insulated cement walls and floor and we live where it gets cold early in the fall. We never harvested game until after it was freezing, so it always stayed cold. I've had quite a struggle with my City Boy hunter/husbands (yes I've had a few) about ageing the meat. It has a nicer flavor and finer texture if it's aged, but I have used and enjoyed lots that isn't aged. After Ageing, we "boned" the meat and very carefully sliced off the dried skin and membranes that resulted from the ageing process. In my own experience, I prefer to age meat in a mesh "game bag", it still dries out but without a dedicated area for the process, it stays cleaner. After "cleaning it up" I slice it into steaks, roasts and stew chunks. Maybe Scottish gamekeepers have a different attitude about "game" and what's acceptably "gamey". One man's "ripe" just may be another man's "off" if you know what I mean. I'm sorry, I've digressed. I just wanted you to know that I didn't realize your venison hadn't been skinned and dressed before you put it in the freezer. I hope you can figure out how to have a positive experience with your "deer meat". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 OMG Dixie....your right, I also missed this.... "Furry legs in freezer" Wow...they must do things really differently than what we would call standard. I'm sorry Linzi, but that fur should have come off as soon as the insides came out and it should have hung to cool and then processed (cut into pieces), wrapped and frozen... We didn't age our deer for longer than 2 days, but have learned that is a personal thing and some do longer, but I don't know anyone who froze their meat with the fur on and then processed it. Not sure I could eat that known that had been the case. The Stink you were smelling very well was the hide, but now its in the meat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted December 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 The legs aren't totally hairy! Just little anklets at the bottom... I think we are a bit more rustic than you professional deer skinners. I will certainly give it a go in the Christmas hols but if I think its iffy when I look at it again the dogs will get lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.