aging elk

[shanny28757]

I just harvested my first elk monday morning. It was cool in the morning but warmed up by afternoon. Hide came off quickly and I quartered and deboned everything (except the front quarters that are still on the bone). Meat has been in game bags in a cooler on ice for the ride home. I put as much as I could on racks in the fridge and turned it to the lowest setting. The rest is on ice in game bags wrapped in 3mm plastic to keep water off.

The game bags are wet so I wondered if I should just take the meat out and lay it directly on ice so that stagnant moisture isn't just sitting on the meat. Or if it's ok as long as I keep the coolers packed with ice. Just don't want to risk any spoilage due to bacteria growth from moisture.

Also, how long do you guys let an elk sit before butchering?

 

[Bulldawg]

I just lay the game bags in the cooler with no trash bag and put the ice on top and leave the drain plug open. You might get some discoloration on the meat but it has no affect on edibility, biggest thing is making sure the meat stays cold. Heck antelope we had last week we just put the meat in the cooler without game bags and covered with ice. We process our elk when schedules clear for an afternoon and people can come over and lend a hand. Sometimes its a week sometimes it's a couple hours, no set time it's tender and delicious either way.

 

[skindaddy]

i listened to a podcast from nevada dnr some famous meat guy , said there is no need to age the meat ,elk are not cows there is very little fat in meat (or marbled) all you are doing is making it mushy.
is what he said

 

[wyosteve]

I just finished processing mine. Was killed on a warm Tues. a.m., hung and cooled until Thurs. Packed out on Thurs. and hung in shed at air temp until following Monday. Hauled home on Tues., (a week after it was killed) processed and completed by Sat. and tastes excellent. Bottom line, no need to hang it, but it won't hurt if it hangs a week or so if not overly warm.

 

[dangerousD]

I just finished processing mine. Was killed on a warm Tues. a.m., hung and cooled until Thurs. Packed out on Thurs. and hung in shed at air temp until following Monday. Hauled home on Tues., (a week after it was killed) processed and completed by Sat. and tastes excellent. Bottom line, no need to hang it, but it won't hurt if it hangs a week or so if not overly warm.

Nobody mentions any actual temps. Define "overly warm".

For me, what I've read is that under 50* and you should be ok in the backcountry for preventing most bacteria growth. I've never had a problem in the backcountry during September with keeping it well under that where I hunt on the couple years when we killed elk. It has hung for several days before getting into a cooler.

Then I put the game bags right into the cooler and cover with ice and leave the drain open or drain frequently. The meat gets wet obviously but I do that with all my game meat, same as many other guys do. Some believe that it should never get wet. I think it actually helps flavor by bleaching some of the blood out. I don't remember exactly but I've probably had it on ice for up to a week before being able to process.

 

[5MilesBack]

I'd have it cut up, wrapped, and frozen by the end of the day I shot it if I could.

In reality though, it's generally a day or two getting it out, then another day getting it home, and then it might be a couple more days before I process it. I put it in my cooler with frozen gallon milk jugs stacked around and on the bags and it stays plenty cold. Cold enough that the meat hurts the hands eventually when I am processing it.

 

[4ester]

Typically I age for 14 days. If it was fairly warm when killed, I will reduce to 7-10 days.
Aging definitely helps to tenderize the meat. I age all my wild game, always have and you can definitely tell the difference.


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[JWP58]

Typically I age for 14 days. If it was fairly warm when killed, I will reduce to 7-10 days.
Aging definitely helps to tenderize the meat. I age all my wild game, always have and you can definitely tell the difference.


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If you always have, how do you know it makes a difference? Have you aged half of one backstrap and then ate the other half asap in order to document the difference?

 

[realunlucky]

I've done both and never noticed a difference in taste or texture. I have to pack and warp between my work schedule that could be the next day or the next week. Like everyone else I'll leave it iced in cooler with drain plug out

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[4ester]

If you always have, how do you know it makes a difference? Have you aged half of one backstrap and then ate the other half asap in order to document the difference?

I have eaten it both ways. The meat texture definitely changes from fresh to aged. There are plenty of supporting documents for aging wild game meat. But to each his own. As long as you are enjoying the taste of your game meat, that's all that really matters.

But some of the best elk I have ever eaten had to be trimmed of mold.


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[live2huntelk]

Meat Aging

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[wapitibob]

Water won't hurt it but if it's in a water bath it will leach the blood from the muscles. You'll be fine cutting it up this weekend. I leave elk and antelope in ice coolers for a week plus.

Congrats on the hunt.

 

[Bulldawg]

I can tell you one thing for sure about aging or not, eating a piece of meat from an animal within a couple hours of killing it is not something i recommend! i don't care what cut it is it is typically very tough! I think meat needs at least 24 hrs before you cut it up to eat or package, anytime after that is just fine.