Aging the meat

[Buckshot85]

I have a guided mule deer hunt next year and an elk hunt in 2021.
The elk is a back country wall tent hunt.
With the size of an elk, I imagine for best table fare it should be hung/aged. Well, obviously that may be impossible to do properly.
You folks that are more experienced than I, will there be a big difference in eating quality of an animal that is quartered and hung in bags for a day or two then taken to butcher for processing than one that is cooled and hung for a week or whatever?

 

[Steel4sam]

Honestly, for the most part if your bull is cared for effectively in the field (quickly and cleanly quartered and cooled) you’ll not notice a big difference. I’m sure others will chime in with their own opinions but you’ll enjoy it just the same. The most crucial time is the hours after the heart stops pumping.

 

[One-shot]

Agree with above. We NEVER age meat. Aging starts the bacterial decomposition (rotting) process albeit in a cool controlled environment. With aging you’ll be trimming off all the dried decomposed “trim” and yielding less. Keep it clean, cool enough to firm up then cut it up and get it in the freezer. Results will be great.

 

[Buckshot85]

Appreciate the input!

 

[Headwatermike]

I would respectfully disagree that aging does not help. We age every big game animal and it can make an appreciable difference. I even installed a walk-in cooler in my shop for the purpose. I try keep as much meat on the bone until after rigor mortis has passed at bare minimum--hanging past then will allow the meat to loosen up and then start the breakdown of proteins that makes the meat more tender. Hanging also drains the blood out and improves flavor. I've cut up bull elk directly after the kill that would bend your teeth.

Aging helps more in bulls and bucks than in cows and does. The meat will be more tender and less gamy. Of course appropriate field care is still critical and in no way will aging help undo damage done by poor field handling. Before I had a cooler I often aged animals in unheated garages, maintaining temps the best I could by cracking or closing the door, using fans, etc. I monitor the temp of the meat with a thermometer stabbed in a rear quarter (the automotive a/c thermometers work well, as they work in that range). The higher the temp the less time you will want to age the meat. If it is too warm you won't want to age it at all, but if I can get the meat cool and in my cooler I will try to age elk between 2-3 weeks. You won't want to age smaller game as long. In bad times and without my current walk-in cooler I've even aged elk in coolers with ice in the bottom, a rack, and the meat on top. The meat has to remain dry or bacterial growth will ruin it. I try to age with the hide on as it results in less meat loss, but aging will result in shrinkage and you will have to trim any exposed edges off. Your yield will suffer but what you get will be better table fare.

Much of my advice will likely be useless to someone in warmer climes. In MT, the ambient temps often allow for fast cooling in the field. Sometimes I'm trying to keep elk from freezing so that it can be aged.

My cooler currently:

 

[jsb]

Not only do I age meat at least a week before processing but I "age" it again after I thaw it to eat. Transfer it from the package to a glass container (rinse off any blood), add a tablespoon of olive oil and mix it around with your fingers, then put on the lid and let it rest in the fridge for 2-4 days. Man o man that's the way to get yourself some rich tasting nongamey meat every time.

 

[trophyhill]

I would respectfully disagree that aging does not help. We age every big game animal and it can make an appreciable difference. I even installed a walk-in cooler in my shop for the purpose. I try keep as much meat on the bone until after rigor mortis has passed at bare minimum--hanging past then will allow the meat to loosen up and then start the breakdown of proteins that makes the meat more tender. Hanging also drains the blood out and improves flavor. I've cut up bull elk directly after the kill that would bend your teeth.

Aging helps more in bulls and bucks than in cows and does. The meat will be more tender and less gamy. Of course appropriate field care is still critical and in no way will aging help undo damage done by poor field handling. Before I had a cooler I often aged animals in unheated garages, maintaining temps the best I could by cracking or closing the door, using fans, etc. I monitor the temp of the meat with a thermometer stabbed in a rear quarter (the automotive a/c thermometers work well, as they work in that range). The higher the temp the less time you will want to age the meat. If it is too warm you won't want to age it at all, but if I can get the meat cool and in my cooler I will try to age elk between 2-3 weeks. You won't want to age smaller game as long. In bad times and without my current walk-in cooler I've even aged elk in coolers with ice in the bottom, a rack, and the meat on top. The meat has to remain dry or bacterial growth will ruin it. I try to age with the hide on as it results in less meat loss, but aging will result in shrinkage and you will have to trim any exposed edges off. Your yield will suffer but what you get will be better table fare.

Much of my advice will likely be useless to someone in warmer climes. In MT, the ambient temps often allow for fast cooling in the field. Sometimes I'm trying to keep elk from freezing so that it can be aged.

My cooler currently:View attachment 127763

I would respectfully disagree that aging does not help. We age every big game animal and it can make an appreciable difference. I even installed a walk-in cooler in my shop for the purpose. I try keep as much meat on the bone until after rigor mortis has passed at bare minimum--hanging past then will allow the meat to loosen up and then start the breakdown of proteins that makes the meat more tender. Hanging also drains the blood out and improves flavor. I've cut up bull elk directly after the kill that would bend your teeth.

Aging helps more in bulls and bucks than in cows and does. The meat will be more tender and less gamy. Of course appropriate field care is still critical and in no way will aging help undo damage done by poor field handling. Before I had a cooler I often aged animals in unheated garages, maintaining temps the best I could by cracking or closing the door, using fans, etc. I monitor the temp of the meat with a thermometer stabbed in a rear quarter (the automotive a/c thermometers work well, as they work in that range). The higher the temp the less time you will want to age the meat. If it is too warm you won't want to age it at all, but if I can get the meat cool and in my cooler I will try to age elk between 2-3 weeks. You won't want to age smaller game as long. In bad times and without my current walk-in cooler I've even aged elk in coolers with ice in the bottom, a rack, and the meat on top. The meat has to remain dry or bacterial growth will ruin it. I try to age with the hide on as it results in less meat loss, but aging will result in shrinkage and you will have to trim any exposed edges off. Your yield will suffer but what you get will be better table fare.

Much of my advice will likely be useless to someone in warmer climes. In MT, the ambient temps often allow for fast cooling in the field. Sometimes I'm trying to keep elk from freezing so that it can be aged.

My cooler currently:View attachment 127763

Do you age with the hide on?

 

[jolemons]

Some misinformation is being thrown around here. I have some meat science education, so I'll chime in. For about 4 to 5 weeks after death, natural enzymes in the muscle will continue to break down the protein, thus making the meat more tender. Once it is frozen or cooked, the process stops and the meat can not be aged again. This process is not decay, however, if the temperature, light and oxygen isn't controlled, microbial growth can occur at the same time the aging is happening. This results in the loss of some exterior meat that spoils. Most commercial meat is wet aged to avoid this loss. After butchering, the meat is vacuum packed and refrigerated for several weeks. The vacuum pack protects it from bacterial contamination and oxygen which must microbes need to grow.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Buckshot85]

Great info. I believe I can take a lot out of this.
my hunt is at elevation. By that I mean 7800- 10,500’ the first week in October. The outfitter hangs in bags in trees away from camp because of bears. How long it hangs depends on when in the hunt I harvest. Then I’m going to get it to a local butcher for processing before I head home. I’ve several good places to choose from.

 

[wytx]

We also age all our meat, some with the hide on and some without.
The Coolbot setup Headwatermike has is relatively cheap to do and works great. Coolbots work very well with the right a/c unit and insulated room or building.

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

I have never aged wild game, but plan on doing so this year. We age all of our beef that we kill. With the beef, if it had an adequate fat layer, we will age it 3 weeks with no loss in yield at all. I would think that a lean game animal carcass could not be aged nearly as long without appreciable losses. I may do some experimenting aging quarters for different lengths of time to see what works best for me.

 

[Elker]

Good info. I live in Ut where the temps are often in the 80s and sometimes 90s all through archery elk season. I would like to age my harvest but don't think my garage is ever cool enough to let me do it and don't want to think what my wife would say if I hung it in the basement next to the pool table. Will butcher shops or processing plants age meet for you?

 

[Native Okie]

Aging is where it is at.

 

[rayporter]

it gets complicated when you have a 1500 mi drive in hot temperatures.

and you can not have any bones.

 

[jolemons]

Good info. I live in Ut where the temps are often in the 80s and sometimes 90s all through archery elk season. I would like to age my harvest but don't think my garage is ever cool enough to let me do it and don't want to think what my wife would say if I hung it in the basement next to the pool table. Will butcher shops or processing plants age meet for you?

See my post. You can always butcher and then age in the fridge, preferably after vaccum sealing. Only do with the while muscle cuts, like steaks and roasts, doesn't need to be dome with meat to be ground.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[rayporter]

ok -I will bite.

do you empty your fridge clear out to get half and elk in it?

 

[kiddogy]

I would respectfully disagree that aging does not help. We age every big game animal and it can make an appreciable difference. I even installed a walk-in cooler in my shop for the purpose. I try keep as much meat on the bone until after rigor mortis has passed at bare minimum--hanging past then will allow the meat to loosen up and then start the breakdown of proteins that makes the meat more tender. Hanging also drains the blood out and improves flavor. I've cut up bull elk directly after the kill that would bend your teeth.

Aging helps more in bulls and bucks than in cows and does. The meat will be more tender and less gamy. Of course appropriate field care is still critical and in no way will aging help undo damage done by poor field handling. Before I had a cooler I often aged animals in unheated garages, maintaining temps the best I could by cracking or closing the door, using fans, etc. I monitor the temp of the meat with a thermometer stabbed in a rear quarter (the automotive a/c thermometers work well, as they work in that range). The higher the temp the less time you will want to age the meat. If it is too warm you won't want to age it at all, but if I can get the meat cool and in my cooler I will try to age elk between 2-3 weeks. You won't want to age smaller game as long. In bad times and without my current walk-in cooler I've even aged elk in coolers with ice in the bottom, a rack, and the meat on top. The meat has to remain dry or bacterial growth will ruin it. I try to age with the hide on as it results in less meat loss, but aging will result in shrinkage and you will have to trim any exposed edges off. Your yield will suffer but what you get will be better table fare.

Much of my advice will likely be useless to someone in warmer climes. In MT, the ambient temps often allow for fast cooling in the field. Sometimes I'm trying to keep elk from freezing so that it can be aged.

My cooler currently:View attachment 127763

I respectfully disagree that aging makes any difference. I do both and the results are the same .I would agree with the above poster, that stated the first couple hours after the kill are much more important.
I don't think it hurts anything, to let them hang, IF , you have the means to properly do so. if you do not have the means to do so ,cut it up and get it in the freezer as fast as you can. it won't matter.

if cold enough ,I will let it hang , but not so it "ages". it is more for my convenience to get to it when I have time.

it is my opinion , that butchers came up with ,the old wives tale(or poppycock ,if you will) of aging, as a way to get pushy customers ,off their backs until they had the time to get to their animal, processed .
I know many disagree but I don't mind ,cause they don't matter.

 

[kiddogy]

See my post. You can always butcher and then age in the fridge, preferably after vaccum sealing. Only do with the while muscle cuts, like steaks and roasts, doesn't need to be dome with meat to be ground.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

an interesting solution, for the sworn believers.

 

[danarnold]

I butcher asap, with elk it usually means after freezing whole quarters or transport in september

 

[Buckshot85]

Having never eaten elk and this may very well be my only elk hunt, I’m just trying to get the best table fare I can. The outfitter is very reputable and I trust him, but if I can have any influence on what I take home, I will.