Poor field dressing

[Adkhunter3]

My buddy gut shot a buck and it made a real mess on the meat (bile). I thought I once read that lime juice sprayed on could help neutralize that. Any truth in that or is there something else that helps?

 

[rooster440]

Apple cider vinegar is supposed to work


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[Jn78]

Why not just use the gutless method and stay away from the mess? Other than that, I would just trim the outer portions of the impacted meat, but those tenderloins might not be salvageable.

 

[TSAMP]

Any idea how long it was left intact? How are you all deciding a portion of meat is tainted? Smell? Taste? General proximity?? I caught liver on a buck I just shot and opened it up and must have caught some digestive area also. I rinsed it out as best I could, trimmed a bit of discolored area the next day and all seems OK to me?

 

[bsnedeker]

I concur with above....any time I've had meat tainted with bile it turns greenish gray...easy to see and trim away. Unless he was dipping the quarters into the guts as he was taking the critter apart there shouldn't be too much wasted meat.

 

[TristanJH]

I definitely agree that rinsing meat is problematic, but one thing I’ve noticed is that contaminants can be removed a whole lot more easily when the muscle is whole - exposed end-grain seems to wick liquids into the tissue and absorb off flavors / increase water content and odds of spoilage.

Basically knowing this has made me much more comfortable using water or snow to rinse a quarter or a cavity before any major muscles are severed. I’d even go so far as to say that I’d be comfortable hosing off a dressed & skinned carcass if I could dry it relatively quickly.

Tenderloin and rear quarters are obviously the most prone to trouble here so I think the best advice is to start clean and if you find contaminated meat after the fact just separate it and trim it to clean ASAP. For little splashes of bile or gut contents, just wipe clear, use a damp rag or vinegar if you feel compelled, but keep it the heck away from end-grain.

Hope that helps


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[rayporter]

remove front legs with hide on and hang them
remove back legs with hide on and hang them
remove backstraps by splitting hide up the back.

peel off hide at your leisure and meat will be clean.

the tenderloins are all that is dirty.

 

[Azone]

Vinegar and water and wipe everything down till it is clean. Anything off color or off smelling gets tossed immediately. After wiping down, dry it off with clean towels. You also need air flow to make sure the meat dries. If hanging a whole carcass in a cooler propping a stick between the hind legs so they’re not touching helps from getting a bunch of funk developing between the meat. It can get nasty quick if it’s too moist and there is no air flow.

 

[Wrench]

I believe people get way too paranoid about this topic. You absolutely can tell when the meat reacts with bile, heat.....whatever.

Good meat is nicely colored and doesn't stink. Grey, smelly meat is obvious and gets trimmed away.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I scrub my meat down with hot water and baking soda and a fiber brush. All cut surfaces get cleaned with a clean/new curry comb to clean off hair, tree needles etc. All bloodshot is trimmed out before. When completed I dry the meat off with a towel and wrap it in sheets to dry over night. I cut when the meat is cold or about 24 hrs.

I have done it this way for 57 years and my father before me. No ageing. No green mold or rancid meat. My wife cooks it and eats it willingly.

Your choice.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Why not just use the gutless method and stay away from the mess? Other than that, I would just trim the outer portions of the impacted meat, but those tenderloins might not be salvageable.

^^^^THIS^^^^

 

[huck]

to each their own.

 

[Zappaman]

I help an outfitter here in Kansas every year... he's had a few hunters with gut shots come in an hour or so after the kill. ALWAYS pull the tenders right away. Most times they aren't that bad, but still a good rinse in water helps. I have poured vinegar over a few, then rinsed again. Cut the off color stuff off right afterward and then freeze or eat the rest.

After pulling the tenders I also will blast the carcass with high pressure water and clean out the colon (which is often not done well in the field). Let it dry, hang a few days if cool out... and process. Any "gut juice" remaining on the inside of the carcass won't get through the ribs to the loins or other meat- but I'd avoid taking the ribs whole on a gut shot-- just slice the brisket meat off for the burger pile after you get to it- you'll be fine.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Gut skank is hard to get off meat. Surface trimming is likely your best option. Make a longitudinal 1/4" slit with a sharp knife, then peel one side all the way around like an orange or apple. More waste but you wont taste that nasty gut bile. With washes and remedies you'll still get flavors that aren't the meat's fault, IMO.

 

[lubbockdave]

gutless method the way to go to avoid this issue!

 

[tcpip95]

The OP said the deer was already gutshot so the gutless method of cleaning isn’t going to fix the problem.

 

[Rich M]

The OP said the deer was already gutshot so the gutless method of cleaning isn’t going to fix the problem.

If the guts stay in the body cavity, it is hard for them to taint the meat that does not reside in the body cavity.

He coulda gutted the deer and removed all the guts, then hit it with a garden hose or couple buckets of water to rinse out the body cavity before starting to disassemble the deer. It is hard for pee or other bodily juices to get into the meat unless the membranes of the meat are cut.

We do gutless a lot, even on cattle when breaking down meat cows. Deer are so much easier.

 

[Eastcoasthunter94]

I have used a hose on a hanging deer cavity a few times. Let it dry out and then process that afternoon. Never had any problems with meat going bad or bacteria from water

 

[Stalker69]

The OP said the deer was already gutshot so the gutless method of cleaning isn’t going to fix the problem.

Well sure it is , you don’t have to even deal with the guts, except the tenderloins. The rest of the meat should not effected at all. We have packed out many animals that were gut shot, and done the gutless way, with no issue what so ever.

 

[roadrunner]

My buddy gut shot a buck and it made a real mess on the meat (bile). I thought I once read that lime juice sprayed on could help neutralize that. Any truth in that or is there something else that helps?

A knife and generous trimming.