Smell when cooking

[buddys1974]

My buddy's son killed a buck last year and I gutted it and butchered it. Not a gut shut and we cleaned and washed cavity like normal. It was cold, below 30 overnight so it hung and I butchered it the next day. Kept cold the whole time and I ground what was to be ground when I got home. Meat looks and smells fine, even when I take a package of burger out and thaw it, it looks and smells normal. However, as soon as I start cooking the meat, it's stinks terribly. To the point I won't eat it. Backstreet, roast etc are fine, but the grind is atrocious. Deer did die a slower death as he spine it and he didn't finish it off til I got to his stand probably 30 minutes later. Any ideas on the burger stink? Think it could be from the death and more andrenalin or what? I can't Figueroa it out. I gutted and butchered 100+ deer and never had this issue. It was peak rut time too. Thanks.

 

[92xj]

96.485% of the time with grind and having stank or “gamey” taste is hair in the meat. I see it on every animal I watch get butchered, there is rarely any hair care. I burn all my quarters with a torch, then wipe before cutting muscle groups and chunks to grind. Even one hair that has been pissed on, then ground can taint a lot of meat.

 

[buddys1974]

96.485% of the time with grind and having stank or “gamey” taste is hair in the meat. I see it on every animal I watch get butchered, there is rarely any hair care. I burn all my quarters with a torch, then wipe before cutting muscle groups and chunks to grind. Even one hair that has been pissed on, then ground can taint a lot of meat.

ya, don't think thats it. Like I said, I've butchered more than most. I clean well and get the hair off. I'm at a loss on this one.

 

[The Guide]

Your fat that you added could have been sour.

Jay

 

[buddys1974]

Your fat that you added could have been sour.

Jay

didn't add fat. And trimmed all the deer fat off for the most part. Crazy, no smell at all till it heats up in skillet.

 

[Athens]

This seems like a dilemma, I am interested to know what made the meat go bad.

 

[Pony Soldier]

One of the last deer my son shot was a muley forkie. Killed clean neck shot, washed meat just like normal, cut it after a couple days at 28 degrees. Tasted so rank it challenged your courage to swallow.

This was not a sagebrush buck but a alder- vine maple buck from nw Montana. He wasn't even in rut. I've killed a lot of nice mulies and never encountered such a memorable taste. I think we made sausage out of him and used the spices to make him edible. Thank the lord he was small.

I think it fits the catagory that stuff happens. Not your fault!

 

[Soj51hopeful]

If the steaks and whole muscle cuts are fine then it’s something in the ground meat that’s different. I would guess the membrane and silver skin and whatever else that goes into the grinder was a little rank.

I’ve had this issue with rut bucks where whole muscle has a little funk but the grind was a whole other level of funk. Only thing I’ve found to make it edible was smoked jerky.

 

[camping1601]

This happened to me with the first Bull Elk I killed. It rained for three days before and the Elk died in a wet area. I processed it by myself in the dark and just did my best. Browning the burger absolutely stunk the house up but, as soon as it cooled the smell went away. We made things like chili, tacos, and meatloaves out of it.

It was 100% meat care on my part.

 

[buddys1974]

This happened to me with the first Bull Elk I killed. It rained for three days before and the Elk died in a wet area. I processed it by myself in the dark and just did my best. Browning the burger absolutely stunk the house up but, as soon as it cooled the smell went away. We made things like chili, tacos, and meatloaves out of it.

It was 100% meat care on my part.

I wish I could say this happened to me but it was killed, gutted and washed clean in the cavity that evening of the kill, hung overnight in 20 degree temps and butchered the next day. I'm at a loss.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

What about your grind process? Clean grinder?

 

[buddys1974]

What about your grind process? Clean grinder?

yep, fully cleaned after each use.

 

[92xj]

well since your ruled out every scenario people have thrown out and it appears the kill, field prep of meat, processing, and processing equipment is perfect, either your pan is the problem from cooking something else on it or you just have one of the rare animals that just has stinky meat when ground. I have never experienced that animal, but know they are out there. Hopefully the next one goes back to the norm.

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

I'd bet part of the reason is how the critter died. I've noticed the quick clean deaths typically taste/smell better & less gamey vs those situations where the critter had a lot of added stress/adrenaline due to an imperfect shot.

My other suggestion would be the diet of the critter. I've noticed the same "stink" in the critters I've killed whose diet is primarily sage. Can't say it's my favorite to smell while I'm cooking, but I've never really noticed much of a difference in taste.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

After you killed the animal, did you leave the hide on until butchering?

 

[buddys1974]

I'd bet part of the reason is how the critter died. I've noticed the quick clean deaths typically taste/smell better & less gamey vs those situations where the critter had a lot of added stress/adrenaline due to an imperfect shot.

My other suggestion would be the diet of the critter. I've noticed the same "stink" in the critters I've killed whose diet is primarily sage. Can't say it's my favorite to smell while I'm cooking, but I've never really noticed much of a difference in taste.

I agree that it was probably the slow, intense death. no sage in this area, this deer was corn and bean fed.

 

[bergie]

One of the lymph nodes probably got missed and ended up in the grind. That would certainly ruin a good portion of the meat if it mixed in well. Guessing other packages aren't quite as terrible, but its going to be impossible to tell the good from the bad until you cook it.

 

[TxxAgg]

One of the lymph nodes probably got missed and ended up in the grind. That would certainly ruin a good portion of the meat if it mixed in well. Guessing other packages aren't quite as terrible, but its going to be impossible to tell the good from the bad until you cook it.

That's what I was gona say. It stinks.

 

[kpk]

I shot one a couple years ago that was just awful too. Shot peak rut and it was a bang/flop. The only thing I did differently on that one was hung it overnight with the hide still on. It was plenty cold out.