Washing meat

[micus]

What methods do you guys use to wash meat before processing it whether you are making cuts or running it through a grinder. Just interested in hearing different methods.

Mike.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I've never washed it, except for tenderloin that get rinsed and go right into a bag of marinade.

For everything else, I simply trim off all the fascia and/or blood. When you trim off the fascia you have a clean surface underneath and there is no need to wash.

 

[BroodBuster]

Those plastic pan scrubbers that sort of look like steel wool are great for cleaning meat. They pick up blood, hair and other contaminates really well. Other than soaking the heart in salt water, replacing the bloody water as necessary, I too have never "washed" the meat prior to storage or prep.

 

[micus]

Ahh ill grab some of those scrubbers to try out. I was just thinking, inevitably, you always get some odd hairs here and there or some dust/dirt/random bush debris while cleaning/quartering. I was just curious if there was some awesome method or technique out there that I needed to know.

 

[rayporter]

in the south it is very common to pack meat in a cooler with ice and as the ice melts to drain the water and add more ice.

would you call this washing? in cold country this practice seems to be looked upon as a bad practice because you get the meat wet.

 

[bbrown]

I like to use a propane torch on low to burn off any loose hairs then use a clean rag with some warm water mixed with vinegar before I start cutting. Really cuts down on the loose debris and hair on the cutting table.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I usually take my 1/4s out bone in, just skinned. There usually is a membrane over the muscles still which I'll peel back/trim off that takes anything on the surface with it. I'll fillet off some areas of meat that are bloodshot/dirty too. From there I keep paper towels around to pick off anything left as I go, however I like the scrubby and vinegar rag suggestion here to try out.

 

[micus]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[duchntr]

I use Diluted white vinegar in cold water and a cotton cloth. I go to great lengths to keep the meat clean in the field so cleanup is minimal when butchering. A good tip I do as well if hanging quarters, I wipe them down while they are hanging and is just one more step that keeps the butchering table cleaner.

 

[Poser]

I would never wash meat unless there was a good reason to do so like dirt exposure.

 

[Murdy]

What's the point of the vinegar rather than water?

 

[elkyinzer]

What's the point of the vinegar rather than water?

Increases the pH which inhibits bacterial growth. Same concept as citric acid which is commonly used in the field.

Like others said, I only wash the tenderloin due to where it's located.

I give the quarters a quick wipedown with about 50/50 white vinegar/water, removing any hair or accidental dirt. Then I dry them with a cotton rag and hang in the fridge for a few days to a week before cutting.

I cut the backstraps and grind the flanks/neck meat/scraps as soon as the rigor is gone as those dry out.

 

[Slim Jim]

Acid reduces pH

 

[elkyinzer]

Acid reduces pH

Duh, sorry brain cramp

 

[5MilesBack]

I debone everything as it's coming off the animal, so it goes directly into a clean bag. Very little hair and no dirt or debris......well, except for that large chunk of rear ham I dropped trying to get it into the bag by myself. That one had to be cleaned when I got home.......and then it was cooked up immediately.

 

[fisherman983]

i always wipe my meat down with apple cider vinegar before going into a cooler to make sure its as clean as possible. i like to hang my animals a little longer than most. 10-14 days for a deer, 14-20+ for an elk. when i goto butcher my animals i will wipe down the meat again with apple cider vinegar to make sure i didn't miss anything before trimming and packaging

 

[micus]

Nice, that makes a lot of sense had never heard of the vinegar. Will definitely be doing this next time.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Micus, there are some thoughts that fisherman983 pointed out that I'd like to add:

1. Washing game meat before processing depends on the condition its in at that post-field moment before processing. If it's in great preserved shape with no off odors or signs of spoilage then a high pressure wash to exterior surface will clean it well. You might notice when you get meat abundantly wet that the surface tissue retains moisture and swells with a jelly-like reaction in spots, and this can be trimmed easily enough.

2. Wiping or application of anything like vinegar will transfer absorption odors and taste. There is no scientific purpose or benefit of applying vinegar to the surface of your food before freezing.

3. Hanging for extended periods is a risky method because 1.) the length of time it was stored in the field determines how much meat should hang before processing; and 2) the field storage temperature and other the temperature of the hanging meat (home hang or aging locale) will determine the appropriate length of hang time.

NOTE: Glycolysis (sugars in the meat tissue that convert to lactic acid determines the tenderness and final quality of your game meat. storage Temperature and length of storage time varies, so the length of time you should age meat before processing also varies widely. Meat that was stored in temperatures lower than 50 degrees for 5 days has the same potential tenderness of meat stored for 3 days at 70 degrees...so aging the latter an extra 3-4 days will foster greater spoilage colony growth. On average, game meat should be allowed to hang for 5-7 days total, with storage temps below 50 degrees and moisture (humidity) less than 75% with adequate airflow while hanging. If your storage facility is not cold, dry, and aerated, your best bet would be process the meat after post harvest day 4 and before post harvest day 7.

 

[micus]

Micus, there are some thoughts that fisherman983 pointed out that I'd like to add:

1. Washing game meat before processing depends on the condition its in at that post-field moment before processing. If it's in great preserved shape with no off odors or signs of spoilage then a high pressure wash to exterior surface will clean it well. You might notice when you get meat abundantly wet that the surface tissue retains moisture and swells with a jelly-like reaction in spots, and this can be trimmed easily enough.

2. Wiping or application of anything like vinegar will transfer absorption odors and taste. There is no scientific purpose or benefit of applying vinegar to the surface of your food before freezing.

3. Hanging for extended periods is a risky method because 1.) the length of time it was stored in the field determines how much meat should hang before processing; and 2) the field storage temperature and other the temperature of the hanging meat (home hang or aging locale) will determine the appropriate length of hang time.

NOTE: Glycolysis (sugars in the meat tissue that convert to lactic acid determines the tenderness and final quality of your game meat. storage Temperature and length of storage time varies, so the length of time you should age meat before processing also varies widely. Meat that was stored in temperatures lower than 50 degrees for 5 days has the same potential tenderness of meat stored for 3 days at 70 degrees...so aging the latter an extra 3-4 days will foster greater spoilage colony growth. On average, game meat should be allowed to hang for 5-7 days total, with storage temps below 50 degrees and moisture (humidity) less than 75% with adequate airflow while hanging. If your storage facility is not cold, dry, and aerated, your best bet would be process the meat after post harvest day 4 and before post harvest day 7.

That's some awesome info, thanks a lot for all of that .

 

[Hunt'nFish]

I almost never wash meat in the field... field water just posses too much risk of introducing bacteria, but water cleanliness, humidity, air temp and dirtiness of meat, influence my decision.
If I do, I allow meat to drip & air dry and spray with citric acid spray to sterilize.

When I get home, I almost always give it a quick rinse and re-spray with apple cider vinegar. Then I start in on butchering.
Personally I don't like trimming casing off and tend to wash it to rehydrate the meat before processing. By the time I get the silver skin fileted off, it's all fine. I just find it easier to do it that way rather than trimming off casing.... and it results in less waste.

Hunt'nFish