How to care for wild game meat and trophies ?
My Father, who lives near a big forest in South Lake Balaton benefits from the Hungarian privilege of hunting.
The flesh of the young roe deer, which is a beautiful dark red in color, can be marinated for a day or two in crushed juniper berries and
some olive oil. This makes is more tender and gives it a slightly peppery note.
The flesh of the young roe deer, which is a beautiful dark red in color, can be marinated for a day or two in crushed juniper berries and
some olive oil. This makes is more tender and gives it a slightly peppery note.
Little distinction is made in the kitchen between the red deer and the roe deer, although they are easily distinguished when seen in the
wild. The roe deer is generally considered the most appealing of forest animals. Their flavor is best at 10-12 months old. In Europe, they
are usually eaten during the hunting season, from September to December.
wild. The roe deer is generally considered the most appealing of forest animals. Their flavor is best at 10-12 months old. In Europe, they
are usually eaten during the hunting season, from September to December.
About roe deer
Links
Meat care
As soon as you kill a game animal, you must take proper steps to ensure that the meat does not spoil.
If you do so, you can have many tasty meals.
The four keys to preserving venison
1) COOL IT IMMEDIATELY,
2) Keep it clean,
3) Cool it further, and
4) Keep it cool.
By cool, I don't mean just barely above freezing. That's seldom possible on many hunts. What I mean is to cool the meat from almost
100 degrees down to 70 or 80 degrees as quickly as possible, in the first hour for sure, and then to continue to cool the meat as much as
possible. That first hour is critical because if you don't get rid of the heat, bacteria multiply like mad in 90 to 100 degree temperatures.
Even if you're hunting where the temperature is 90 degrees, you can cool meat quickly. Here's what I do.
First, recover the animal as quickly as possible. Take your photographs, not spending too much time, and then get to work.
Quickly skin and debone the animal.
Deboning might not be legal
In some states regulations may not permit deboning a game carcass. If quartering is allowed, skin and quarter the animal, store each
quarter in a muslin or closely woven cloth bag, and hang in the shade.
Cut down the back line from the base of the skull down to the tail. Now make a second cut perpendicular to the first one about
halfwayback on the body from belly to the center of the back. Cut around the knees. Slice up the back of each front leg until you get to
the "arm pit." Now cut straight back to the second cut you made. Now slice up the back of each hind leg, cutting to the base of the tail.
Fold back the skin, being careful to get no meat or hair on the meat, and skin the animal. If you want to save the cape and skin, be
careful to remove just the skin and not a layer of flesh and fat, too. As you expose the hind quarter, remove the large muscles, cutting
down to the bone. A flexible-blade fillet knife is ideal for this job. Place the meat in muslin game bags or pillow cases. I usually just buy
old used pillow cases at a thrift store. The meat can then "breathe," which promotes cooling, and it's protected
from dirt and leaves and hair and the like.
After you're done with the hind quarters, fillet the outer part of the front quarter. Put the meat in the pillowcases. (Don't put too much
meat in each bag.) Now cut the front leg, including shoulder blade, off the body, turn it over and fillet the backside of the front shoulder.
Now fillet the loins and neck. Then cut the meat off the ribs. Finally, slice all the meat between the ribs. Be careful not to puncture the
intestines.
I'm now halfway done. Notice that I have not even gutted the animal. Flip the animal and debone the other side.
Now gut the animal, remove the heart and liver (they're both edible) as well as the so-called tenderloins on each side of the spine at the
top of the ribs.
Remove the cape and hide and store them in bags, too.
What to do with bags of meat
Hang the meat bags in shade. A good place is the north side of a spruce or other conifer, close to the trunk. If possible, hang the meat
on a north or northeast-facing slope.
During the night, take the meat out and spread it out to cool.
In the morning, put the meat back in the meat sack and place it on a sleeping pad and then cover it with a sleeping bag. During the day,
keep the meat inside a backpack tent or someplace else
where you won't have flies.
To keep the meat cool and to prevent desiccation in arid areas, you can use a spray bottle to spray a mist of water on the meat bags
occasionally.
If you follow these rules, you can keep meat a week very easily. When you get home, you'll have clean meat ready to cut into smaller
pieces, such as steaks and roasts.
Where allowed and when I have time, I make the final step of cutting and wrapping the meat myself at camp or at a butcher facility
that will allow me to do my own cutting and wrapping.
As soon as you kill a game animal, you must take proper steps to ensure that the meat does not spoil.
If you do so, you can have many tasty meals.
The four keys to preserving venison
1) COOL IT IMMEDIATELY,
2) Keep it clean,
3) Cool it further, and
4) Keep it cool.
By cool, I don't mean just barely above freezing. That's seldom possible on many hunts. What I mean is to cool the meat from almost
100 degrees down to 70 or 80 degrees as quickly as possible, in the first hour for sure, and then to continue to cool the meat as much as
possible. That first hour is critical because if you don't get rid of the heat, bacteria multiply like mad in 90 to 100 degree temperatures.
Even if you're hunting where the temperature is 90 degrees, you can cool meat quickly. Here's what I do.
First, recover the animal as quickly as possible. Take your photographs, not spending too much time, and then get to work.
Quickly skin and debone the animal.
Deboning might not be legal
In some states regulations may not permit deboning a game carcass. If quartering is allowed, skin and quarter the animal, store each
quarter in a muslin or closely woven cloth bag, and hang in the shade.
Cut down the back line from the base of the skull down to the tail. Now make a second cut perpendicular to the first one about
halfwayback on the body from belly to the center of the back. Cut around the knees. Slice up the back of each front leg until you get to
the "arm pit." Now cut straight back to the second cut you made. Now slice up the back of each hind leg, cutting to the base of the tail.
Fold back the skin, being careful to get no meat or hair on the meat, and skin the animal. If you want to save the cape and skin, be
careful to remove just the skin and not a layer of flesh and fat, too. As you expose the hind quarter, remove the large muscles, cutting
down to the bone. A flexible-blade fillet knife is ideal for this job. Place the meat in muslin game bags or pillow cases. I usually just buy
old used pillow cases at a thrift store. The meat can then "breathe," which promotes cooling, and it's protected
from dirt and leaves and hair and the like.
After you're done with the hind quarters, fillet the outer part of the front quarter. Put the meat in the pillowcases. (Don't put too much
meat in each bag.) Now cut the front leg, including shoulder blade, off the body, turn it over and fillet the backside of the front shoulder.
Now fillet the loins and neck. Then cut the meat off the ribs. Finally, slice all the meat between the ribs. Be careful not to puncture the
intestines.
I'm now halfway done. Notice that I have not even gutted the animal. Flip the animal and debone the other side.
Now gut the animal, remove the heart and liver (they're both edible) as well as the so-called tenderloins on each side of the spine at the
top of the ribs.
Remove the cape and hide and store them in bags, too.
What to do with bags of meat
Hang the meat bags in shade. A good place is the north side of a spruce or other conifer, close to the trunk. If possible, hang the meat
on a north or northeast-facing slope.
During the night, take the meat out and spread it out to cool.
In the morning, put the meat back in the meat sack and place it on a sleeping pad and then cover it with a sleeping bag. During the day,
keep the meat inside a backpack tent or someplace else
where you won't have flies.
To keep the meat cool and to prevent desiccation in arid areas, you can use a spray bottle to spray a mist of water on the meat bags
occasionally.
If you follow these rules, you can keep meat a week very easily. When you get home, you'll have clean meat ready to cut into smaller
pieces, such as steaks and roasts.
Where allowed and when I have time, I make the final step of cutting and wrapping the meat myself at camp or at a butcher facility
that will allow me to do my own cutting and wrapping.
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