Venison Vs Beef Controversy Ended
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beenthere
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I prefer venison over beef.
Butchered right, and cooked right, it is the best.
Butchered right, and cooked right, it is the best.
rekees4300
Elite Member
ditto ... Whatever happened to the CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) danger from deer meat that was in the news a few years ago? The council didn't mention that.
catfishdaddyengineering
Silver Member
One of my friends at work said he hated deer meat. I told him that it was probably not cleaned nor cooked right. So I brought him some that we had processed. He LOVED it! We take great care in cleaning and butchering. My mom does all of the burger and sausage, and she takes a long time making sure she gets off all tallow, muscle sheathing, and tendons. She then adds bacon ends for extra fat and grinds it.
But I think the biggest part of the whole process is that we still-hunt and drop them dead. I grew up dog hunting on family hunting club, and that meat does not compare to ours now because of dogs running the deer for hours with adrenalin pumping into the meat.
But I think the biggest part of the whole process is that we still-hunt and drop them dead. I grew up dog hunting on family hunting club, and that meat does not compare to ours now because of dogs running the deer for hours with adrenalin pumping into the meat.
/pine
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Properly cared for venison can be as good as any prime beef...it all depends on a quality kill shot and how the animal is handled from the minute it hits the ground...
quickly removing the entrails and getting the "cooling process" started is paramount...
The best information I have ever seen on the subject is in a book by Charles Elliot who was an avid sportsman and writer for Outdoor life for many years...
...look for his book 'Care of Game Meat and Trophies'
...personally, I like to hang my deer with the hide on for 7-10 days in an aging locker...once the hide is removed the entire carcass is nice and pink...nothing is dried out....I do not use a saw or gind anything...I bone it all and tripple wrap the steaks and roasts for the freezer and the scraps are made into jerky....seasoned, smoked (with real wood) and dried in the oven at very low heat (no dehydrator)
if you read the book cited above...the author puts a lot of myths to rest...for instance...it is NOT necessary to remove the gonads of male animals immediately...it is much more important to avoid the musk glands (of which there are several on the rear legs) contaminating a knife or your hands can ruin the meat of an entire animal...
here is a link to his book
Care of Game Meat and Trophies by Charles Newton Ell... - eBay (item 260662800202 end time Nov-09-10 12:26:52 PST)
quickly removing the entrails and getting the "cooling process" started is paramount...
The best information I have ever seen on the subject is in a book by Charles Elliot who was an avid sportsman and writer for Outdoor life for many years...
...look for his book 'Care of Game Meat and Trophies'
...personally, I like to hang my deer with the hide on for 7-10 days in an aging locker...once the hide is removed the entire carcass is nice and pink...nothing is dried out....I do not use a saw or gind anything...I bone it all and tripple wrap the steaks and roasts for the freezer and the scraps are made into jerky....seasoned, smoked (with real wood) and dried in the oven at very low heat (no dehydrator)
if you read the book cited above...the author puts a lot of myths to rest...for instance...it is NOT necessary to remove the gonads of male animals immediately...it is much more important to avoid the musk glands (of which there are several on the rear legs) contaminating a knife or your hands can ruin the meat of an entire animal...
here is a link to his book
Care of Game Meat and Trophies by Charles Newton Ell... - eBay (item 260662800202 end time Nov-09-10 12:26:52 PST)
texasjohn
Super Member
OMG!! There are actually other people who do what I do:
Head shot
Bleed it out immediately
Gut immediately, within 1 hr
Let it hang a while
Bone it out
Remove tendons, sheathing, etc.
Process immediately
package and freeze immediately
Enjoy good venison!
By the way, Axis meat is actually, IMHO, even significantly better than either beef or venison...assuming it is shot and prepared as indicated above.
Add to that the fact that it is NOT considered a game animal in Texas (not native) and thus can be harvested year round, 24 hrs a day, is twice the size of a whitetail, horns are more impressive, hide is impressive, easier to see in brush, much more of a mid day animal than nocturnal and thus can be hunted after a late morning breakfast, no limit on number/sex/age that can be taken.....what's not to like???
Head shot
Bleed it out immediately
Gut immediately, within 1 hr
Let it hang a while
Bone it out
Remove tendons, sheathing, etc.
Process immediately
package and freeze immediately
Enjoy good venison!
By the way, Axis meat is actually, IMHO, even significantly better than either beef or venison...assuming it is shot and prepared as indicated above.
Add to that the fact that it is NOT considered a game animal in Texas (not native) and thus can be harvested year round, 24 hrs a day, is twice the size of a whitetail, horns are more impressive, hide is impressive, easier to see in brush, much more of a mid day animal than nocturnal and thus can be hunted after a late morning breakfast, no limit on number/sex/age that can be taken.....what's not to like???
gsganzer
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Seriously though. The key to great venison is to age it. Beef is always aged to some degree, although beef labeled as "aged beef" is something entirely different.
Aged venison is incredible. The aging process breaks down the connective tissue and tenderizes the meat. It should never taste gamey. Quality venison should have an earthy or herb like flavor, never rank or gamey. There are charts that will tell you the proper temp vs. time ratio for correct aging. It's worth it.
Aged venison is incredible. The aging process breaks down the connective tissue and tenderizes the meat. It should never taste gamey. Quality venison should have an earthy or herb like flavor, never rank or gamey. There are charts that will tell you the proper temp vs. time ratio for correct aging. It's worth it.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
While I would love to hunt on my own land, where I can control time to dressing, field sanitation, and proper aging, the reality is that I usually go out with 10 - 15 friends.
We camp 100 miles from home and hunt all day, which means the first deer shot lays in the back of the truck until lunch or the end of the day. They don't always conveniently expire right on the side of the road, and I have helped carry many a deer a mile or more through rough terrain.
We do dress it out pretty well in camp and our deer have very little hair on them, sometimes none. They hang in nature's own refrigerator until the end of the season and are butchered in a garage. But we do wash down the plywood with bleach before we use it.
Yep, it tastes gamey, but this is the practicality of hunting with a larger party.
Haven't killed anyone yet, or even gotten sick so it must be sort of OK.
I promise I will try to teach all these guys proper game handling right after I teach them land navigation (most of them have no earthly idea how or even why to adjust a compass for declination). I consider someone getting lost and spending the night in the woods a higher priority issue than gamey tasting deer.
But, we have more fun and companionship than they guys who shoot deer in their backyards.
We camp 100 miles from home and hunt all day, which means the first deer shot lays in the back of the truck until lunch or the end of the day. They don't always conveniently expire right on the side of the road, and I have helped carry many a deer a mile or more through rough terrain.
We do dress it out pretty well in camp and our deer have very little hair on them, sometimes none. They hang in nature's own refrigerator until the end of the season and are butchered in a garage. But we do wash down the plywood with bleach before we use it.
Yep, it tastes gamey, but this is the practicality of hunting with a larger party.
Haven't killed anyone yet, or even gotten sick so it must be sort of OK.
I promise I will try to teach all these guys proper game handling right after I teach them land navigation (most of them have no earthly idea how or even why to adjust a compass for declination). I consider someone getting lost and spending the night in the woods a higher priority issue than gamey tasting deer.
But, we have more fun and companionship than they guys who shoot deer in their backyards.
The Dougster
Gold Member
Having grown up in Central Texas, I was taught to field dress the deer IMMEDIATELY after the kill and swear by this.... a couple of years ago, one of my hunters had shot a nice buck... a little later, I dropped by the small house my hunters stay in and lo and behold, the buck was still laying on the ground without having been field dressed... he told me he planned to take the deer to a meat market in a town that was on his way home (about 40-miles away)... "They'll field dress it for only $15".... I couldn't believe what I was seeing/hearing...
I honestly believe that the man didn't know how to field dress the deer. Had it not been so doggone cold and windy, I would have given him a few lessons... He is a self described, "City Boy".... <sigh>
I honestly believe that the man didn't know how to field dress the deer. Had it not been so doggone cold and windy, I would have given him a few lessons... He is a self described, "City Boy".... <sigh>
texasjohn
Super Member
I recall one high priced hunter who came out with one of those REALLY EXPENSIVE rifles, fine inlay, etc.... had a good time hunting in a tree blind, went home.... and I got a call next day noonish....seems he had left the gun in the tree overnight....I went out and picked it up...we'd had a nice mist overnight..... didn't help the finish on the gun at all:drool:
Never could understand how a fellow could forget his rifle.
Never could understand how a fellow could forget his rifle.
