brain Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Hello i live in delaware and last sat. night i shot a 85 lb. doe.i waited an hour and a half and went back to the farm and found her.when i got her home i gutted her as i always do but since it was warm out i went ahead an skinned her out and quartered the meat and put it in the cooled with ice on it.the next day i cooked one of the backstraps and it was tough as leather.i have harvested many deer and i know how to cook them but ive never seen a young doe so tough.could it be from cutting it up so quick?if so how should i keep the meat from spoiling in the warm weather?thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? Weird, Alot of my buddies here believe in letting them hang in the freezer for 7 days before you cut them but I always cut mine up the next morning and have never had a problem. How bad was the Rig set in when you cut her up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brain Posted September 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? a little rig but not too stiff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? Tough meat solution. Take your favorite hammer and pound the crap out of it before you cook it!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? I'm one of those guys that likes to let mine hang. Fortunately I have a friend that has a walk-in cooler, so for a little $ I let mine hang for 4 to 7 days. I've read that there are natural tenderizers in the meat that if left to hang will tenderize it. I've also had people tell me that this only holds true for beef and not for venison. Either way, I still like to let it hang. That way I can butcher it on my time and not race against hot weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob_D Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? Having the meat to hang (or age) in a cool place will allow the enzimes in the meat to break down the connective tissue. This works for deer/moose/etc. as well as it works for cows. The older the deer, the longer it should hand. You should not have had a problem with that small deer, but every deer is different. Good resturants age meat for two reasons. 1) tenderize the meat. 2) Remove some of the water from the meat (water reduces the flavor of the meat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierbuck Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? The "tenderizing" which we are referring to is actually bacteria and enzymes beginning the decay process. Drying meat out reduces the overall yield. To each his own, but I usually butcher quickly and don't loose much to "locker burn" or over drying. I put more meat in the freezer, and it's always been good eating, whether it be an 85# doe or a 215# buck. We have even marked the packages and not been able to differentiate between meat quality on animals that different from each other. HB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? yep i butcher mine as fast as possible .. but that is strange that she was that tough .. maybe she was older than you think.. Shoot Strong Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 Re: tough meat? I have cooked backstraps off of hours dead deer, and never had a problem. Are you sure you didn't overcook them a bit. It doesn't take much to dry out venison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddhunter Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Re: tough meat? Our season dosen't open until Oct. but one year I hit a doe on my way to scout the first part of Sept. and she was very tuff. She was still giving milk too. May be the time of year that has something to do with it. Out of all the other deer I have killed in season none of them were tuff, even the ones I cut up the same day. I have heard that if they run a long ways after the shot they will be a little tuff. Just soak it in buttermilk overnight and that should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowhunterforlife Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Re: tough meat? Just a bad piece of meat, always cut mine up next day and always been tender .I say cut a fat steak off the rear and try again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brain Posted September 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Re: tough meat? Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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