Sunday, September 14, 2014

Hunting Season

Several people have asked me to address the problem of wild game tasting "gamey."  I promised I would do so.  With bow season being just a couple of weeks away, I want to get this posted in time.  Daddy drives nearly 250 miles for me to process his deer.  Although I'm not claiming expertise in this area, I did process deer professionally in the early to mid 80's.


First, upon shooting the deer, bleeding it out is imperative.  Field dressing, (gutting) is not the first step.  The first step is bleeding the kill, so once it's down, slit the throat . . . I recommend digging a shallow hole so the blood can be covered, per Torah instruction.  In the photo above, you see Daddy and I skinning the carcass . . . he had already bled and field dressed the animal at the time he was hunting.

 If you cannot hang it from the hind legs to bleed it out, then at least hike or hoist it's hind end above the head and neck for good drainage.  Do not attempt to field dress before draining blood, or even simultaneously.  Many believe the blood will drain through field dressing, but this is a misnomer.   Field dressing or "gutting" actually interferes with the drainage and impairs the process of the circulatory system.  Do not attempt to field dress the animal until it has been properly bled. After bleeding the animal out, at the throat, then proceed to field dress.  Always hang the carcass, head down.  I've heard of folks using the rack to hang them, but this actually causes the meat to retain the blood, thus the "gamey taste."

The "gamey taste" is primarily the result of the way the animal is processed at death.  I remove the meat from the bones, for easier storage.  It takes much less space in the freezer.  
My aunt cans venison as well, but I'm not really a fan of canned red meat.  For those who keep kosher, the ribs are wonderful!  They are easily removed with a hacksaw, but many hunting supply stores have specific tools for meat processing.  I keep it simple.  Steaks, chops, stew meat, strips for stir fry or jerky, and ground are my choice of cuts.  I do enjoy fresh deer liver, but that isn't always possible.  The only specific tool I have for meat processing besides knives and a steel is a meat grinder.  I have one that is manual, but for now I enjoy an electric one.  After my daughter broke my food processor, grinding meat, I determined a heavy duty meat grinder was worth the investment. 

I truly hope this helps improve the flavor so more folks enjoy the meat.  Although I don't intentionally try to fool people, many guests have enjoyed dinner in my home and never realized they were eating venison.

 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;  And make me savoury meat, such as I love . . . Torah of Holy Scripture



No comments:

Post a Comment