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From Idaho Fish & Game: From field to freezer:
tips for processing your big game animal |
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October 13, 2015 |
By Roger Phillips
Public Information Specialist
You successfully shot a deer, elk or other big
game animal. Now the work begins. You want to
properly process the animal so you get many
healthy, enjoyable meals from it.
Here’s the basic cheat sheet: Gut it, skin it,
keep it clean and keep it cool.
But you should know more if you want the best
quality game meat, and you should. Not only will
it be better eating, it will give you the
satisfaction knowing you harvested and processed
safe, organic and nutritious meat from pulling
the trigger to sizzling it in the frying pan.
Here’s how to make it happen:
In the field
• Be prepared to process an animal any
time you’re hunting. Have your knives sharp,
game bags ready, rope and/or tarp to keep the
meat off the ground when you’re quartering.
• You may want to leave the hide on if
while removing the animal from the field,
depending on the outside temperature. There’s a
trade off because meat cools quicker when an
animal’s hide is removed, and retained body heat
contributes to faster spoiling.
• Remember it’s always easier to keep
meat clean than remove dirt later, and dirt
carries bacteria.
• For smaller animals such as deer and
pronghorn, hang and skin the animal when you get
them out of the field. A skinned animal cools
quicker. Larger animals such as elk and moose
should be quartered for cooling. A large animal
left with the hide on can spoil even in freezing
temperatures.
• Clean your knife after gutting an
animal, or use a different one when you start
quartering. You don’t want to introduce bacteria
from the entrails to the meat.
At camp or at home
• Try to keep meat hung in camp or at
home below 40 degrees. Bacteria grow more
rapidly above 40 degrees. Temperatures below 40
degrees slow bacterial growth, but will not kill
it.
• Use clean, cool water to rinse as much
blood off as possible from the carcass and trim
away blood-shot meat. Scrape away gelled blood.
Blood’s pH level makes it susceptible to
bacteria.
• You can also wipe a carcass with a
solution of water and vinegar, which kills
bacteria.
• Get as much water as possible off the
carcass before putting a game bag on it. If
insects aren’t an issue, let it air dry
overnight.
• Do not allow the carcass to freeze
while hanging. It stops the tenderizing process,
and if frozen within 12 hours of the kill can
make the meat tough.
• If you’re hanging meat in camp, keep it
in the shade. If the carcass or quarters will be
directly exposed to the sun during the day,
string a tarp in front of it.
• Aging a carcass for 5-7 days can
improve tenderness, but should only be aged that
long if the temperature can be held between 34
and 40 degrees. A meat-processing facility is
your best bet.
• Aging is not recommended for young
animals or those with little or no fat covering.
Young animals are already tender, and lean
animals will dry during aging.
• Do not age a game carcass if it is shot
during warm weather and not chilled rapidly, if
the animal was severely stressed prior to the
kill (such as running a long distance), or if
there is extensive gun-shot wounds.
• Meat that is to be ground into burger
or sausage does not need to be aged.
• Do-it-yourself meat cutters can watch a
new video on Idaho Fish and Game’s website that
shows how to butcher and prepare big game for
the freezer. How to remove the muscle groups
from the bone, deciding on various cuts, and how
to properly package are all covered. The video
is at
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/content/game-processing-video.
In the kitchen
• Cook steaks, chops and roasts to an
internal temperature of at least 145 degrees for
deer, elk antelope, moose, bighorn sheep and
mountain goats. Note: There is some disagreement
over minimum cooking temperatures for game. U.S.
Food and Drug Administration recommends minimum
of 165 degrees for game, but 145 for domestic
beef. Several states, including Idaho, Alaska
and Minnesota recommend 145 degree minimum for
game meat. In addition, the Minnesota Department
of Health explains that venison should be cooked
to at least 160° F to reduce the risk of
foodborne illness. Once the internal temperature
of venison is confirmed with a food thermometer
and has reached 160° F, it is safe to eat,
regardless of the color of the meat, which may
still have a pinkish color. Some folks like
venison medium rare. Bacteria on whole cuts,
like steaks or roasts, usually are just on the
surfaces so these cuts can be cooked to a
minimum internal temperature of 145° F.
• Cook ground game meat (burgers,
sausage, etc.) to an internal temperature of at
least 160-degrees Fahrenheit. Ground meat is
more susceptible to bacteria during processing
than steaks, chops and roasts.
• Center for Disease Control recommends
cooking all bear and mountain lion meat to at
least 160 degrees because they can carry
trichinosis.
• Use an instant-read, digital meat
thermometer when cooking. You want to reach the
minimum temperature, but you don’t want to
overcook game. It is very lean, and overcooked
meat will be dry and tough.
• Trim meat of any fat and silver
membrane, especially if you’re grilling or
frying steaks, which will improve the flavor.
Fat is often the cause of a strong “gamey”
flavor.
• Properly handled game meet will last
about a year in a freezer at 0-degrees.
Sources: Mr.
Phillips has indicated his sources include Penn
State Cooperative Extension, Clemson Cooperative
Extension, U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
U.S. Center for Diseases Control, Minnesota
Department of Health. |
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