Hanging does many things but it does not make a lean meat carcass like a deer, taste better. The reason for hanging is for the enzymes to start breaking down the muscle tissue and make the meat tender. During this process the "flavor" is enhanced, whether that flavor be good or bad. Gaminess will get gamier, not milder. The fat also breaks down some and will add flavor to the meat which usually means gaminess. Hanging for any length of time over 24-36hrs in anything other than 33-36degrees F will also speed up the process and allow other flavors to get into the meat. Flavors in the surrounding air will be absorbed especially in a garage for instance. It has to do with the higher temps allowing more humidity. Hanging with the hide also slows the cooling process down no matter if ice is used in the cavity. I never hang my animals with a hide and no slaughter house does either. I have actually seen "heated rounds" in deer that have come from ME years back when they were killed, hung with the hide, and the outside air was too cold, causing the hide to insulate the meat to the point where the meat deep in the hind, close to bone, was rotted upon cutting it up. Of course, they too, hung the deer to age it for over a week.
Deer are vegetarians and are what they eat. If they're eating a lot of acorns their meat is often hard to eat due to the taste. This is because a lot of the flavors and even the fragrances are held in the fat. Same for the bones. I bone out my deer completely and remove all fat making all cuts into all boneless cutlets.
Aging also dries the meat out. When you have an animal who's meat moisture quantity is already low, why dry it more? All my deer are processed completely no later than 36hrs after killing them. The only thing I won't do is make my sausage until a few weeks later with the trimmings being froze.
I know many will disagree but that's fine. I grew up working in our family's USDA slaughterhouse. We butchered some of the fanciest beef raised in New England for many high end specialty farms and exclusive restaurants in Boston. Many years of experience in temperature, humidity, hanging time, grind amounts, fat ratios, etc. kept us with the #1 rated federally inspected slaughter house in the NE USA. This rating was based on the gov's own rating system and customer's feedback. It was our business' dedication to constantly be improving the whole process that kept us at the top until we closed the doors.
We also cut up over 150+ deer a year with some of those deer even coming in immediately after being killed so we could dress them out for checking. (yes, we did the field dressing in house if the hunters were close and the kill was fresh). On the return of the carcasses from checking, they were immediately skinned and hung the rest of the week to be cut on Sat. If a deer came in on Thurs., it was cut on sat.
Now, will a big buck be more tender with some hanging, yes, will it taste better with the hanging, not really. Getting the hide off ASAP, pulling all kidney fat out, and letting the meat cool to air temp first, before refrigerating it to the 33-36d, that will make it taste better.
Why is pulling the hide ASAP important? The hide has one main purpose, to protect the deer. It's water repellent, it helps the deer float (hairs are hollow), and because of those hollow hairs, insulates the deer, both from hot and cold. Now, when it's left on after gutting, it insulates the meat from the cold on the outside, but the interior carcass (now exposed and cooling off) actually traps the heat from coming out due to the "cool" layer (about 1") trapping the heat between the hide (insulation). With this trapped heat, even though it will eventually cool down, the meat is actually souring and adding "flavor". And it's this "souring" that accentuates the gaminess even more.
All of the above is the basics of the butchering process and known to true meat processors. I encourage those who butcher their own to actually try what I've stated and see if there's a difference. You will have juicier, better tasting venison.
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Lol. No really, how long do you guys let your animals hang before you prosses them? I have always let mine hang at least a couple days, longer if weather permits it.
