I've always washed them with water. Every processor I've ever been to whether they were butchering deer, hogs or beef washed the skinned carcasses with water. I also put ice straight on the quartered game. Never had a problem and tastes just fine.
How would water stop any chemical break down in meat, since over 90% of the body (human or animal) is made up of water? If the meat is kept near freezing (which it will be if their is ice on it) bacteria should not be a problem.
Here are a couple of articles on processing game.
How Healthy is Venison?
Quote:
Quick field dressing prevents fermentation of the entrails. Besides removing the entrails, hunters should remove all organs from a deer's body cavity. The deer should then be hung to cool. If the body cavity is dirty or coated with stomach fluids, rinse it with clean, cold water and pat it dry with paper toweling. This sounds rudimentary, but many hunters, even seasoned ones, fail to take these precautions.
The air temperature and condition of the deer dictate if the carcass should be skinned immediately. If the temperature is cool, below 40 degrees, leave the hide on the deer until you get it to the processor. This prevents the meat from drying out.
Quote:
Palatability of venison hinges on several factors. Studies show that a deer's age, how far it runs after it was hit and how long the meat is cured all contribute to the meat's tenderness.
Young animals are generally tender by nature, and require little, or no aging to ensure tenderness. However, if the deer runs a great distance between wounding and death, there's a good chance it will expend all its glycogen reserves. When this happens, the pH level of the meat increases, speeding bacterial growth.
"Wounding or even the threat of danger instantaneously triggers the release of adrenaline, which accelerates the animal's heartbeat and constricts visceral blood vessels," said John Stransky, a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service. "This chemical-physiological chain reaction then floods the deer's muscles with blood - the fuel for defense or flight."
"The sudden and exaggerated metabolism of extra blood in muscle tissue produces a build-up of lactic and pyruvic acid, both metabolic waste products. Adrenaline in blood-engorged muscles, in combination with unlimited metabolic wastes, is the principal cause of strong or gamey-tasting cooked venison."
So, the quality of the venison hanging on the meat pole often depends on what took place in the hours, minutes or seconds before the animal's death. This also determines whether the venison should be aged.
The process of aging venison is controversial. Meat cannot be properly aged unless it's hung in a temperature-controlled room for 10 to 14 days. The temperature must remain between 34 and 37 degrees (Figure 3). This allows enzymes to break down some of the complex proteins in the carcass.
When done properly, aging usually improves venison's flavor and tenderness. The key word there is usually.
Few hunters have the facilities to properly age deer. Therefore, it's not wise to age meat by yourself.
How Much Meat Will Your Deer Yield?
How would water stop any chemical break down in meat, since over 90% of the body (human or animal) is made up of water? If the meat is kept near freezing (which it will be if their is ice on it) bacteria should not be a problem.
Here are a couple of articles on processing game.
How Healthy is Venison?
Quote:
Quick field dressing prevents fermentation of the entrails. Besides removing the entrails, hunters should remove all organs from a deer's body cavity. The deer should then be hung to cool. If the body cavity is dirty or coated with stomach fluids, rinse it with clean, cold water and pat it dry with paper toweling. This sounds rudimentary, but many hunters, even seasoned ones, fail to take these precautions.
The air temperature and condition of the deer dictate if the carcass should be skinned immediately. If the temperature is cool, below 40 degrees, leave the hide on the deer until you get it to the processor. This prevents the meat from drying out.
Quote:
Palatability of venison hinges on several factors. Studies show that a deer's age, how far it runs after it was hit and how long the meat is cured all contribute to the meat's tenderness.
Young animals are generally tender by nature, and require little, or no aging to ensure tenderness. However, if the deer runs a great distance between wounding and death, there's a good chance it will expend all its glycogen reserves. When this happens, the pH level of the meat increases, speeding bacterial growth.
"Wounding or even the threat of danger instantaneously triggers the release of adrenaline, which accelerates the animal's heartbeat and constricts visceral blood vessels," said John Stransky, a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service. "This chemical-physiological chain reaction then floods the deer's muscles with blood - the fuel for defense or flight."
"The sudden and exaggerated metabolism of extra blood in muscle tissue produces a build-up of lactic and pyruvic acid, both metabolic waste products. Adrenaline in blood-engorged muscles, in combination with unlimited metabolic wastes, is the principal cause of strong or gamey-tasting cooked venison."
So, the quality of the venison hanging on the meat pole often depends on what took place in the hours, minutes or seconds before the animal's death. This also determines whether the venison should be aged.
The process of aging venison is controversial. Meat cannot be properly aged unless it's hung in a temperature-controlled room for 10 to 14 days. The temperature must remain between 34 and 37 degrees (Figure 3). This allows enzymes to break down some of the complex proteins in the carcass.
When done properly, aging usually improves venison's flavor and tenderness. The key word there is usually.
Few hunters have the facilities to properly age deer. Therefore, it's not wise to age meat by yourself.
How Much Meat Will Your Deer Yield?
