Soaking your deer meat in salt water

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Tar Heel
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2002 2:23 pm

Soaking your deer meat in salt water

Post by Tar Heel »

I do not usually do this but I have a friend that does and I have been eating his at our deer camp and it is tender and taste good. I killed a
old doe last thursday and figure it will be gamey and tough so I am trying
his method. Does anybody on the forum do this.
The old man from the mountain
The Butcher
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Post by The Butcher »

I have done small game, things with many bb holes, just because grandfather used to do it, something about drawing the blood from the holes. Fact or fiction, I do not know. I do know, we never soaked our venison.
If you always tell the truth, there is nothing to remember. Mark Twain
pdislow
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Location: wilmington n.c.

Post by pdislow »

i have a neighbor that soaks it in salt water and then soaks it in fresh water to get the salt back out and has good results.
thanks philip
tcthomas
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Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:38 pm
Location: South Carolina

Post by tcthomas »

The salt is good for drawing blood out of the meat. Soaking in water is generally not considered a good idea as it will toughen meat.

I generally put my meat in closed draining pans in a refrigerator or cooler with salt sprinkled liberally over each layer as I put it in the container.

But each to his own. Whatever way you find that satisfies you. I think you'll find though, that scientifically speaking, the salt is doing the good, the water is working against you.


Tim
Last edited by tcthomas on Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
rmhaack
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Post by rmhaack »

I always soak my rabbit meat in salt water in the fridge for a day or so. Not really sure why, just the way my dad taught me I guess. It always tastes good but then again never really done it any other way.
Hoss
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Post by Hoss »

Dont soak it in water but rather bone it out and then put in a ice chest with ice..layer it....pull the plug everyday and drain the blood..add ice I do mine about 7 - 10 days..Its kinda like hangin your meat for a week before you butcher it...The cold ice makes the meat muscle contract tight and push the blood out..The blood is what gives it a gammy taste..the cold and time help age the meat and thus very tender...never soak in water..not a good idea....

I throw my fish on ice as soon as i catch it..it causes all the blood to go to the vital organs in an attempt to keep the fish alive..when im ready to fillet the fish they are so cold and dead filleting is simple..and all the blood is out of the meat...teh best way...
Dedicated.... ta all the sweet Bucks yet ta die!
Biker
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Post by Biker »

If the weather is cold enough, and I have the time, I will hang the meat for days, otherwise I cut it up into steaks for the freezer, grind it (I often add bacon fat if I grind it to give some grease when I fry it) or cut it up into cubes and can it. I have never wasted a bunch of salt on a deer. If I wish to season it, I do that just before and during cooking. I have never heard of anyone else salting their meat, except for way back when salt was used as a preservative. The key to tender deer is taking the choice cuts and cooking them slowly.
diesel
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Location: Westerville Ohio

Post by diesel »

Tar Heel,
I'm lucky we have a walk-in cooler so we always let the deer hang before we cut it up , just like beef 3 to 6 days.
If it is the gamie taste you want to get rid of. I will rinse with water let it drain. Next let it soak it milk 5 to 10 hours. Rinse with water and drain.
then season and cook at will.
My wife and daughter are not big meat eaters. This year they realy like the steak. I took the chop or back strap and we ran it through a cuber.
When I fix the steak I do the milk treatment over night rinse drain. Then soak it in Italian dressing, maybe add some liquid smoke and grill about
3 minutes on each side. The vinegar in the dressing helps make the meat tender and also adds a nice flavor to the meat.
My son can't eat enough of it that way. My wife likes it, and my daughter will eat it ok. Still not her favorite.
I have seen people use salt water, but for me it's the milk I think it does a better job.
Tar Heel
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Post by Tar Heel »

Thanks for the tips guys after the aging, salt water, and milk I should be able to gum the old doe.
The old man from the mountain
Hoss
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Post by Hoss »

thats to funny TH.......... :lol: slow cooking is one of the keys to tender meat thats for sure but preperation aid in the tenderness of meat and flavor.if done right you dont need anything to kill that bloody gamey or whatever taste that you get when it hasnt been aged.....IMHO...
Dedicated.... ta all the sweet Bucks yet ta die!
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new paradox
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Post by new paradox »

Up here we use soya sauce to help with the wild taste,and believe it or not corn starch to tenderize it.I got a young spiked buck and an old 5x5 this year in the same bushy area,plus a young doe in a farm field and you can not tell them apart.there is no gamey taste at all.Just take your meat and heavy sprincle corn starch on it them put enough soya sauce to wet the meat.Let it sit over knight,rinse off and spice up before you cook it.Water is bad it makes the meat tough.There are some tenderizer/marinades that require viniger in them,they work good because of the viniger.
BigUgly
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Post by BigUgly »

I have to admit I'm lucky. The area we hunt is agricultural so the deer are pretty much grain fed. Saying that I hunted for years in central Ontario and the meat from there was a lot different. Not saying it was not good just different. I like venison period, don't soak it very often maybe a spice rub but thats it. The biggest thing is do not over cook it, more venison is ruined by cooking it too long. People who like their beef well done should only cook their venison to medium.
Hoss
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Post by Hoss »

bigugly is right on.........venison is best medium or pink in the center...most tender that way....I think i will lay some out for dinner now that im thinin on it...

:wink:
Dedicated.... ta all the sweet Bucks yet ta die!
chris4570
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Post by chris4570 »

I don't age my deer. I don't soak 'em. I will marinate prior to cooking, and do my best to not overcook. The results have been excellent. Venison has it's own unique flavour, just as beef, pork and chicken do. You either like it or you don't

I don't think salt is a tenderizer. If it is used as a preservative it cannot be a tenderizer. A tenderizer will actually break down the protien molecules, and if left long enough will turn your toughest cuts into mush. Try using papaya juice if you want to tenderize your meat, or if you can find it papian(sp?) the enzyme responsible for the break down of the protien molecules.
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tcthomas
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Location: South Carolina

salt

Post by tcthomas »

People don't use salt to tenderize. Salt is used to draw the blood out of the meat, which as someone mentioned earlier, is where some of the 'gamey' taste comes from.

Tim
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