spoiled meat

[nchunterkw]

[quote="Horizontal Hunter
To age or not age is a timeless discussion right up there with which broadhead is best; does Ford or Chevy make the best truck.

Bob[/quote]

The answers are obvious. The BH I use and the truck I drive. RamCat Fixed Blades and Ram Trucks.

[nchunterkw]

You are correct it makes it taste way better. The game taste lays within the blood of a critter to some degree. As per your avatar, Bison is the worst offender here in a lot of cases due to the fact that Hunter travels long way and wants to take meat home day after shot. Kinda hard to throw the bison in back and drive home so majority have it processed on the spot, no hang time at all. Try bringing it home this way and you will see tremendous taste difference for the better.

Well, I'm gonna give this a go. If I am blessed to pop another deer, I'm gonna soak it and drain it for several days and then do a side by side backstrap comparison!

[Goose52]

Bob[/quote]

The answers are obvious. The BH I use and the truck I drive. RamCat Fixed Blades and Ram Trucks. [/quote]

well, there goes all your credibility!

[Cossack]

Aging has to be done in a controlled atmosphere with a (constant) temperature just above freezing. It does promote meat tenderness, because the meat is starting to break down, aka rot. The contamination you notice is likely from coliform bacteria associated with the gut. It cannot be completely eliminated if it was spread onto meat during field dressing.
I've never found it necessary to 'age' venison. I skin it asap, wash and drip dry if necessary, let it set up (rigor mortis), overnight if temps allow, and cut it up the next day. That produces meat that is good tasting, and tender ...if it's cooked correctly. Only time I've had spoilage as you describe was when the deer wasn't recovered until the next day, some 24 hrs later, in around 50°F temp. Same symptoms, but lost some meat around vent and next to paunch like the tenderloins.

[sipsey]

Our family has experimented over the years with variations on "controlled" aging. Our results seemed to mirror some rather extensive studies carried out by Texas A&M University several years ago. They concluded a quickly dispatched young doe aged 4-7 days was the best table fare. I gut and quarter deer as quickly as possible and then bag the meat in tough plastic bags which are twist tied and placed in an extra fridge for 7 days. There are serious world class chefs who concur that controlled aging makes for better tasting and more tender venison.

On a side note veteran Texas hog hunters use coolers of ice water with vinegar and lemon juice to make large boars rather tasty. They also use the same technique with old bucks. I soaked a couple of boar last year with excellent results.