My buddy shot a 4 pointer last Sunday, Nov. 27th. He butchered it last night. It hung for 7 days. When he skinned it the hide-side of the meat had a grey color to it. We have had temps. in the 50 - 60s with one day over 70. The meat didn't smell, but the grey color has me worried. Would YOU eat it?
I wouldn't touch it. If the temps had been at or below freezing, you would be fine, but not at those temps.
I hang my game for at least 5 days and for rutt deer I go 14 days and only in a cool enviroment though, I'd be sceptic on those temps.The longer you hang them the better they are.We age our beef for 21 days hanging! Rocky
The optimum temperature for microbial growth is 40-140 degrees. So with those temperatures, especially for 7 days, I would not eat that meat. I'm a Food Science/Food Safety student at KSU, and my old man is pretty well known in the Food Safety industry, so take my advice lol
Only way I am letting anything hang that long is frozen in a sterile environment. Our meat is typically quartered and deboned same day if not the next. We let it soak in ice water for three days. Changing the water twice the first day, and once a day thereafter. We season and let it sit refrigerator for a couple days when we are ready to eat. It's all about how you process, prepare, and cook it. I'm overly cautious. One of my good friends is a biochemist. He gets paid to grow bacteria. I've seen and heard too much.....
I wouldn't even let it hang 24 hours in those temps. No way would I chance eating any of it, smell or not.
Too long at that temp. I have hung deer and not hung deer and honestly cannot tell the difference. Better to go ahead and "Get-R Done." IMO However it is normal for meat to discolor some as it ages... the de-oxygenated meat fades and enzymes break it down, that's the idea of aging... Was it the inside of the hide against the meat that was turning gray or the outside "Hair side" of the skin? One thing for future reference which I have done is aged it (after processing) in my extra refrigerator for a day or two before transferring it to my freezer. I couldn't tell any difference though so I did not repeat it.
The meat was grey where it was touching the hide, It was grey about an inch into the meat. He wanted to use my grinder to make sausage and I told him no, I don't want it touching anything I'm going to use.
at those temps for that long! i would not trust that meat at all. other then the straps and tender loins we always age our meat in my uncles walk in cooler for a good couple weeks and we always have to cut off the lop layer of meat... but something tells me that is not the case with your buddies deer, not at those temps.
Nothing like wasting an animal. Letting that deer hang for that long in temps that high is as irresponsible as taking a poor shot. I say let your buddy eat it.
why hang for extended time ? Please tell me how parasites dont get into the carcass at 14 days hanging.
I see a major case of Diaheria in your friends future. Possibly the explosive varity that will show up on the (Rectum) scale. Or is that Richter? Anyways bon appetit.
walk in cooler! forty five minutes from now i will be back in the dorm throwing a venison burger into a frying pan with some mushrooms and onions. this was my dads deer and she was hanging for two and a half weeks at my uncles place. this has been my lunch at least twice a week sense he let the air out of her a little over a month ago and i am still kicking.
This is not the first deer he has let hang to long, I do not hunt with him, he works for me. As far as an irresponsible shot, He took it with a 12 gauge pump..............at 180 yards!! He missed with the first three shots. Can you say HAIL MARY? Thanks for the feedback everyone, Stu
