Who does it?
I harvested a buck last Sunday and quarter him. He's been aging in a igloo cooler with ice since.Processing today or tomorrow.
Some folks don't like the somewhat mild to moderate aging smell. Tastes just fine. Backstrap tonight.

Do you process right away or age?

Sarge

Like to age when possible, last few years been boning in the field and storing the parts in a cooler with ice, but without any air transfer it gets a little sour smelling so I try to process in a few days...still tastes good...I think aging works better hanging skin on in the right temp. down side is skinning a cold deer, not quite like peeling a banana when warm, lol....

We hang them from 1-7 days in the cooler, hide on. Depending on my availability to process, and how many are hanging.

We age all of our game meat, hide on also if possible.
Garages works most of the time during hunting season but we do have access to a walkin cooler with a Coolbot.
Hung an elk for 23 days one, it was still tough, lol.

I knew a guy in NE that let a deer hang until the flies ate the eyeballs out, then cut it up. I cut it up soon, package it and freeze it, then unthaw it and eat it. I think freezing it helps.

I get it home ASAP, and get it pealed. Then I let it hang for a few days or a week, depending on the air temps.

If the temps cooperate and stay between 33? and about 43? I?ll leave them hang up to 10 days. I think it makes a big difference in the quality of the meat.

Down here in the South, we don't hang deer unless you have a walk-in cooler. They don't do well in the garage when the heat index is 105 degrees...lol

About a week in an ice bath in a cooler...quartered up. Usually drain water and add more ice mid-week.

Then do my own processing...which involves cutting off bone and removing all sinew/cartilage/silver tissue. Then slicing meat into various size pieces, cross hatch cubing, then vacuum sealing.

I don't grind any. Don't care for venison burger in anything. I cube it all.

I never have.Half of the meat gets ground so no point in aging that and the steaks and chops get marinated for 2-10 days as I consume it and it does get a little more tender towards the 10 days.My 2 cents anyway.

Do you just slow cook it then? I mix 20 percent bacon with it and grind into hamburger then make patties and freeze.Quick delicious meal.

I make apple sausage out of my ground venison. I used to mix it with about 20% pork fat but switched to beef fat and like it a lot better.

I've mixed it with bacon and with beef fat and ground it. Tried 50%, tried 80% fat, tried 33% bacon. Tried it over and over again.
It just has a taste I dont like in burger meat. It changes chili and spaghetti flavor. Hamburgers are a definite no.

Now the cubed....it cooks rapidly....either cube steak and gravy in a skillet, floured and fried, or grilled. Delicious!

I package the smaller pieces together and the larger pieces together. The larger cubed pieces grill nicely in about 5 or 6 minutes per side. No knife needed.....tear apart with a fork.

Back when brisket was fairly cheap before Yankees got electric oven pellet smokers, I would grind 50/50 . I believe you would find that satisfactory Swamp

And shoot by the way you feed them things out they should taste like a finished steer anyway lol

The quality taste is there.

Just bought the first half ton of corn yesterday....


But, there is a lot of natural food this year...

What is the fruit in that first pic, Swamp? I don't recognize the leaves...

Persimmons

I age loins and backstraps in the fridge. Soak in salt water for 2 days and then dry off. Put in a sealed Tupperware container for 8-10 days. Pull the meat out every couple of days and dry good with paper towels. Dry the container out too. We?ve all noticed the difference in taste and tenderness.

All the other cuts get frozen and used for roasts, stews or jerky.

I?m with Mr. Swamp. I?ve never cared for the taste of it ground. Tried it every way possible except for how Mr. Kidd suggested with the brisket. I can?t see grinding up $100 though.

I sure wish a whitetail was better eating.
Don?t get me wrong. We eat a couple a year, and the wife can make ?em taste good. But when you gotta ?make them? taste good, then they aren?t great to start with.
There?s a reason goats aren?t as popular for meat as beef and pork lol.

Squirrel is still my favorite wild game. If a deer tasted like that we?d pile them up come season lol.

Forgive her Swamp

She ain?t from around here bless her heart lol