Sooo…. Tell me about this icing thing. I asked on Smashers deer hunting thread also.

Yankee = Cold = Extended hanging/preservation.
Trying to understand what I am in for when I move south.

… quarter the deer…put the meat in an ice chest and cover in ice…. Drain water and add ice until water runs clear… it gets the blood out and ages the meat .. usually a week

Interesting, we go out of our way to keep meat cool and dry.

I got a bit to learn, it seems.

Its for warm weather when you dont have the luxury of a walk in cooler. A fridge dedicated to meat cooling works good for stuff like deer or hogs. Put the meat in plastic totes with pieces of wood in the bottom to keep the meat off the plastic. Takes some scavenging to find the right size to fit the fridge. If you just lay the meat on the racks it will work but getting the bottom of the fridge clean again takes some effort. Filling a fridge with hot meat puts a strain on it. Especially in hot weather, you still need to cool it with ice first.

We do the same. Cool dry and butcher for the freezer

We used to bowhunt antelope in Wyoming and after the first year we started doing just as how you explained it and never had a bad piece of meat. Even with game-bags and hanging meat in the shade we got blowflies on the meat.

I've also iced antelope when bowhunting them in August. When it is 90 degrees out you need to get that meat cooled off. I've thrown them in creeks as soon as I pulled the guts out of them to cool them off, or quarter them and get them on ice immediately. A lot of people don't like antelope meat, but all that I've ever taken care of and then ate was delicious. And attribute that to getting it cooled off fast. I've heard the cool and dry method touted a lot. But I've packed a lot of elk out in the pouring rain or snow, and sunk several bears in the creek for a couple days, and never had an issue. Now I would not want to leave meat setting in water that was half blood for several days, but if it is flowing cold water or ice and you drain off the first bunch that is full of blood you are fine. If you don't let it dry some before you cut it up it is slimy and a pain to cut up though.

Personally I don't care to age my meat (I know that is heresy to many folk) once it is cooled out and cold enough to be stiff and facilitate cutting it up, I cut it up as soon as I have time. I have let it hang for up to two weeks when I didn't have time to cut it up before, and the only real difference I noted is that you have to reskin the whole thing and waste time and meat. Never noticed a difference in flavor or tenderness, even between quarters off the same animal, between those that were hung and aged and those that were cut up immediately. Some of the best meals I've ever had are tenderloins that hit the frying pan while they were still warm from the animal. Used to be a tradition if we killed a deer or elk close to home or camp to fry those tenderloins up as soon as we got back.

They hang them that way in the Northeast also, Maine and such places. It's an eastern thing, if you ever see anyone hanging one head up out west you know they are a transplant.

Yeah we usually hang ‘em but we have had unseasonably warm weather and I didn’t want to chance anything. The meat isn’t straight on ice it is in bags inside the cooler with the ice to age a few days before I start cutting it up.
Sorry I meant to mention this last night but we were still in celebration mode

…. What you celebrate with Smasher?

… I dump ice straight on it and let melt … it’ll draw the blood out … after a few days of draining the water will run clear … it’s ready to process at that point

.. some take longer than others to run clear.. neck and head shot deer take the longest

Love,

Savell

Savell I drink beer and Chuckie likes the whiskey cause it’s gluten free. He used to drink all the beer but it’s all mine now!
I think I double lung’d this deer the way it went. I couldn’t be happier knowing it was quick for that animal.

We should all be so thankful for these gifts!
I keep replaying it all in my head and I’m sure you are too.

…. I liked the song… but what part of quartering away don’t you understand hillbilly?

… stomach untouched boy …. Now apologize

Love,

Savell

I’m happy for you … but I don’t replay nothing in my head … I’ve killed more deer than f150’s … killing deer is like pulling on my boots in the morning… just something I do lol

Love,

Savell

I’m not that experienced! As a late bloomer, as Bobby Jameson calls me, I take everything as a sort of trophy!

…. The picture below is posted for likes and attention



Admit it….not a bad haul for a skinny piece of crap

… as you should … some grow up killing food and don’t appreciate the hunt as much as we should I guess… still love it and can’t imagine not hunting

… I’d imagine getting into it late would make you feel like a kid again with the excitement it brings

Nice critter! And they say blondes have more fun! lol