Wet aging Venison

[gtk]

Going to try this soon.. I know it makes a huge diff when i thaw out a piece of venison, and let sit in the fridge for several days before cooking

http://www.themeateater.com/cook/butchering-and-processing/the-why-and-how-of-wet-aging-big-game

 

[WTM]

i always wet age deer for about 5-7 days, but i dont break it down, i do the boneless subprimals packed is plastic bags and then packed in an ice cooler. for younger deer, ive found anything over 7 days and the meat gets too tender. you can tear it apart with your fingers.

the "blood" is not blood but myoglobin.

 

[TX300mag]

I've done 21 days a few times and have been happy.


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[AT Hiker]

I actually have some wet aging now, going on 7 days Sunday. I'm going to repackage it tomorrow and do another 7.

I usually dry age so I'm anxious to see the difference.


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[Snowwolfe]

Try cooking a steak via the sous verde method then putting it on a hot grill to get some char marks on it. Most likely it will be the best venison steak you ever ate.

 

[gtk]

I actually have some wet aging now, going on 7 days Sunday. I'm going to repackage it tomorrow and do another 7.

I usually dry age so I'm anxious to see the difference.


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results ?

 

[AT Hiker]

I actually have some wet aging now, going on 7 days Sunday. I'm going to repackage it tomorrow and do another 7.

I usually dry age so I'm anxious to see the difference.


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results ?

Family emergency came up before I could do anything so back in the freeze it went. By the time it thaws back out and I let I sit in the fridge uncovered before I cook it...I'm looking at close to 20 days on this one. Very anxious to try it.

I can assure you I will revisit this thread once I do.



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[AT Hiker]

results ?

Best I can remember I wet aged this mule deer roast for around 18 days. I let it sit in fridge for 7 days, re vacuumed seal it on day 8 and back in the freezer it went because I had to go out of town and wasn't sure when I would be back.
In the freezer for 5 more days then back I fridge for 8 days. Family issues came up so back in freezer for a week. Took it out Sat and let it thaw on counter, something else came up so into the fridge it went for 2.5 days. For lunch today I trimmed all silver skin and sinew off and took a ordinary roast and cut small 1/2" steaks out of it.

I let these steaks rest and come to room temp after I rubbed olive oil and salt/pepper on them. Got a cast iron skillet super hot and only used the oil on the steak to sear for approx 1.5 mins per side. Turned burner off and put a tablespoon of real butter on top of steaks (evenly divided). I let the butter melt and turned the steaks over and made sure to baste the steaks in melted butter. Let them sit for about 5 mins and consumed.

I will say, without a doubt these "roast" turned into some excellent steaks! The wet aging was a lot of work to remember to keep up with, especially when your unsure of your schedule. The flavor wasn't as deep as dry aging but the tenderness was unreal.

With 100% certainty it was worth it and I seriously doubt a anti wild game eater would thumb his nose to these steaks.
I'm wondering if a combination of wet and dry aging would produce the perfect venison steak.

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[gtk]

I've got some mule deer tenderloin and elk backstrap wet aging now. Going to leave it as long as I can, which I doubt will be much over a week.. I"m anxious to try the mule deer as I've never had it.

 

[AT Hiker]

I might add that the "roast" was from the front shoulder.

Let us know how it works for you!


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[TX300mag]

I think you're on to something AThiker. I'm following closely.

I've got four whole backstraps that have been in a container for 16 days. I've pulled them out to rinse, but that's all. I'm going to vacuum seal them today and give them some more time. I've done 21 before, but I think I'll push to 28 this time to see what it's like.


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[gtk]

I've got some mule deer tenderloin and elk backstrap wet aging now. Going to leave it as long as I can, which I doubt will be much over a week.. I"m anxious to try the mule deer as I've never had it.

I couldn't wait any longer. The temps are going to be in the teens later this week, so i wanted to get outside and grill it before i ended up with frozen fingers.

anyway, i cooked it to 125-130 degrees internal, and let it sit a few mins, and the tenderloin and the backstrap were "cut with a fork" tender ! I will definitely be doing this again

i wonder, if you wet aged it for 10-14 days, then refroze, it would still be as tender ? i may try this just so I can have some "wet aged" in a hurry.

 

[JJ3]

I had to try this out. I wet aged 2 pieces of backstraps (about 2.5 lbs each) from a mature buck we killed last year. Total wet age time was 21 days. I had thawed them, vacuum sealed, and then removed, dried and re-vacuum sealed on days 8 and 16.

I cut the loins into 1 3/4" thick filets. One set of filets I marinated for about 10 hrs in a soy mixture, the other set I simply treated with a basic rub at time of cooking (salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder). I cooked them for about 8 min on the grill turning once aiming for medium rare and pretty much nailed it. They came out quite nice. Son-in-law (who appreciates well prepared meats) was duly impressed.

I can't say if they were more tender than they would have been, but they were good tasting pieces of meat. I don't think a non-hunter would have been able to guess that they weren't beef.

Thanks for sharing the link and introducing me to wet aging.