# How long is venison good if unfrozen?



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I'll try to keep this brief.

A friend dropped off a deer on the 16th. I quartered it and hung the quarters up in the garage. Some was cut into chunks and went directly to buckets full of saltwater. The rest was put in the saltwater by the 20th. There was ice crystals in the water by the 19th and the saltwater was replaced a couple of times.

I brought some to the butcher on the 21st for sausage and froze the remaining trimmings until yesterday. It's been in the fridge and wasn't completely unfrozen last night.

I cannot smell so I don't have any way to check to see if it is still good. I think I will make the sausage today since I bought the pork trimmings on the 25th.

Since I have the stuff I think I'll go ahead and grind the sausage but how will I know if it's okay to eat? Without smell my sense of taste is off too.

Thanks.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Hold it closer to the screen so I can smell it

(No one here can tell you if it's still good, but I've kept meat in coolers for up to 7 days with no spoilage)


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

As long as it's kept around 40 or lower, I'd say up to a couple weeks... I've had a deer hang that never froze for about a week and a half with no problem.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks. It looks fine to me. I wish I could still smell.

I did find an article in one of the outdoor magazines where the author said she ages venison for up to 17 days in temps up to 40 F.

I'm just jumpy because when I brought the meat to the butcher for sausage he took one look at it and grabbed several piece to smell. I asked what was wrong and he said it didn't look good but it smelled fine. I asked if the color was off but he wouldn't say. I said that I had soaked in several changes of salt water to pull the blood out. He said he'd never heard of that and the only people that he knew soaked it in salt water were trying to save meat that was going bad.

I asked him several times if it was still good but he just said that he wouldn't send me home with bad sausage. They have a very good reputation and make great sausage. I decided to only have them do 1/2 and now I'm doing the other 1/2 at home. I think I'll make it and then try just a short chunk and wait a day to see if it makes my stomach gurgle or worse.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I never put it in water, but I salt it lightly while it's aging in the coolers.
It doesn't stay cold enough here to hang one outside.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Well I made the sausage today and ended up with enough to make a sausage patty for testing. No stomach gurgling so it must be okay. I suppose I could still hit a spoiled chunk if there are any.

Most of the time there was ice crystals in the buckets so it was plenty cold.


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I don't get the whole notion of soaking in water, or salt water? Wouldn't want my venison getting wet, if I could avoid it.

All you need to do is get it refrigerated, and it will keep in pretty good shape for a week.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I soak in salt water or baking soda water to draw some of the blood out of the meat. IMO it reduces the wild taste. I normally do it for 5-7 days and exchange the water daily.


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

If soaking in salt water improves taste, why wouldn't processors of beef do this? Why don't you soak a steak or pork chop in a pan of water a few days before eating it?

Not trying to change your thinking, but I have a real hard time believing this will do anything to "improve" meat. My feeling is the immersion in water will reduce quality.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

The purpose is to reduce the strong game flavor. That isn't needed with beef.


----------



## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

So the venison you got was eating a diet of acorns primarily? In our area they feast on the farmers' corn and the meat isn't strong.

You didn't say why you can't smell real well. Next time you see your dr. you might ask if doing salt water washes in your nose 1X OR 2X a day would help. From the animals, wood smoke and other irritants in our house I have diminished sense of smell too. If I don't get lazy and stop doing the salt water washes I can smell odors/fragrances a whole lot better. I get pkts. from Walgreens and boil the water and let it cool to body temp. before doing the procedure. It also helps reduce sinus headaches for me... I know this is not the advice you asked for but I hope it's helpful.


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

For what it's worth, the strong game flavor associated with venison is largely the result of poor handling, processing and preparation.

Handling -
Try to make clean kills so they die very quickly.
Get the guts out immediately.
Keep everything as clean as possible.
Get the carcass skinned and in refrigeration (below 40F) immediately and hang for a couple days. 

Processing -
Debone, do not saw through bones and leave bone with the cuts.
Remove all fat, deer fat tastes bad
Discard all bloodshot meat, pick off hairs, etc. 
Remove all "silver skin". This is the tough membrane on outside of and between the different muscles. It is both tough as heck, and tastes bad.
Don't screw with the nasty tough meat below the knees or the rib meat, give it to the dogs.
Front leg meat and neck meat is primarily for grinding. 

Preparation -
Venison is "super lean". For steak type cuts, you need to cook rare. If you cook a steak well done it will be tough and dry.
Being so lean, burger doesn't stick together well. If you want to grill burgers, mix with egg, crackers, etc. like meat loaf to bind together. Cook them rare.
In stews, soups, chill, roasts, etc. I don't think you will find much difference between it and beef. 

Venison Backstrap Recipe:
Half of one backstrap trimmed of all silver skin.
Rub it down good with a brown sugar based (salt, pepper & spices) rub such as "grub rub".
Wrap 3-4 slices of good bacon around it and toothpick in place.
Get a charcoal grill good and hot and place meat right over the hot coals for about 5-7 minutes, flip once for another 5 minutes or so.
You want the outside a little black and caramelized, and inside rare.
Take off grill, let it set and rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Cross cut it with a sharp knife in 1/4" or thinner slices and it should look like rare prime rib. 
I like a little horse radish with mine like you have with prime rib.

A few folks that previously claimed to not like venison, rant and rave over how good this is. Some folks have a mental block about either the rare cooking or the fact that is is deer and won't ever enjoy it. More for us


----------

