Meat care

In order to make the best products from your game we need to start with game that has been Well taken care of. There are many theories on the best way to take care of game in the field. Personally, I use a proven method that is based on the principles used in the meat processing industry. The aim of this method is to make life harder for bacteria and flies by creating a cool, high-acid environment to slow their growth, limiting their food sources by bleaching out blood, making a protective glaze and by controlling flies. Processing your meat in the filed is an important part of hunting.No matter what kind of hunting, elk hunting, deer hunting, knowing how to take care of the meat can make the difference on how it tastes later. Do you want bad tasting meat or the best  meat you'll ever eat. It's  up to you !

THE GAME BAG

Never use plastic or Woven plastic bags because they tend to hold in the heat and don't allow for proper air circulation. Always use cheesecloth-like material which is strong to carry the neat while it allows for maximum air movement yet still has a tight enough weave to keep flies out. The ultimate game bag is a perfect knitted material, designed for this purpose. Never use cheap wide-mesh deer bags, they may be inexpensive but do nothing to keep out the flies or keep the meat clean. Stay away from pillow cases and bed sheets or heavy canvas bags, they may keep out the flies and dirt but prevent adequate air circulation. Allowing the meat to cool properly and quickly is your main objective! Meat can spoil very quickly in hot temperatures. Never pile meat on meat at anytime, this  will also cause spoilage.  For the best tasting meat , keep it cool and clean!

TREATING THE BAG; use a food-grade citric acid game bag cure that keeps flies off and helps to fight bacteria growth,use a mixture of 60 percent lemon juice concentrate and 40 percent Tabasco sauce is best. it's really helpful on long hunts where flies and bacteria are a real threat to meat quality. soak the game bags in the solution for 20 minutes to one hour. Then let them air dry completely (not in the dryer), finally seal them in a zip lock bag.

RESULTS: Flies may light on the bag but the citric acid burns them and they will not hang around. Also the citric acid helps to reduce bacteria growth. Bacteria grows rapidly at a pit level of 7.0, the natural level of meat. The pH level contained in the cure is around 2.35. The cure will help lower the pH of the meat to around 5.3. The higher the pH the more chance there is of spoiling.

REASON pH LEVEL WILL RE HIGH: If the animal has been running a long way and is excited, its blood sugar level will drop which causes lactic acid in the muscle tissue to be higher and the meat will be darker in color and have an off flavor and texture to it. This is why a clean kill is important

COOL THE MEAT QUICKLY IN WATER; In the field, you want to cool your meat quickly because the sooner the meat is cool, the better the meat will be. You should bleed, gut and skin your animal as soon as you can. Next you need to reduce the temperature of the meat. If you are near a river or lake you can submerge the quarters to bring down the temperature, do not cool completely in Water. Retain enough heat to dry the meat when it comes out of the water. For water cooling, once the animal is quartered,    I put the pieces in a large heavy-duty _-trash bag. Tie the bag tightly and immerse it in the stream or lake and let it cool for twenty-five minutes to an hour (depending on the mass of the meat).

WHY WATER COOL YOUR MEAT? A bath in a stream or lake speeds the cooling process and bleaches out excess blood that feed bacteria and attracts flies. Some game animals have a very large meat mass, consequently, if takes a long time for the meat to cool down. The cold water temperature of the lakes and streams help expedite the cooling process.

WATER COOLING CONCERNS: (1) I've been told by several hunters that you should avoid getting meat wet. This is partially true, you don't want to leave the meat wet. This is why you retain enough heat in the meat to cause drying once you remove it from the water (also see air drying for procedures to remove excess water). (2). I've also heard concerns about germs in the water getting into the meat. while I can't guarantee the purity of the water or possible transfer of bacteria to your meat, I can say that I have never heard of anyone getting sick from water cooled meat. and I talk with a lot of hunters. The decision is yours based upon the conditions at your location, cleanliness of water  and  outside temperatures.

AIR DRYING/ STORING MEAT IN THE FIELD

AFTER WATER COOLING: After you have brought the temperature of the meat down, your ready to begin air drying in the breeze. If you are  near water, there is normally a gentle breeze at all times.  Hang the meat in such a way as to take advantage of this air  movement. Protect the meat from the direct sun light or the rain, with some sort of a shelter. I bring along a lightweight tarp for this purpose.

REMOVE EXCESS MOISTURE: Once the meat is hung under the tarp, run your hands down it to squeeze out and remove any excess moisture.

APPLY LEMON JUICE MIXTURE OR CITRIC ACID:  Lightly coat the meat with a citric acid mixture (see game bags).  This will create a high acid protective glaze over the meat while it is drying.  If storing for several days in warm weather, re-apply citric acid daily to help reduce bacteria growth.

PLACE IN GAME BAGS:  When the meat is dry, it’s ready to place in the game bags and re-hang.

WINTER AND COLD WEATHER HUNTING

WHEN HUNTING IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES:  The animal should be skinned as soon as possible and then covered with a tarp or plastic after cooling for 20 minutes to 1 hour.  If the surface starts to freeze, cover the plastic covered carcass with snow to insulate it so that the freezing does not occur until rigor mortis sets in.  Rigor mortis is the process where the muscle tissue starts to stiffen up.  This may take up to 12 hours.  If the carcass freezes before rigor mortis sets in, the pH will not drop down to around 5.3 and your meat will not be tender or have as good a flavor.

 

GOOD HUNTING!