Tough Moose Meat, HELP!!!!

devo · November 07, 2012, 07:03:07 PM

;D ;D ;D ;D

QuoteThis is a common meal with our venison. Are you a sausage maker??

If not send all remaining meat to Kirby and myself. We will make some very fine sausage with it. ;)

OU812 · November 07, 2012, 07:08:24 PM

Quote from: pikeman_95 on November 07, 2012, 06:59:44 PM
Bundy
Most beef is hung in a cooler for 10 days to age. The time gives the microbs some time to start to break down the protein fibers. But you have already passed that point. How much have you tried the old crock pot. We put a couple inches of beef broth in the pot and cook up some potatoes,carrots and onions with it. In the last hour we dump in a quart of sauerkraut. This is a common meal with our venison. Are you a sausage maker??

Another great way to flavor and tenderize meat

pikeman_95 · November 07, 2012, 07:43:38 PM

Quote from: devo on November 07, 2012, 07:03:07 PM
;D ;D ;D ;D
QuoteThis is a common meal with our venison. Are you a sausage maker??

If not send all remaining meat to Kirby and myself. We will make some very fine sausage with it. ;)

It was on my mind Don but I thought it was pushing it too far to say it. One of those big boys mixed with some pork and spices would make one heck of a lot of sausage.
KC

bundy · November 08, 2012, 04:07:48 AM

I am Pikeman and plan on doing alot with the moose. Will get after it in a few weeks.

Tenpoint5 · November 08, 2012, 07:19:00 AM

I was always told to inject or marinade moose in coca-cola. That the acids in the coke tenderize the moose meat

Salmonsmoker · November 08, 2012, 04:49:53 PM

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on November 08, 2012, 07:19:00 AM
I was always told to inject or marinade moose in coca-cola. That the acids in the coke tenderize the moose meat

Could end up with a nasty coke habit, though. At least as long as you had moose meat. Then there's the withdrawl to deal with.... :o ::)

viper125 · November 10, 2012, 04:12:16 PM

Sounds to me like just an old tough moose. No telling whats wrong. But if you ship it here in a cooler I'll try some experiments and help you figure it out. You know just take one for the board so to speak! ;D

Piker · November 10, 2012, 04:26:38 PM

I think you just got a moose that is tough due to some reason. I have hunted moose a lot and in fairly warm weather so it is imperitive to get it cooled and cut up. I have cut and wrapped quite a few moose within 3 days of shooting them and never had any problem. I find the most important things is to gut it right away and then skin it and depending on the weather hang iot or wrap and freeze. I live in southern Alberta and in the early season in October I have hunted in 75f weather and also -20f so you play it by ear. thks Piker

bundy · November 11, 2012, 01:59:03 PM

Thanks Piker and all, must have been a tough one then. As I said it was sot at daylight, gutted and guartered with in the next hour, hung from meat pole until early afternoon, then I boned it out and put in coolers with ice. Was back to South Dakota 30 hours later, next day trimmed all the meat,was still all the ice in the cooler, pakaged and put in the freezer.

Shot it SW of Edmondton about 100 miles. Cool morning, maybe got to 50* in the afternoon.

They told me it was only a 2 year old??

viper125 · November 11, 2012, 02:53:30 PM

Well a 2 year old shouldn't be tough. May be it was running a lot before killing. Lots of deer are tough when their chased or shot running as the muscles are tense and stay that way. That's why a lot of farmers keep animals been before butchering. We had a beef one year that was hard to load and fought for quite a while before getting it on the trailer. It was worse then shoe leather. Ended up stewing and grinding it before eating.
We just cooked up a couple deer steaks for my soon. Between rare and medium rare. He said they were great and tender. We gutted,hung and butchered in less than 1.5 hours. Ground most and made a few special cuts including some steaks for him. So this deer went from eating to freezing in less then 2 hours. Same way as we always do. We don't hang deer at all except to butcher. Really no sense i can see. When you hang and it starts breaking down cells, well that a nicer way of saying it's starting to rot. Controlled but still rot! LOL! To me the fresher the better!

wyogoob · November 22, 2012, 08:13:24 PM

All the conditions were right for the moose meat to be in rigor mortis when it was put on ice. The muscles are contracted when in rigor mortis, making even a young animal tough.

Bear1968 · November 22, 2012, 09:30:32 PM

Every large game animal I have ever harvested or butchered has been "stiff" when I started cutting. I believe that would be "rigor mortis" as mentioned in a prior post. That in my opinion has nothing to do with the meat being tough.
The three things I can say will make the meat tough are: Improper Handling, Adrenaline and Hormones or changes in the animal because of hormones.
My most tender and tasty deer are the ones I get in Archery season PRIOR to the rut. Post Rut they are not as good or tender. Deer that have been pushed around quite a bit tend to be tougher yet.
Age has always been said to be a factor as well and I do believe that but NOT nearly as much as Hormones or Adrenaline ..... and I guess it would be fair to say that with the Hormones Theory" it may have a lot to do with diet as well. With White Tail Deer a buck will go long periods of time without rest or food "Chasing Does"
When I say "Improper Handling" I split a doe with a friend of mine that was hit by a car at his lane. I quartered the deer up and removed the backstraps and we each took half. I Hung my half in a refrigerator with a catch pan for about 5 days.
he cut up and froze his.
His was tough as leather and mine would melt in your mouth. Same deer just different handling.

*EDit* When I said "he just cut it up and freezed it' The meet had a lot of blood in it. I think that may be why it was tough ..... Not mention the benefit of "Aged Meat" .... ;)

wyogoob · November 23, 2012, 04:31:36 AM

"Cutting up a deer in the first 24 hours after killing it is the worst thing you can do" says Field and Stream magazine: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/other/recipes/2006/01/deer-hang-time

There is a difference between being stiff and having rigor mortis.

viper125 · November 25, 2012, 10:28:16 AM

Well don't know what to say. As our procedure for over 40 years has been kill hang over night and butcher. By morning bloods gone. And the deer is always good and not gamely. I have eaten dear from friends that dry 3-4 days or some who put in a cooler 1-2 weeks. They haven't been more tender or taste better to me and my family. If an animal runs before dying it will be tough no matter what it is. But I dont loose any thing i can see doing it right away. Too me it's in the cleaning and care of the meat. Also never saw a bone and always debone before freezing. And we usualy limit out so some years we'll do any where from 8- 50 of our own groups deer.