how to hang a deer w/o trees?

[BobDaniels]

I saw one hanging from a basketball goal.

 

[Crandall Crank]

We hang our deer in one side of the chicken coop for as long as we need (weather permitting) and then skin, quarter and de-bone in the other barn. A hoist makes easy work of this.
The final processing of grinding, cutting into steaks and wrapping is done in the house.

 

[bobjones223]

Soooo here I go again cutting against the grain.

So I know "everyone" likes to let the deer hang and age. The problems "I" have with this are many fold and I will spell them out below.

1) This is Indiana! We all know what the weather does around here..head off to work in the morning and it is 32deg. come home at night and it is 72deg.....Not the best conditions for aging meat.

2) It may be my OCD but I worry about if the meat is safe, did it get to warm, what is the weather going to be tomorrow, will I have to spend a late night processing the deer because we have a warm front coming in? Needless stress that I don't need.

3) Sorry but I am also lazy. I really don't want to clean knives, cutting boards, and the garage a few times for one deer.

So here is where I stand on the matter. Rigor mortis doesn't care if the meat is on the bone, off the bone, or steaked out. It leave the tissue 48-60 hours after it peaked in the tissue.

So I simply process my deer after I get home package it. Vacuum seal it and throw it in the fridge. Three days later throw it in the freezer. Now if you want to go a step further you can let is sit in the fridge for two to three weeks in the sealed bags (wet aging). I don't do this in the beginning though. I will take my steaks out of the fridge a week or two before I am planning on cooking and just place them in the fridge.

I know a lot of people think "wet aging" is not safe. Have you ever seen how your steaks show up at the butcher shop? Sealed in a bag of their own juices for weeks.

There are several sites all over the web of people that do it this way and I have found it works best for me.

The reason I like it is because one I NEVER have to worry about the temps outside unless it is hot the day I harvest the deer.
2) I know I have done EVERYTHING I can to insure the meat was kept at proper temperatures.
3) I only have to handle the animal one time.
4) I only have to clean up one time.
The final and most important to me is the wife doesn't have to deal with me dragging out the process any longer than necessary.

The day I harvest the animal the only day we deal with it until it goes on the grill.

Like I said not for everyone, works for me, may work for you, may not, but just my thoughts.

On the flip side I know a lot of people that insist on hanging and aging and a lot of them just have an old fridge picked up off of Craigslist for this process sitting in their garage. This would be my second method of choice if I didn't have my other reasons for wanting it all done at one time.

One thing I will say to my method though. From what I have read and researched online dry aging does intensify the flavor more than wet aging but I have not tested this on two legs from the same deer. (remember LAZY)

Thanks for reading and for some reason I am sure there will be comments.

 

[Mattroth54]

if/when you get it out, would you share a pic of how everything goes together at the top? This sounds like the most viable option.

Hitch mount is out if I want to let my wife go to work. My car does not have a hitch.

Could do the cooler thing. Will look into quartering it.

Thanks.

Good start to firearms season with a couple freezer deer. Here’s a couple pics of our tripod. They get field dressed, skinned, and deboned from this spot. It’s really nice to be a able to adjust the height.

 

[dprimm]

Bobjones223 --

your process works for you. Great! This would not work for me for several reasons. Time and energy is normally short after a day of hunting. Especially since being blessed enough to hunt on private ground with equipment and space for hanging, hunting often includes working cattle, fixing things, and other work. Add family and processing works better for me the next day.

I am glad you have space in your fridge to let it sit. I don't. And my beef is special processed via dry aged hanging so that product does not come vacuum sealed.

You have several great points -- especially in the aging. Should a local option for private hunting be taken advantage of, I need a way to deal with the deer at home so I can process easily.

Thank you

Soooo here I go again cutting against the grain.

So I know "everyone" likes to let the deer hang and age. The problems "I" have with this are many fold and I will spell them out below.

1) This is Indiana! We all know what the weather does around here..head off to work in the morning and it is 32deg. come home at night and it is 72deg.....Not the best conditions for aging meat.

2) It may be my OCD but I worry about if the meat is safe, did it get to warm, what is the weather going to be tomorrow, will I have to spend a late night processing the deer because we have a warm front coming in? Needless stress that I don't need.

3) Sorry but I am also lazy. I really don't want to clean knives, cutting boards, and the garage a few times for one deer.

So here is where I stand on the matter. Rigor mortis doesn't care if the meat is on the bone, off the bone, or steaked out. It leave the tissue 48-60 hours after it peaked in the tissue.

So I simply process my deer after I get home package it. Vacuum seal it and throw it in the fridge. Three days later throw it in the freezer. Now if you want to go a step further you can let is sit in the fridge for two to three weeks in the sealed bags (wet aging). I don't do this in the beginning though. I will take my steaks out of the fridge a week or two before I am planning on cooking and just place them in the fridge.

I know a lot of people think "wet aging" is not safe. Have you ever seen how your steaks show up at the butcher shop? Sealed in a bag of their own juices for weeks.

There are several sites all over the web of people that do it this way and I have found it works best for me.

The reason I like it is because one I NEVER have to worry about the temps outside unless it is hot the day I harvest the deer.
2) I know I have done EVERYTHING I can to insure the meat was kept at proper temperatures.
3) I only have to handle the animal one time.
4) I only have to clean up one time.
The final and most important to me is the wife doesn't have to deal with me dragging out the process any longer than necessary.

The day I harvest the animal the only day we deal with it until it goes on the grill.

Like I said not for everyone, works for me, may work for you, may not, but just my thoughts.

On the flip side I know a lot of people that insist on hanging and aging and a lot of them just have an old fridge picked up off of Craigslist for this process sitting in their garage. This would be my second method of choice if I didn't have my other reasons for wanting it all done at one time.

One thing I will say to my method though. From what I have read and researched online dry aging does intensify the flavor more than wet aging but I have not tested this on two legs from the same deer. (remember LAZY)

Thanks for reading and for some reason I am sure there will be comments.

 

[dprimm]

Good start to firearms season with a couple freezer deer. Here’s a couple pics of our tripod. They get field dressed, skinned, and deboned from this spot. It’s really nice to be a able to adjust the height.

Thanks for sharing. Looks highly effective!