Pasty-ness in meat

[Tod osier]

Question about game meat that I've seen a couple times... I've shot an elk and a caribou that some of the hind quarter cuts has a texture that I'd call almost pasty. The texture overall was normal, but in the mouth it has a mouth feel that was odd - like a pastiness (almost a waxiness, but not fat). This wasn't all cuts, on the elk I know it was the rounds (I forget on the caribou, but I'm remembering backstraps). Anyway, both these animals were taken in the backcountry, removed from the field in a few days, frozen as quarters, thawed and cut and refrozen. I have never had that texture in deer before, although I've frozen quarters, thawed them and cut them as well.

Anyone experience this? Meat is in excellent shape, no sign of anything funky, just the pastyness (wife even agrees). Any wisdom? Obviously, freezing and thawing and refreezing is suspect, but unavoidable with the constraints sometimes. Maybe this is something others have seen. Hasn't affected the consumption, other than to drop it a notch from perfect meat to great meat.

 

[TauPhi111]

I've never experienced that with any animals I've taken, butchered and cooked myself. I've often heard it is bad to refreeze meat, but I've heard Steve Rinella talk about it several times in his show and podcast and he says it has no effect on the meat.

More detail might help pin down a cause. How was the meat prepared for the table? Age and sex of the animals? Taken during or just after the rut, or when they are just fattening up? Are you sure you removed ALL of the fat before cooking? I've noticed all of these things may affect the texture of the meat, although I've never experienced what you describe.

 

[Tod osier]

I've never experienced that with any animals I've taken, butchered and cooked myself. I've often heard it is bad to refreeze meat, but I've heard Steve Rinella talk about it several times in his show and podcast and he says it has no effect on the meat.

More detail might help pin down a cause. How was the meat prepared for the table? Age and sex of the animals? Taken during or just after the rut, or when they are just fattening up? Are you sure you removed ALL of the fat before cooking? I've noticed all of these things may affect the texture of the meat, although I've never experienced what you describe.

The "bad" to refreeze meat is usually referred to from a food safety standpoint and kinda out of date now that we all know not to let thawed meat sit warm on the counter and refreeze. All the meat I've refrozen was thawed to the icy, but workable point, cut and frozen. Surely, thawing and refreezing does not improve texture, as moisture is usually lost - but I have done it with deer several/many times without the texture I note.

I process a lot of deer and have never seen the pasty-ness in deer, I haven't eaten a lot of caribou, elk, moose, but I have eaten my own and a few other peoples' and I've only seen the texture with these two animals. Yes, all fat gone.

 

[Bubblehide]

Can't say I've experienced that with game meat; but my best guess would be dissolved fat in the meat.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I know this an old thread, but I was wondering how you cooked it? Maybe what you added before cooking caused it? Try taking a piece of the tenderloin, and wrapping it in bacon and grilling it. Let me know how it turns out.

 

[vanish]

Can't say I've experienced that with game meat; but my best guess would be dissolved fat in the meat.

The fat on most venison will turn pasty when cooked and then cooled, even slightly. We usually remove all of that from our animals, even the grind. This year I tried some on-the-bone ribs from a young doe, and they were good when piping hot, but as soon as they started to cool it was like someone smeared paste on the roof of my mouth.

 

[Piscatory_4]

Eat some bread with it, cleans the fat off your mouth. I deepfry venison ribs and eat them hot but like you say once they cool a bit you get that fat layer in your mouth. Never get that feeling out of grind or steaks.

 

[Bambistew]

I've had a couple dall sheep that were really mushy. No matter how they were cooked after about the 4th chew it was like baby food, the loins were the worst. Not sure if its the same thing or not. Never had another animal like it. The only thing we could think of was age of the animal. Both were 13/12. The meat was, cooled out, cut and in the freezer in 3 days or less. Day temps were fine, meat was properly cared for. I've processed hundreds of critters from field to freezer and never had anything like it. Weve taken 7-8 rams since, a few in the same age class, same or longer field time to freezer and they had normal meat.

 

[Tod osier]

The fat on most venison will turn pasty when cooked and then cooled, even slightly. We usually remove all of that from our animals, even the grind. This year I tried some on-the-bone ribs from a young doe, and they were good when piping hot, but as soon as they started to cool it was like someone smeared paste on the roof of my mouth.

Absolutely the case but this isn't what is going on. I've rendered venison fat before as an experiment to see what ti could be used for, I've also fried steaks in venison tallow, so I'm familiar. This is not related to fat.

 

[Tod osier]

I've had a couple dall sheep that were really mushy. No matter how they were cooked after about the 4th chew it was like baby food, the loins were the worst. Not sure if its the same thing or not. Never had another animal like it. The only thing we could think of was age of the animal. Both were 13/12. The meat was, cooled out, cut and in the freezer in 3 days or less. Day temps were fine, meat was properly cared for. I've processed hundreds of critters from field to freezer and never had anything like it. Weve taken 7-8 rams since, a few in the same age class, same or longer field time to freezer and they had normal meat.

Thanks, this sounds most similar to me, interesting. Like you, I've processed a lot of animals and every animal is processed from field to table by me with care at every step. These two animals where the only time I've seen anything like it. The cooking preps where it appeared were grilled or pan seared as well as grilled or pan seared following sous vide all was rare to medium rare. Never noticed it in something like stew.