Ice bath your meat?

[stumpy waters]

I do not know the benefit of ice, other than maybe just not having the meat sitting in luke warm water, but brining meat actually has a couple of benefits. The salt water is absorbed into the meat and will actually make the meat more moist. The salt itself actually will start to break down the proteins which makes makes the meat more tender.

I generally only brine something I am going to smoke. I do it overnight it just before putting it on the smoker not in an ice chest before processing. Never brined a ribeye but I don't put them in a smoker for hours.

Just my personal experience with brining, maybe not the same for everyone. I have seen very positive results from it.

 

[charvey9]

I've never planned for that, because I never knew it was a thing.

However, over the last couple years I guess I have done that unintentionally with a bear, a mountain goat, a mountain lion, and a deer. Either the animals were taken toward the beginning of a hunt or I didn't have time to immediately process them so the meat spent some days in an ice bath in my cooler.

All tasted great, but I can't say if the process made any difference. It does allow a lot of the blood to drain, which may help with flavor.

 

[DFB]

Are you doing any trim of silver skin prior? Leaving whole muscle groups together? Etc?


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When I cold smoke things (for preservation) I don't worry so much about silver skin, I just trim all the fat off I can. On a ham I'd break down the muscle groups like i would normally, then soak in a strong brine (2 days), then salt with curing salt (5-7) days refrigerated pouring off the liquid each day, then cold smoke individual pieces accordingly. You can do a whole ham the same way but I usually skip the brining on a whole ham. On those hams you can get a reverse effect from the brine and water log the thing, causing you to have to salt cure it longer which can lead to souring.

 

[406]

There was a good episode of Hunt Backcountry podcast in the last couple weeks and this was brought up. Basically the recommendation was to not do this.


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Ep 76 I believe

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[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Pronghorn is my favorite meat. I've always suspected that the reason people complain about pronghorn is that we hunt them in August in a desert, so they start to spoil before guys get them cooled down.

I suspect the same plus leaving the hide on. All my antelop are skinned and on ice in an hour or so.

Per the thread I keep my meat in a cooler on ice till it gets processed whether that is 1day or a week, that purely is because it is what I have for cold storage. No salt though.

 

[justin davis]

Antelope is my favorite wild game. I would not soak meat in ice/water. For antelope cooling it off and cutting it up quick is what I do. Amazing table fair.

 

[archer wapiti]

Doesn't anyone just hang and age their meat anymore? We hang for at least a week in our garage usually longer depending on temps. When it's cool enough we even leave the hide on to reduce the dry loss on the primals. Buy a coolbot and make a walkin cooler.
Salt your meat, steaks , before cooking and allow enough time for the salt to penetrate the meat. Then put your seasoning on it. I use smoked sea salt and the salt really penetrates and helps with dryness after cooking and flavor. I smoke my own sea salt. If you allow enough time for the salt to penetrate down into the meat it will not be salty to the taste.
Hair, dirt, and anything from the digestive tract are your problem.

I would if I had a place to do it. New Mexico in September isn't amenable to hanging in one's garage. Maybe some day I'll build a walk-in. I'm going to try to start experimenting with other methods, but in the meantime, layering in ice without salt in coolers with drain plug removed is a viable method, I've never had a bad cut using this method.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Antelope is my favorite wild game. I would not soak meat in ice/water. For antelope cooling it off and cutting it up quick is what I do. Amazing table fair.

I don't soak either, I lay meat on top of block ice (and drain the water out) to cool it and keep it cool until I get it cut/packed/frozen, I don't have facilities to keep it cool otherwise.

 

[406]

I thought the most interesting thing on that podcast was him saying that quarters should be bone on for 16-24 hours to allow the "shortening" process to play out. Basically letting rigor run it's course. It would certainly change the way alot of us hunt, planning an extra day at the back end to allow for this time. I always feel like it's a race to get back out the second you knock something down.

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[gumbl3]

I agree with it must be a handling issue, antelope is some fine eating

Also if you are overcooking it, it's ruined. One of my favorite ways to cook wild meat is the sous vide method. 2 hours at 127 degrees and a quick sear on each side in a pan of hot butter is mighty fine

 

[durangobrad]

I agree with it must be a handling issue, antelope is some fine eating

Also if you are overcooking it, it's ruined. One of my favorite ways to cook wild meat is the sous vide method. 2 hours at 127 degrees and a quick sear on each side in a pan of hot butter is mighty fine

Yes! I absolutely love my sous vide cooker.....

 

[Gr8bawana]

I don't soak either, I lay meat on top of block ice (and drain the water out) to cool it and keep it cool until I get it cut/packed/frozen, I don't have facilities to keep it cool otherwise.

I've kept antelope and deer for up to a week using this method and there were delicious. Block ice is the only way to go.

 

[id450]

I've layered meat in ice for a few days, drain and add as needed. Delicious.


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[Bar]

We all have different tastes. You can't say someone didn't take care of the meat, because they didn't like it. Some people love liver and some hate it. I'm one of those. You can't say the liver wasn't taken care of for the ones who hate it. It could be the same liver at the same table. It's the same for bear meat and all other meat too. Some like it and some won't.

 

[vlad]

I do not know the benefit of ice, other than maybe just not having the meat sitting in luke warm water, but brining meat actually has a couple of benefits. The salt water is absorbed into the meat and will actually make the meat more moist. The salt itself actually will start to break down the proteins which makes makes the meat more tender.

I generally only brine something I am going to smoke. I do it overnight it just before putting it on the smoker not in an ice chest before processing. Never brined a ribeye but I don't put them in a smoker for hours.

Just my personal experience with brining, maybe not the same for everyone. I have seen very positive results from it.

font know the effects of ice bathing a meat, beside preserving it.

 

[Marshmstr]

In Louisiana, pretty much everybody keeps their deer in ice bath for a few days before processing.
It's just a normal thing I can't seem to break the habit on.


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[Nomad]

In my neck of the world, hanging a deer carcass for more than a day is rarely an option. Packing quartered deer in ice is standard operating procedure. The "bath" part of it is not something I subscribe to. I keep my coolers in the shade, drain them at least twice a day, sometimes leaving the drain cracked or completely open.

The advantages gained in tenderness and flavor by wet or dry aging red meat are undisputed... beef industry research has studied the science and applied it extensively.

I use a combo of block and cubed bag ice. My personal record is 19 days in the cooler, but pushing the limits of food safety is a hobby of mine.

 

[Bar]

In my neck of the world, hanging a deer carcass for more than a day is rarely an option. Packing quartered deer in ice is standard operating procedure. The "bath" part of it is not something I subscribe to. I keep my coolers in the shade, drain them at least twice a day, sometimes leaving the drain cracked or completely open.

The advantages gained in tenderness and flavor by wet or dry aging red meat are undisputed... beef industry research has studied the science and applied it extensively.

I use a combo of block and cubed bag ice. My personal record is 19 days in the cooler, but pushing the limits of food safety is a hobby of mine.

Interest about the beef industry. Do they keep meat in ice, or hang it? I always assumed they hung it?

 

[Poser]

Interest about the beef industry. Do they keep meat in ice, or hang it? I always assumed they hung it?

Wet aging only means that the meat ages sitting in its on blood -it does not mean that it sits in water or submerged directly in ice. When I keep meat in a cooler, I put it in bags to keep the meat from getting wet.

 

[Bar]

Wet aging only means that the meat ages sitting in its on blood -it does not mean that it sits in water or submerged directly in ice. When I keep meat in a cooler, I put it in bags to keep the meat from getting wet.

That's what I do too, but some in this thread seem to have the meat in the water. Unless I misunderstood?