Meat question?

tjihrig

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Jun 26, 2019
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66
Would you drink straight from a creek? Why add an extra variable you don't control

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The key is running water. I wouldn’t drop the meat in stagnant water. In situations where it’s 80+ degrees, temperature and heat are the biggest threat to the meat. I find that the meat in a game bag comes out cleaner and in better shape after having been in a creek. Especially blood shot meat. Even if you don’t submerge the meat, there are still introduced contaminates to that meat. Think of the things that are on that meat no matter how careful you are using a knife to cut the hide and your hands handling an elks legs before you start cutting. Everything from urine, feces and e coli will be on that hide. Submerging in a creek has been used to keep meat cool for longer than we have been hunting.


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fwafwow

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So we have a cow tag that starts this weekend and it’s hot! The tag is in some rough country. If we can kill this weekend I will be packing out most of the meat as my father in law is not able to do much. I plan on boning them out. I have never hunted this early before. My question is what things can I do to help save the meat in 90 degree heat? How long do I have to get it down to town after it has been deboned?

FWIW, there's a recent MeatEater podcast episode ("Red Cutter") with a "meat scientist" as the guest. He said that deboning makes the meat tougher because it permits the meat to contract more and that the *ideal* scenario is to hang whole or by quarters for some period of days before deboning. HOWEVER, they were not in this portion of the podcast speaking about spoilage.
 

realunlucky

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Yeah your never going to sell me on submerging when you can get all the benefits simply by hunging above the water in the shade. To each thier own many ways to skin a cat that's for sure.

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tjihrig

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Jun 26, 2019
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Yeah your never going to sell me on submerging when you can get all the benefits simply by hunging above the water in the shade. To each thier own many ways to skin a cat that's for sure.

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Fair enough, I get it out and on ice when I can if that’s an option.


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Sled

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Jun 11, 2018
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I don't debone often. I need space, time and no flies to let the meat cool off on a tarp before bagging. A meat sack does not cool. I put one in the fridge one time and it was green within a couple days.

Get it cool and protect the meat. I don't have an issue with clean mtn water on the meat but you can mitigate that by using a trash bag to submerge for 20 minutes or so, then hang in the shade in game bags. Keeps water off and cools the meat. If you're without a stream then you're left with hanging in the shade and quick trips to the cooler. Freeze bottles of salt water and use a rack system so no quarter is directly touching each other. Wood or PVC pipe works fine.

As for processing, wait until after rigor passes and it'll be more tender.
 
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