Do you have a hunter in the family? Hunting season is upon us, and this article will help you make sure you’re taking proper care of that budget-stretching meat! Wild game provides wholesome, nourishing food, but should be preserved carefully to retain quality. Like domestic meat, wild meat is perishable, so care is needed to maintain its quality. Freezing meat is the most accepted way to maintain top quality.
Keep raw meat and cooked meat separate to prevent cross-contamination. Wash your knife, hands and cutting board often with warm, soapy water. Trim fat and inedible parts from the carcass when it is cut. Mix 15% pork or beef fat with ground game and 35% pork fat with fresh game sausage.
To Store in Refrigerator for Immediate Use: Wrap the meat in moisture-proof plastic wrap or place in a clean plastic storage bag. Store the meat in the refrigerator and use within 2 or 3 days.To Freeze Game Properly:
- Freeze meat while it is fresh and in top condition.
- Divide meat into meal-size quantities.
- Prevent “freezer burn” by using good-quality freezer paper. Use moisture/vapor-proof wrap such as heavily waxed freezer wrap, laminated freezer wrap, heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer-weight polyethylene bags.
- Press air out of the packages prior to sealing.
- Label packages with contents and date.
- Freeze and store at 0 °F or lower.
- Avoid overloading the freezer. Freeze only the amount that will become solidly frozen within 24 hours.
- Avoid long storage periods. Limit fresh game to eight months frozen storage and seasoned or cured game to four months frozen storage. In most states hunting laws require that all wild game be used before the next hunting season. Check regulations for amount of game you can keep and length of time that you can keep it.
Other methods for preserving game meats include curing and smoking, drying, corning, canning and sausage making.
To Thaw Frozen Meat: Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave oven. Game meat is often high in bacterial content. Thawing at room temperature enhances bacterial growth. Foods thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately. Refrigerator-thawed meat should be used within one or two days.
Game animals lead active lives. As a result, their muscles are relatively lean. This makes game meat drier than domestic meat or poultry. Therefore, it is important to use cooking methods that add juiciness and flavor to game meat.
Cooking Tips:
- Trim away fat before cooking if this was not done when the game was cut. Wild game fat tends to become rancid quickly and this contributes to the “game” flavor. Add other fats to keep game meat from becoming too dry. Rub a roast with salt pork, butter, margarine, beef suet, bacon fat, vegetable fat, or sweet or sour cream to add moisture, richness and flavor.
- “Lard” your lean game meat by inserting slivers of uncooked salt pork or bacon with a skewer or ice pick. If you make your own rolled roasts, add beef or pork fat to the inside and outside of the roast before it is tied.
- Baste very lean cuts with additional fat to improve flavor.
- Serve game meat very hot or very cold. Lukewarm game fat has a very greasy taste.
Source: Clemson Cooperative Extension: Safe Handling of Wild Game Meats
See the rest of the publication about the food safety considerations in the field when harvesting your animals.
Ideas for using your ground venison: in chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, lasagna, shepherd’s pie, meatloaf, sausage, sloppy joes, stroganoff, stews, burgers, meatballs, Salisbury steak, various casseroles, and even Hamburger Helper type mixes. The possibilities are endless!
For more information, please contact Kim Miles, County Extension Agent – Family & Consumer Sciences at 325-646-0386 or kamiles@ag.tamu.edu.
