Thread: Butchering

Anyone who knows Mr H. Will know that he is a sucker for punishment but lucky enough to have the good hunting on the doorstep pretty much. So he took down a doe two nights ago in boggy rainy conditions and somehow managed to get it into the boot of the car because he wasn’t going to manage the trailer in the mud, plus he had to get it over a cyclone fence and don’t ask me how he did that!

Anyway, he brought it home and still in torrential rain, hung it in the tree where it stayed for a couple of days. Was going to leave it until tomorrow to get the meat off the bones but didn’t feel like sitting around tonight so sorted it. Carcass went off to a chap down the road, shitty meat was minced for chooks, the rest was portioned into back steaks, dice, roasts, stir fry, schnitzel and the rest minced.

Mr H. Was concerned that leaving the beast hanging in the rain for two entire days would be detrimental to the meat but it didn’t seem too bad though I think I prefer cutting up meat that has somewhat dried on the outside. The upside is that for the season, hanging a beast in the rain is preferable to having it flyblown. I’d normally butcher it straight away but was busy those two days.

Any thoughts on this?

I only ever hang overnight, outside in a Stoney Creek meatsafe if it's dry, in the shed if it's raining.
Then cut it up and into the fridge for four or so days before the final cutting/mincing and into the freezer

Wet conditions promote bacterial growth. For this reason, I like to keep meat as dry as possible. You're playing gastroenteritis roulette. It's a question of probability. It might be fine (and plenty of people will say they've done the same or worse), but the probability of a bad outcome has increased.

Overnight then break it down into it's respective cuts, into fridge for a few days and then cut up into roasts, steaks etc with anything being minced, off to the local butcher for a trip through the mincer or sausages.

So when i studied microbiology, I learned that if you cook meat properly you can do pretty much anything with it; freeze thaw freeze, cook and leave on the counter top for too long etc, and you wont get sick. People worry so much about bacteria these days (shit i hope that isnt famous last words), and usually its their own stupididty that kills them. I wont be cookinhg the back staeks rare this time.

The main reason for posting this thread was completely missed. Mr H. wanted to mention that from setting up the kitchen and cleaning the wheelbarrow we took 3 hours to deal with the beast completely and clean up afterwards. The lovely Mr H. raises the table for me using books! so I dont hurt my back. Hes been meaning to build the right size blocks for this purpose but he's a procrastinator. Im not sweating the small stuff. I know hes going to read this but what the heck, nothing I haven't said to his face.

If you wish to pass anything on to him you can do it through my email.

Thanks for all your feedback. Its very useful.

When you refer to mr H are you refering to yourself in 3rd person or are you talking about someone else?

Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

When you refer to mr H are you refering to yourself in 3rd person or are you talking about someone else?

I am Mr H's wife, Mr H. is no longer on the site and I as his other half found and still find information here that helps with what I do and I enjoy posting of our antics. I am also known as Sharon on this forum.

Originally Posted by Herindoors

I am Mr H's wife, Mr H. is no longer on the site and I as his other half found and still find information here that helps with what I do and I enjoy posting of our antics. I am also known as Sharon on this forum.

Wondered where he had gone to, missed that he got the chop or why. Enjoyed the contributions of his that I read.

I vividly remember my grandparents attitude, which was basically that the longer the meat sits in the chiller the more curry you need when cooking it! The modern food safety advocates would have a fit at what was eaten in generations gone past.

Also this reminds me of the time when my sons enjoined watching Bear Grylls tv shows, if that dude can eat 6 week old roadkill and survive then a venison left in the rain 2 days should be ok if well cooked.

I can smell and taste the moment meat starts to turn. No meat from the supermarket stays in the fridge longer than a day and a half before being eaten or put in the freezer.
At a family bbq a few years back both my brother and I commented on the steak being on the turn, the rest of the family were upset we didn’t mention it before the meal!

A bit like the hanging of pheasants until they drop off the rope hanging them then ready to eat.
Did see one story saying the bugs etc in an animal hung like this do not hurt you it is the introduced ones that get you.

the rice in the casserole/stew is good,thought we ran out of rice days ago???? WE DID.

amazing what you will eat when hungry.

agree Sharon,cook it well and all bugs will be dead. look at what is recommended for pregnant woman cooking wise.pretty much says it all.....now that is how to prepare food for woman who is pregnant...NOT how pregnant woman should cook.........

my wife likes her steak incinerated
I prefer medium rare
daughter rare
my son.......whipe its shitty bum,run it past the fire and call it done!!!!!

the fallow I shot yesterday is resting in bucket in the spare fridge so any blood left in meat can drain out into 2nd bucket underneath....will leave it there for week...minus the bits I eat....

Hi Sharon, great to see you on the site and getting plenty of good info