Thread: Wet aging

Been trying some wet aging last couple of deer. Seems to work pretty well, 2 weeks at 2-3deg then into the freezer resulted in some tender mild tasting meat out of a mature hind. Some websites recommended opening and draining out the vac pacs every week which is a pain in the ass as you have to wash out the bag and pat it and the joint dry before resealing, half the time I end up trashing the bag and doing a new one. Going to try leaving some packs in their juice this time, anyone else try this and have an opinion either way?

When I worked in chiller/freezers at meat works we chilled (2 degrees) vacuum packed cuts for 2 weeks before freezing, no draining or re-vacuuming...trials were done on some cuts for 6 weeks without problems...I have stored venison cuts in plastic bags under water in the creek to beat the flies, but that is only for the duration of the hunt which on occasion has been 10 days.

Originally Posted by DavidGunn

When I worked in chiller/freezers at meat works we chilled (2 degrees) vacuum packed cuts for 2 weeks before freezing, no draining or re-vacuuming...trials were done on some cuts for 6 weeks without problems...I have stored venison cuts in plastic bags under water in the creek to beat the flies, but that is only for the duration of the hunt which on occasion has been 10 days.

So did you suck out as much air as possible out of the bags of venison befor you put the bags under for water for 6 to 10 days.??

Vac packed beef from the works we work on it being fine in the fridge for four weeks - unless there is a pinhole in the bag!

Originally Posted by Trout

So did you suck out as much air as possible out of the bags of venison befor you put the bags under for water for 6 to 10 days.??

I do. I use ordinary tramping dry bags and push as much air out as I can before closing it off. Have left meat in a creek for a week no problem.

For dinner last night I ate some backsteaks from a deer shot the 31st of Jan. It was never frozen just got vac sealed. Was beautifully tender however I do think it was more mild at around a month in. So next time I will try draining the liquid at about 2 weeks. I have some chammy in the fridge that's about a month in now that great.

7 weeks in the fridge, vac sealed=beautifull n tender.Must have been a cold fridge.??

Originally Posted by Trout

So did you suck out as much air as possible out of the bags of venison befor you put the bags under for water for 6 to 10 days.??

No need to suck air out, lower bag into water and all the air is forced out, then fold top of the bag under itself. Place rocks and/or sand over submerged package.

I was given some vac sealed back straps (don’t have a vac sealer) and left them in the fridge for about 3 weeks before eating, they were pretty damn good


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Originally Posted by Trout

7 weeks in the fridge, vac sealed=beautifull n tender.Must have been a cold fridge.??

Well it's not zero degrees as its not frozen but its in the crisper to try keep temp more stable when opening doors.

My boss has been trialling an UMAi dry ageing system. Raves about it. Similar process - vac-pac in special breathable bags and leave in fridge, but for 28-45 days.

Originally Posted by Trout

7 weeks in the fridge, vac sealed=beautifull n tender.Must have been a cold fridge.??

Settings reckon it's 3 degrees. That's the longest I've wet aged anything. Regularly wet age with seasonings 4 weeks before freezing. Was just a bit of test. If I get sick maybe ll shorten it up. To fair I did think it had better taste at 4-5 weeks if maybe marginally less tender. I

I don't believe you should empty the residual blood out of the bag part way through the process. It would be a bit of a pain in the arse to do plus not really required. The residual liquid in the bag is not really causing any problems. I have some customers wet aging up to around 3 months in a good cold fridge. Anything after about 2 weeks is giving a positive result. The advantage of wet aging over dry aging is firstly it is a lot simpler to do but also it is possible to do smaller cuts or even pre cut steaks with no waste, dry aging must be done on whole muscle groups.

Is it possible to get meat vacuum packed at a shop? Like bringing my own meat in and getting them to vac pack the meat for a fee. But then again a vac packing machine can cost less than 100 dollars.

Just save up and get a vacuum sealer. Now you have your first Deer you will be knocking them over thick and fast.