Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Cacatch on September 30, 2010, 02:23:40 pm
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Does anybody ever make fresh deer jerkey? I ask because I bought a pack of the wild game jerkey seasoning at WalMart the other day and I was reading on it where it says to freeze wild venison for at least I think it said 6 months to remove the possibilty of parasites. I know fresh meet usually gets cooked rather than made into jerkey but what do you guys think about this? Would you be afraid to eat fresh deer jerkey?
Thanks,
CP
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I can't say for sure, but I've read that meat is free of parasites after 2 week of freezing. Anyone got empirical evidence?
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Yeah, one would think it wouldn't take that long to be free of parasites once it has been frozen. And I am not sure if the box said 6 months or not, but I believe it did. I know it wasn't 6 days. It was at least 6 weeks. 6 something anyway.
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I was under the impression that it had to deep frozen for 60 days .....if wild game....Google it....thats what I understood....and Thats what I found
http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Food/Jerky.html
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Don't know about the parasites..But freezing the meat will make it easier to slice as it thaws and will draw alot more blood out of the meat.Better for the marinating process.jmo Good luck on the meat snacks.
Thanks Leroy
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Thanks guys. I guess I'll freeze it for at least a couple months. I'm glad I read the back of the box because it had never crossed my mind that if I kill a deer I couldn't just cut off a few fresh strips and make them into jerkey the same day. I guess it makes sense though. I guess cooking would be a different story though right? Since you get the meat to a high temperature in the process?
CP
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Yeah....you can eat fresh kill...all you have to do is get the core temperature up above 165 to kill bacteria and parasites....
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Ive made jerky fresh off the deer several times - ain't dead yet ;D.
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I'd be far more concerned about domestic meat from the store than deer meat. Wild hog or bear I'd want to cook or freeze first, but most of the deer parasites I've heard of are more likely to be in the internal organs than the muscle meat. I've made it from fresh deer meat before and haven't had any experiences like that guy in the Alien movie so far. ;D I kinda doubt if the Indians popped a deer into the chest freezer for six months before they cut it up and dried it and they lived off wild game for thousands of years.
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I've done the same as cowboy and hillbilly.
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Im with mullet hillbilly and cowboy. ;) I usually hang mine for as many days as weather will allow,usually 7 days max and make jerky,sausage and summer sausage as well as steaks and such.If mine have bacteria or parasites i guess they get a real good chance to grow!Never had any problems or complaints and all my deer are nice and tender regardless of sex or age.Imparts wonderful flavor to em!
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You'd have to have Pappy's Walk In Coolers to hang one here to age...it's always in the 80's to 90's for Bow Season....this in not Conducive to imparting any sort of Good Flavor to the Meat..... :P....so hanging is totally out of the Question here....I Quarter mine...and then Ice themeat down for a week in 100 quart Coolers...draining the Water as the Ice Melts...this wicks away the Blood...and keeps the Meat from soaking in Water...then I cut it up...make my Tenderloin...Backstrap and Steak and Jerky cuts...then run what I can through my Tenderizer...and grind the Rest...When I am done with a Deer Carcass...and Singin Dog or Buzzard would turn away from it.......... ;D
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The only parasites I have found in deer, down here at least were liver flukes. I don't know if the eggs, are in the blood or not.
I would think the salt in the seasoning or marinade, would pretty much do the little critters in, as well as being dried. But I don't know if it would kill them or not. Some of them are hardy little farts. Maybe a good Bourbon marinade would pickle them. But it was what our ancestors lived on for quite some time. Of course worms were a problem at times. Whether or not from the jerky I don't know. They would supposedly just keep adding stuff to the pot as they obtained it. Not much was thrown out because it was more than a couple days old...... :P Don't forget they didn't have a wash your hands sign in the out house. If you wanted a biscuit, you just reached out and got it yourself. ;) :P They ate a lot of bad meat, drank bad water, bad whiskey,consorted with bad women, over worked themselves, abused their bodies, and teeth, and somehow still lived to the ripe old age of fifty! :o ;D
Wayne
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You'd have to have Pappy's Walk In Coolers to hang one here to age...it's always in the 80's to 90's for Bow Season....this in not Conducive to imparting any sort of Good Flavor to the Meat..... :P....so hanging is totally out of the Question here....I Quarter mine...and then Ice themeat down for a week in 100 quart Coolers...draining the Water as the Ice Melts...this wicks away the Blood...and keeps the Meat from soaking in Water...then I cut it up...make my Tenderloin...Backstrap and Steak and Jerky cuts...then run what I can through my Tenderizer...and grind the Rest...When I am done with a Deer Carcass...and Singin Dog or Buzzard would turn away from it.......... ;D
Mike you should be ashamed them poor old buzzards need a bit to eat too ;) good idea on the cooler setup.last year it was too hot here to hang so i had to do em fresh(70 degrees when i killed my 8pt).i'll have to keep that in mind.Is they much difference in taste between muleys and whitetails?
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A big Difference in Taste....the Mulies come Pre-Seasoned...they eat tons of Sage.......... >:D
I prefer the Whitetail over a Mulie any day..........
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Never heard of that but guess it couldn't hurt,Guess Jesse and me ought not cut it off fresh and smoke it over the fire anymore,but man it was good. ;) ;D ;D of course I don't use rubber gloves
to field dress and skin either, may get me some day. :)
Pappy
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eah? Iv tuck a bite outa raw deer flesh when cutting one up. And have made fresh jerky lots I have not got sick yet :)
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hmmmmm,,,,are ,,,you sure?? ::) ;)
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El D, you gotta come try our Black Hills mule deer, better than corn fed whiteys any day.
As for venison tartare, I eat it several times a year. I guess I have not read anything about muscle parasites or blood parasites in deer in this area and I happen to know I have a rather seriously cast iron stomach. Some peopel ride motorcycles, I eat raw flesh...pick your poison, folks.
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JW....your probably safer eating the Raw Venison...than Riding a Scooter.......... ;D...as for Venison...I love my Whitetail...My Wife and I live on it primarily ....and I have eaten Colorado Elk and Mulies...and the Mulies from Colorado are a lot better than the Scrub Mulies we have here...
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I'm safer chugging a bottle of cyanide laced Everclear while tightrope walking across the Grand Canyon in gale force winds than riding a scooter.
Know why motorcycles need kickstands to stay up? Because they are "two tired".
8)
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LMAO............ ;D
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I've ate medium rare elk steaks that have never been frozen and never had a problem. 2 weeks in the freezer would be sounds about right if you are concerned. I like to freeze my meat before i make jerky anyway, it makes more uniform slices.
As for buying packaged jerky seasonings, STOP or I will throw an intervention. I'm a master chef witha degree in culinary arts. I got a recipe for jerky that is fantastic. All i do is mix equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar, mix and pour over sliced meats. As for spices I prefer crushed juniper berries, ground cumin and a dash of allspice. But you don't have so use any if you don't want. Make sure to marinate for at least 24 hours. Rinse an sprinkle with black pepper. Smoke. (and ship me ......oh..... like 3/4's of it) let me know if you want any more recipes.
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Thanks to everybody for weighing in. I desire to eat raw flesh as much (or sometimes more) than the next guy, and I always prefer my meat cooked as little as safely possible. I had always planned to make my jerkey right off the deer the same day I killed it, but then I read that package and it had the "freeze your meat" warning on it. But if so many of you guys are making your jerkey from fresh meat, then I guess I will too.
Another question, when you guys "smoke" your meat, how hot do you let it get, how long in the smoke, etc. I've never done it before but I'd like to try it.
Autumnbear, thanks for the recipe. I'll try it.
CP
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Hi Folks, My public health courses were quite few years ago, but I am a DVM and therefore, theoretically, a trained meat inspector. Venison can transmit T. gondi, tapeworms and similar parasites to people. Most of these parasites cause little disease, though this would be little comfort to someone who does get ill. For instance T. gondi can cause miscarriage. A hard freeze for 48 hours will go a long way to killing most parasite cysts.
My suggestions.... Use only fresh well handled meat, freeze 48 hours in a good deep freeze and then thaw and process into jerky.
Ron
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Here's a tip that is kinda off the subject but still in the same vein...Hanging venison in warm weather. Here in SD antelope season is often 50 degree nites and 80 degree days. I hang a goat by the heels with one 20# bag of ice between the hams and another in the chest cavity. Take a pair contractor sized garbage bags and pull one down over the back end, and another up to cover the front quarters. A little duct tape to keep them in place and small slit in the bottom to allow the water to drain out. Wrap the whole mess in wool blankets or a sleeping bag. As long as you can keep them outa the sun, 40 lbs of ice has lasted me up to 4 days. A little aging is better than none.
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We make jerky off of fresh deer every year. Never had a problem in over 13 years. Freeze it long enough to firm it so it cuts easier.
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as for smoking time i like long and low, 350 at most. timing will depend on the thickness of the meat. most times 3 hours is plenty. you just want the jerky to break when bent if you don't want to refridgerate it. i like it a little chewy so i undercook it a bit and freeze it. pull out what you need that day, it thaws out in no time.
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Come On Folks! Parasites or Paranoid? Your more likely to contract something from the local Grocer or Super Store from the shopping cart handle!
Frozen or fresh, it's all GOOD!