Okrang Posted December 19, 2017 Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 Good evening folks! I have today been given two muntjac deer in the fur that were shot yesterday and stored in a chiller until this evening. I don't have a problem with skinning and butchering them but I do have a problem with time! I'm travelling tomorrow and wont have time to process them until I return on Saturday. Hanging outdoors in the shade at ordinary temperature, will they keep until then? Or can I freeze them unskinned and process them later? Many thanks for your regarded opinions! Cheers, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted December 19, 2017 Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 (edited) Just hang them airy indoors somewhere that is not heated in any way and they will be fine for 48hrs, in fact it will do them good. I would not hang them outside as Ferdy Fox might take a liking or some light fingered two legged vermin. They are good fun to skin but well worth the effort. Had two this week and they hung in my tractor shed from Tuesday to Saturday morning and were fine. I did, many moons ago, drop a roe buck in the freezer with its coat on because I was flying out for three weeks the following day BUT of course you have to process and cook meat as soon as it is defrosted. We had lots of hot smoked roe meat that year :-) Edited December 19, 2017 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okrang Posted December 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 (edited) Thanks for that Walker. I can hang them from the rafters of the field shelter - well out of Reynard's reach and out of sight from two legged vermin! Temps. over the next three days predicted to be 9-10 degs. C. The last time I skinned one it was quite reluctant to get naked - skin stuck to flesh like crazy compared to a Roe! Good point about not re-freezing meat once it has thawed! Thanks! John. Edited December 19, 2017 by Okrang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted December 19, 2017 Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 Yes, they will be better where the air can get at them. Just got to be patient with the knife. I just think of those small steaks flipping back and forth on a hot skillet ..mmmmm!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddJob Posted December 20, 2017 Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 They are hard to skin but don't have to be hung that long. Taste will be less strong but tenderness is higher for short hanging times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
243deer Posted December 20, 2017 Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 Best practice for public human food chain says get temp to below 7 and keep it there. There is also the hanging/tenderising equation of days x temp adding up to 42 - so 3 days at 10 degrees equalling 30 means that you should still be fine for personal consumption - do cut away any contaminated parts today though as 3 days at 10 degrees is a fine breeding temperature for some bacteria. Where on the body have they been shot and was it with soft points or varmint bullets? Any sign of green contamination? If yes cut away do not wash - I know folk will say you can get away with it and you can - but you can also end up with your family in A and E . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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