Soaking Meat

[Tiffiany]

Hey this is my first time soaking meat. Can anyone tell me how long I should soak the meat and what is best to soak with. I just soaked the meat with water, and changed it every few hours or so.

[Tiffiany]

Come on will someone please reply back to me. I would really like to know if I'm soaking the blood out of the meat correctly?

I want some jerky. =)

[quigleysharps4570]

I use to soak the meat overnight in Worchestershire Sauce and liquid smoke. Can't find my old recipe now to tell you how much of the liquid smoke went in it. Don't have a clue where it's at. It made some good flavored jerky though.

[Tiffiany]

Am I soaking the blood out correctly?

[quigleysharps4570]

I've never bothered with that. First I've even heard of it.

[Tiffiany]

If you soak it, it suppose to take the wild taste out of the meat. Then you can soak it in worcheshire sauce.

Okay Thanks for your help.

[quigleysharps4570]

Personally I wouldn't worry about trying to get the wild taste out. My brother-in-law makes jerky out of deer hamburger, gets his seasonings at Wal-Mart, uses one of those jerky guns and that is some of the best jerky I've ever eaten.

[carnivore]

that method saves on the aggravation of the floss and tooth pick issue also . any deer meat that i prepare always gets a bath in worchestershire, garlic pepper, and adolf meat tenderizer. As for the wild taste that i hear a lot of people worry about..... well thats why I hunt deer instead of hiefers or steers. Because on some years $500.00 on a half of beef would be cheaper than the cost of pursueing 200# of finished venison.

[mbrook]

i know a lot of times out here people will soak deer meat with salt water for 24 to 36 hours. this will take a lot of the wild game taste out. i live in wyoming and people will do that with antelope and some mule deer depending what they have been feeding on.

[samsc03]

I have heard vinegar and cold water works good.It is what we have been doing since we started hunting with dogs.People say the dog chase gets adrenaline all in the meat but if you soak it is alright.I have not noticed a difference in taste but I have noticed that alot of the blood does come out.


Sam
Cavalier Sportsmans Club

[Dcolwill]

I've hunted deer for many years and sometimes I have a deer that the wild taste is a real issue. I found that covering it with some real sweet grape or plumb jelly totally counteracts that taste.

I shot a deer this year that has been fantastic eating. I do always season with some garlic salt and I like to keep adding Perrines to eat but mainly to keep it moist.

I swear every deer that I have been surprised to find nearly NO wild taste has been a deer that I killed with a quick clean shot to the chest cavity so it bled into the chest cavity almost completely. I think the other key factor is to field dress the animal immediately. Within 30 minutes of any deer I've shot hitting the ground, it is totally field dressed and the tarsal glands on it's rear leg have been removed.

If I'm hunting on snow, I fill the deer cavity with snow to soak as much blood as possible and dump it out then repeat a couple times.

The deer is a lot lighter to drag after being field dressed and when I go to eat the deer, every time I find a strong wild taste it has been a deer that I made a bad shot on and had to chase or track.

Try the jelly, you will be surprised at how good a deer steak sandwiche with jelly all over it can taste.

I never heard of soaking deer meat other than some people marinating the meat overnight to absorb seasoning.

[mountaineer]

I learned the soaking trick from my uncle. I thought it was weird at first but won't go back now. It can really help and I have people eating venison that didn't like it before by doing so.

I usually soak it in salt water for anywhere from 12-48 hours and change the water every few hours turning the meat over each time. The soaking time depends on what size the cut of meat is.

Doing a good job field dressing definitely is critical as well. The sooner you get the body cooled off the better. Living somewhere that its still in the 80's when bow season starts can make this challenging but I always carry a couple of gallons of water and bags of ice in my cooler. The only problem then is getting the deer to the truck quick enough!

[DocHolladay]

i soak mine in water with some salt in it. the salt helps pull the blood out. change it out 2-3 times and its ready for what ever sauces or spices you want. dont use to much salt or the meat will be salty. hope that helps. happy huntin

[Rckmaster]

Here is a secret that I learned a long time ago. The gamey taste is resident in the water (blood) of the animal. Put Your meat in a skillet and cover. As the meat braises pour off the juice. When you have braised the meat sufficiently add your favorite marinade, spices, or BarBQ sauce and finish cooking, or if you are making stew add to vegetables or soup or whatever. I guarantee that this works! Also , another little known fact is to be sure to remove all fat from venison, its not like beef fat, it becomes rancid very easily!

[Kajun]

Soaking your wild game in milk will draw the gamey taste out of it. Or at least thats what I have always used.

[Daryl Loveland]

Tiff,
IF you try and use a brime with includes either lime or lemon, it will help break down the meat, there for helping the meat to except what ever seasoning that you prefer.

[artjaggard]

Hi folks,

Actually Tiffany doesn't say that it is deer meat that she is soaking. We always soaked rabbit in saltwater. One time pheasant hunting Debbie shot a 20lb jack rabbit. She carried it two miles back to the truck with its front hanging out one side of her game pouch and the back hanging out the other. It cried like a baby when she first shot it. I think Debbie might have cried some too.

By the time she was back to the truck she was determined we had to eat it. We changed the water every two hours and each time it smelled worse than before. Even the dogs didn't want it. How foul does meat have to be before a dog will say no?

The other meat that needs to be soaked is cat meat. Is that another post?

Art




The cat meat line is a joke.

[DocHolladay]

i always soak my cat meat in vinegar...then refer to Kwacks cat recipe here under "Scratching post, should they be legalized?". mmmm......tasty.

P.S. Welcome to the forum Daryl, make your way to the Welcome section and formally introduce yourself....

[progers]

Yes, welcome DL! Come on by and give us an introduction! Glad to have you here.

[trapperDave]

If you have some tuff meat, soak it in coke over night, breaks it down and tenderizes it!

[HOWARD SODRICK]

LISTEN TO A OLD TIMER!!! marinate venison (or any wild meat) in salt water 4 or more hours changing water 2 or 3 times.this will get rid of "WILD" taest. next, marinate in italian dressing,refrigerated,another 4 or more hours.adding meat tenderizer will help. ever have tough or bad tasting liver? this is due to conditions of the kill. if deer surcomes quickly,youll have edible liver, if not the adrenilin will settle in the liver making it unedible.

[misplaced texan]

All these are great ideas but I see something missing (except for in Howard's post). Best thing I have EVER experienced to take out the "wild" taste is actually before it ever leaves the hoof. Kill it clean and dont give the animal the opportunity to pump muscles full of adrineline and blood...and you shouldnt have that problem. I know alot of you probably know that but you'd be AMAZED at how many people dont. Here in NC alot of folks hunt with dogs. Will run a deer for hours before killing it and then wonder why it tastes "gamey".
If nothing else, if you're not gonna kill it clean for ethical reasons...do it for taste.