Thread: Getting back to living off the land.....

You obviously head shoot to avoid wasteage. Nice goat is so underrated 😆

@Marty Henry This one was head shot; but I usually neck shoot at the head/neck junction so as not to waste meat

I share your appreciation for those blue-handled Victory knives Bumblefoot. Not just for the knife, but also the convenient and hygienic sheath which is relatively easy to wash.

When I was growing up, game was hung for convenience or necessity (with the lack of refrigeration) and I was unaware of any talk of hanging it to make it more tender or tasty. I do recall sheep being hung to allow the meat and fat to 'set' before being cut up.

If a deer was shot at the beginning of (or on the way to) a hunting trip, it might get hung in a tree in the shade for two or three days.

It was comparatively recently when I started hanging game in an attempt to increase tenderness. I don't have a chiller, and my options for hanging locations at home are limited. I have a lean-to roof on the south side of a garden shed which gets used a lot. I also have a sturdy bracket mounted to the wall of my garage. Now that our big hungry dog has gone to the happy hunting ground, I generally hang animals from the garden shed roof. I may even do it for a day or two in mid-summer.

I'm fairly convinced that hanging does make meat more tender, although I've eaten meat that wasn't hung and it has been good too. Without a few trials of hanging half the animal and immediately processing and freezing the other half, I don't like to make definite statements.

While I like to hang game, it is a hassle to get rid of the bones and offcuts if I process it at home. I like the idea of the waste being left on the ground (or buried) to help feed the soil. And while I've buried a fair bit of offal in my yard, my options are limited in a fully planted garden on a tiny section. So I have often butchered game on the hillside to ensure that only a minimum of waste has to be dumped at home. A good compromise is to just hang legs and put the small bits in the fridge. I like to hang with the skin on, but I've also hung skinned meat. I use cotton sheets to keep the flies away. I have a sheet which has been sewn to form a bag, but quite often I will just drape a sheet around the carcass and keep it in place with clothes pegs. I try to keep the cover loose to help air to circulate.

I'm not convinced that hanging pork leads to a better eating experience, and I'd love to hear what others think. I seem to have an instinct that tells me that venison and hare are OK to hang for ages and should improve over time, but I'm unsure about pork despite the fact that I've brought home dozens of pigs. Maybe I've eaten too much wild pork. In recent years we've stopped roasting big legs.... we keep the more tender cuts for oily baked dishes and I've often boiled up the rest for the various dogs in our life. I have given a lot of pork away too.... I don't like a crowded freezer. There always has to be room for the next hunt.

if you like them wee blue knives...well the mighty bacho will be right up your alley.never fails to amaze me just how good they are.

I've got a couple here Also sent a few to Cay Tall Stories to give to his boys. They're only $11.01 (incl GST) at George Henry at the moment.

https://www.georgehenry.co.nz/shop/C...n+Holster.html

Greetings @bumblefoot, @Coote and all,
I noted with interest the colour of the pegs used to secure the shrouds on the respective carcases and would like to pick your brains on the matter. I have noticed that my dearly beloved uses the same colour pegs for each laundry item, evidently believing that this aids drying. I on the other hand ensure that pegs are random perhaps for no other reason than contraryness. So bumblefoot and Coote perhaps you may like to share with us your opinion on the effacasy, or otherwise, of using odd or even coloured pegs in improving the flavour and tenderness of the hung carcase.
Regards Grandpamac.

Well, @grandpamac, you have raised an idea worth investigating. It may well be that purple-peg meat tenderises in a shorter time than pink. I'd never contemplated that, and I am indebted to you for sparking me on to a new line of research. Could be a game-changer.

I generally go for random colours. The pegs inevitably break, or fly free in a big wind, and it is fun finding a variety of bits of plastic in the garden or shooting out from under a lawnmower.

But seriously folks, we now have some excellent pegs that promise to give long service. I bought the last lot from a New World supermarket.

Originally Posted by Coote

Well, @grandpamac, you have raised an idea worth investigating. It may well be that purple-peg meat tenderises in a shorter time than pink. I'd never contemplated that, and I am indebted to you for sparking me on to a new line of research. Could be a game-changer.

I generally go for random colours. The pegs inevitably break, or fly free in a big wind, and it is fun finding a variety of bits of plastic in the garden or shooting out from under a lawnmower.

But seriously folks, we now have some excellent pegs that promise to give long service. I bought the last lot from a New World supermarket.

Thank you for your wisdom @Coote,
I had never considered that the colour of the pegs could also be a factor. As you say this adds a new rabbit hole (avenue of research) to consider.
Many thanks Grandpamac.

@grandpamac

Nice pegs!!! May even last more than one season.

New World you say? Thanks a bunch.

Oh, and I thought I was the only one that color coded pegs when protecting a carcass with sheets

If you don't find the pegs at your New World supermarket, you can Google 'stainless steel clothes pegs' and should find a convenient source. I like using pegs for holding targets on a backing board, and for keeping bags closed in the pantry. I've also got some holding shade cloth in place over my glasshouse.

Two wild goat legs in an oven bag ready to go in the oven later. Aged for a week in the fridge seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, bunches of fresh mint and lots of olive oil.

Hmmm. Looks very good. Never thought of using mint that way, although I make a great mint sauce by reducing the brown sugar mix before adding the chopped mint to the thickened liquid.

I use mint in spuds at Christmas dinner.....or to keep flies off carcass but very seldom use it otherwise...a sprig or two in doorways helps to keep pesky flies away.

Thanks Micky.... you've got me wondering if mint might help deter crotch crickets...