Hog vs deer
 

Got a question for u deer and hog hunters. I have always been told that when u kill deer, you should bleed it out in ice water for a few days. Everyone's number of days differ. Do you do the same for wild hogs? I have never killed a hog but have been seeing a couple on my cameras. Hopefully I can get one.

I always bleed them for a couple days...just drain the water and keep adding ice.

X2, same here. Deer or pig

Kill it, skin it, gut it, cut it up and process it..... I don't soak a deer because it just gets rid of the taste of wild game and that goes for soaking it before cookin also.... just my .02

X2
I used to soak and ice, but I really like the game taste and the butcher I use to associate with dont recommend soaking.

Would you soak a ribeye or filet mignon in ice water for a week before eating it? NO! Soaking in water turns the meat bland. Properly prepared, deer will not taste wild. Wild hog either. Would you soak your picnic ham or your boston butt for a week in ice water? again, no!

you can keep it on ice for a week to 10 days but then it is time to get it to the processor and frozen.

Either way I will take a hog over a deer all 7 days of the week!

When you bring a deer or hog to the processor they usually do not get to it right away and let it soak for a couple days anyway so no need to soak it before you take it up there



I soak all ducks in saltwater for 2 days though to draw out the blood. I would not do that to a ribeye of filet though:grinpimp:

I do hang my cattle for 15-19 days when i butcher. But do not know much about the hog hunting and cleaning. Thanks for ur input.

I kill ten or twelve hogs a week here. If I am going to eat it it stays on ice ,and water drained every day for 5-7 days.

Where does 'aging' meat come into this? There is not much better than a fresh ribeye to me, but some people age their beef or have it aged where it basically rots:rotfl: If you go into a Rouse's Supermarket you can see those rib racks hanging up and they are basically just hanging their rotting. Look at the price tags on those things too:eek:

I know people who will hang their deer in a cooler for a week or more and swear by it. There are also people who do this to ducks as well. They gut the ducks and then hang em by their neck in a cooler and when they fall to the floor they are ready to eat:):help:

If you have a cooler big enough to hang a deer or hog in that would be ideal, but without a cooler ice in a chest does well. That ribeye you are eating is bled by hanging the cow in a cooler prior to butchering.

Hanging an animal in a cooler or in cold air outside is not same as soaking in water.... when we kill a deer and its cold enuff we let them hang several days if possible but this just ages them and will also make them easier to debone..... something else to be careful of when soaking it in ice water is not letting it sour

I dont soak in water, i just leave the drain open and let water drain out as ice melts for a couple days, mainly just letting blood out of meat.

X2...I never said soak in water let water drain and keep on ice

No soak, just leave it in ice or hang it somehwere very cool so it doesn't spoil. It lets the meat relax and makes it more tender - basically reversing rigor mortus.

Rigor mortis (Latin: rigor "stiffness", mortis "of death")

Thanks guys. I shot an 8 pt this morning and now waiting on the hog to step out.

Nice. Good luck with the hog. Post up some pics of your buck.

I would but don't know how.

Do you have a smart phone?

Droid or I-phone?

If so download the Tapatalk app, it's the easiest way to upload pictures.

Soak it if you like dry meat. Soaking for days just leaches the blood out. No blood no juice. I only soak mine for 20 minutes in water to rapid chill the meat to save on ice.

Aging is totally different than hanging. To properly dry age meat you have to have controlled temps and humidity. I have dry aged primal cuts of beef and it does add
a great flavor. but you can't do it on ice or in your fridge.

done
 

don't have to do that to store bought meat, cause the butcher does it, everything is hung in a cooler before it is processed

on the rare occasion that i kill something(deer or hog) i put it on ice for 7-10 day to bleed it out, we "process" our own, i don't find that it kills the wild flavor, you don't want it to soak in water cause that will change the flavor and make the meat mushy, ice it down with the drain open so that the water will drain

My brother soaks his in ice water untill the backstrap is white. I like the meat red. I drain the water and blood off. A lot of the blood will not drain while on ice. So after a couple of days on ice. I butcher the deer or hog and put in another box for a hour or so. The cut meat will bleed like crazy as it warms up. I then package steaks and roast. The rest get cubed and goes in the frig over night. Next day I start grinding it up for sausage or hamburger. You can also cure your own ham in the frig, comes out tasty.