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Hanging Game

3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  PNW HUNTER 
#1 ·
I have an old southern cookbook passed down to my wife. It talks about hanging game birds...in some areas of Europe they apparently find it a treat to hang them until almost rotting according to this book. The author says its like wine or cigars...it all depends on what you like...even cheap wine or cigars can taste good to someone.

I usually will hang my waterfowl by a foot for a few days in cool dry place - either shed or garage mostly.

So what about anyone else?
 
#2 ·
I find if I put it in the frig for 5-10 days it is better. Did not believe it when I read about it but it works for me.

This of course is after they are drawn and plucked, I would not want to leave the innards in them and age it. If they are too shot up, or are sea ducks I breast them and let set in fridge for 5+ days.

jds
 
#3 ·
Hi,

In Norway where I live it is normal practice to hang all kinds of game.

If you like tender meat and game that tastes like game, the rule of thumb is 40 "day degrees". It means that if the temperature is 10 degrees (celsius) you hang it for four days. If the temperature is five degrees you hang it for eight days.
This formula will not work with fahrenheit.
Lower temperatures is better but it must never be freezing.

I do this with grouse (hang them from the head with all the insides and feathers) and freeze the whole bird after 40 day-degrees.

With Duck and Geese I will remove the insides, hang from the head with feathers and pluck or breast them after something like 20 daydegrees. Waterfowl turns from perfect to bad faster than grouse and ptarmigan.

Deer and moose (skinned) can hang for up to 60 daydegrees. I have even heard of people routinely doing 80. But for anything exceeding 40 it is imperative you have full control over humidity and temperature. Dryer and lower temps the longer you want to hang it. 7-8 degrees (C) for the first day and then down to 3-4 degrees (C). It must never freeze, though. Then the process of tenderizing stops and cannot be restarted.

Fisheaters, seabirds, seals or any other animal containing marine fat cannot be treated in this way. The fat goes rancid and the taste of that is not good at all. Such meat must be processed while fresh by removing brasts from birds, or sirloins from seals and remove ALL fat, films, and blood vessels while fresh.
For the meat to turn rancid it must oxidise, thus oxygen must be kept away from the meat. Vacuum packing before freezing is best.
If such meat is to be tenderized it must be done after processing and packaging and before freezing. Freezing destroys the enzymes at work wih tenderizingany meats, thus it is impossible to start the process on meat that have been frozen and thawed.
 
#7 ·
Gooseboy is correct. Under NO circumstances should you hang a bird when the high temps are beyond 60 degrees. Bad things happen.

Also, ducks and geese really don't benefit from hanging the way pheasants, grouse or partridges do. Waterfowl have so much fat on them they tend to get rancid after a few days of hanging, where a pheasant is actually better if you can hang it for 3-4 days, undrawn. BUT, you need cool weather and a bird that's not shot to hell.

I live in California, where is too warm to hang birds until January. I age them in the fridge for a few days instead, plucked and drawn...
 
#8 ·
duckjumper said:
Gooseboy is correct. Under NO circumstances should you hang a bird when the high temps are beyond 60 degrees. Bad things happen.

Also, ducks and geese really don't benefit from hanging the way pheasants, grouse or partridges do. Waterfowl have so much fat on them they tend to get rancid after a few days of hanging, where a pheasant is actually better if you can hang it for 3-4 days, undrawn. BUT, you need cool weather and a bird that's not shot to hell.

I live in California, where is too warm to hang birds until January. I age them in the fridge for a few days instead, plucked and drawn...
:withstupid: :withstupid:

Ezachary.
 
#9 ·
I've read about hanging them til their heads fall off - right, but I have found by plucking, then drawing the puddle ducks or even bluebills and putting them in a plastic bag in the frig for 4-8 days is best.

The shot up birds, or sea ducks get breasted ASAP making sure to get all the fat off them. I then put them in the frig for several days prior to cooking. I plan to make sausage with the scoter we're getting.

The Nortern hunter sounds like he has the right idea, not sure I need to hang them, and the wife doesn't like ducks hanging all over the place.

jds
 
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