Does de-boning......

B

bowhunter223

Active Member
Messages
346
....promote quicker meat spoilage?? I read on some outfitters website that it was their policy NOT to debone the meat, that it accelerated the spoilage and promoted quicker bacteria growth?
What are your thoughts? Anyone have any proven evidence for or against this theory? I don't know.
Thanks!

-223
 
I seldom gut an animal anymore. If you debone. Let the pieces cool down, then put them in game bags, the meat will do great. If you put the meat in a pile, and it stays warm, you can have problems. Get it cool and keep it cool for 7-10 days. Cut and wrap. Enjoy.
 
Here s stupid question. How do you keep meat cool & protect it from insects without putting it in a game bag first? I understand not stacking a bunch of meat in a game bag but how does putting meat in quarter bags like Alaska Game Bags harm the meat.

JR
 
I dont think putting quarters in a game bag will harm the meat. I like the thin, cheap bags - they seem to be more breathable.

A good trick is to take something with you to lay your quarters out on, as you are taking the animal apart. After you have all the knife work done, get the bags out and bag up the parts.

A cheap, compact space blanket is good, old sheet works and my wife got me a bunch of those small space blankets they give you after running a race.
 
When I take the quarters, straps, misc. meat off I lay them across some clean trees (no bark) laying on the ground to get air flow all around them. Once I get all done with that, I take the hide and put the hair down and use the inner side as a table. Have to keep dirt off of it while skinning but if done right, no meat ever touches the ground.

This prevents you from having to all more stuff with you into the woods.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
 
Goals: Cool the meat and keep bacteria away.

Deboning can expose more of the meat to bacteria if you are not careful. Gloves help and keeping it off the dirt, whatever it takes to do that.

Deboning in itself does not cause a problem.

If you are talking about a deer, and the pack is not an 8 mile hike out of a hell hole, it is easier to keep it clean if you quarter it without deboning. However, if you are somewhere where every ounce counts, deboning is the only way to go.

As stated earlier, it needs to go into a bag that will allow it to breathe/get evaporative cooling. Never put in a plastic bag while still warm, it will spoil (e.g. ziplocks or garbage bags).

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Helpfull hints from hunting the A-zone for 50 years. Skin the buck were he lays one side at a time. With one side skinned debone that side. Put the meat in pillow cases and lay the pillow cases where they can catch some air. Roll the buck over and skin the other side and debone. I forgot to mention do not gut the buck. Just skin him where he lays and this will keep your hands alot cleaner. If you want the heart and liver now is the time to go after it. By the time you saw the antlers off the meat will be cooled sufficiently. Head for camp or for the house clean the meat as best you can with water and towel.

Hope this helps, Jim



You don't have to be the best,just good
as the best,forget the rest.
 
skin, quarter and keep clean. Just the air and shade will cool the meat greatly in just a few hours.

On early archary or very warm hunts I have even hang at night to cool in the night air and then placed in my tent under several sleeping bags during the day to insulate and keep the meat cool. It has kept through the hunt and was great once we were home.

whole animals just retain to much of there heat in neck, front quarters and rear hams. The neck will be the first to spoil.
 
I am certainly no expert, but honestly neither are all outfitters. I am always quick to disagree with anyone who says that the fun stops after you pull the trigger. I enjoy this part.

I can't imagine that boning can make meat spoil faster. Every butcher I spoke to says that spoilage begins near the bone. Probably because that is the farthest from the surface. I have heard and put some credence that boning imediatly will make the meat tougher. It is better to leave it on for at lease 24 hours if possible, so if I can I will quarter and then bone the next day.

A few tricks that I have used. To make sure I have a clean area, I have a couple of extra cheap ponchos; the $1.00 store type. If he is laying in dirt, I will even put a poncho under the whole carcass to keep dust and dirt away. If there is grass, that is better. I will lay out a poncho just to have a clean area for bags meat and knives. pillow cases make great meat bags. I prefer my old ones that are (were) pink! It always bothered me to put the meat with "evidence of sex" in with the rest. I will get an old fashioned game bag, the cheese cloth type, and cut a section. I will wrap that around the "hoonas" before I place it in the meat bag. That seems to keep any hair away from the rest of the meat.

Looking forward to boning!
 
It doesn't promote quicker bacteria growth, but does create more surface area for spoilage if not cared for correctly. The nice thing about quartering is that you get that nice pellicle on it to help it age w/out spoilage. If you debone you create a lot more waste that will need to be trimmed. Also if you cut across the grain of the meat before allowing it to cool and the muscles to relax again it will be tough.
 
Thanks for all the help/advice. That is what I thought. I also have been able to identify all the mistakes I made last year that contributed to spoiled meat (ie. deboned too quickly, packing it immediately in a black garbage bag...in my pack :( , and I hiked out in the middle of the friggin day.)
Have vowed NOT to make the same mistakes this year. We work too hard to get these animals out to be sloppy in our game care.
Thanks all again!! Help has been appreciated!
-223
 
Like everybody else said.
Keep it clean and cool, dry and the meat has to breath. If you must use plastic, the bag needs to be kept open and get it out of there as fast as possible.
 
Like Buckskin said, The more surface area, the more bacteria problems you may have. Bacteria does not live inside the meat only on the surface. That is why you cook your hamburger to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. All bacteria dies at 165. Take good care of your meat and you shouldn't have a problem. Many good suggestions mentioned above!
 
boned out my 1st 2 years ago ....kept it clean, let cool before bagging it then hit local store as soon as you can and got some dry ice wrapped in newspaper.....it froze solid and was still frozen when I got home 15 hours later unwrapped put in refer for a week it got a great glaze then I cut and vacuum packed it..it was the best I ever had and will never take a deer to game butcher for just cut and wrap again!
the money you save will buy a nice vacuum packer the 1st time...this yrs I have 3 deer(not counting buddys tags) to do and my not even gut them! fyi hair is no problem if not to much and watch out for glands...wash your hands if you grab th ones ones on legs and if you cut your self don't bleed on the meat... per my "uncle"!
4a2c3c3419e430ad.jpg


rackmaster
 
I'll believe I can explain the outfitters claim. My parents have owned and operated a packing plant for over 20 years and specialized in wild game during the fall. I have seen all extremes of proper and improper meat care.
Deboning the meat does not necessarily lead to faster bacteria growth or spoilage. However, sloppy deboning will cause numerous nicks and cuts across the muscles that create more surface area for bacteria to grow. These small slices and nicks harbor bacteria causing faster aging. This bacteria looks like mold or a slimy film and the butcher will have to trim more leaving you with less meat.
The proper method for deboning is to carefully seam out the mucsle groups and be careful not to slice into the grain of the muscle. This will make the meat much easier to clean and it will not age nearly as quickly. And better yet, the butcher will have lots of nice whole mucsle to create steaks and roast, rather than chunks of meat for hamburger.
The advantage to deboning a large animal is faster cooling, wich I believe is critical in reducing the "gamey taste". However, sloppy meat handling will cause a gamey taste as well. So if you can' do a clean job of it, do as little as you have to and cool it down as quickly as possible.
 
Thanks pwrlineman! Do you or anyone else have a good video showing proper deboning of an animal? (ie where to make proper cuts, meat groups to seperate and where) That right there would help alot of guys I'm sure!! It's likely not all of us are proper butchers. :)
References or videos would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-223
 
I am not famliar with any good resources on boning out game animals. The best way to learn is to watch a butcher and it will be much more intuitive than you realize. When you have a basic understanding of where the cuts come from it will be a lot easier. Good luck!
 
I think the best way to learn how to bone an animal out is to shoot one and do it. It is not hard at all. You can take a back leg apart with very little cutting. Do it and you will get the hang of it.
 
The 4-pack of Cabela's Alaska Game Bags are the best out there that I know of. Lightweight, strong, breathe well and they stretch good and they are not expensive. I've washed and reused them quite a few times as well. If deer hunting, a 4-pack should be plenty. Elk might call for 6 or so.
 
One thing we always do after quartering the animal is put pepper on the meat to keep the flies and wasps off. I
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos

Member Gallery Photos and Videos!

Tuscarora bucks.jpg
BD31FE97-F28F-4BE8-B75A-B94522EA21F0.jpeg
Screenshot_20220812-035931_Gallery.jpg
Screenshot_20220811-200953_Gallery.jpg
Cool Droptine Buck
6DC2E88E-2584-4592-A930-3486A5090DBD.jpeg
AEEDD507-8C5D-4D83-9586-AE03BC011BC9.jpeg
F8C820A0-C1C5-496C-9227-7D95303B59F0.jpeg
1676232900621.jpeg
20190709_230821.jpg
843D0F4C-A823-4442-B14C-CA8B253AFD16.jpeg
IMG_5800.jpeg
Back
Top Bottom