Can you tell how tough meat will be during butchering?

DonVathome

DonVathome

Very Active Member
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I have had some tough meat - like orynx. Is there a way to tell if meat will be tough other then cooking & eating it? During butchering? Simply touching the meat? I think so but I never tried with wild game.
 
Tough question. Most of the time, the more often you have to touch up your blade when cuting it up, the tougher it will be.

This is not by any means a rule of thumb.
 
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The only way I’ve found to not have tough meat is to not over cook. As far as butchering goes, I’ve never heard of anything other then maybe aging it a little bit?
 
I think you consider it all. Species, sex, approx age. Terrain it utilizes, and which muscles it uses the most. None of them have intramuscular fat and marbling, so that's out. The toughness is from the amount of fibers and size, plus amount of connective tissue and tendons. Get rid of all the silver skin and only have pure red meat. Cutting across a muscle with a very sharp knife should show you fiber pattern and density. I like to wet age my cuts of meat in the fridge for 3-5 days before cooking. Oily marinades are good too, and vacuum sealing and aging really helps. Finally sous vide makes any meat better and more palatable, or crock pot as a last resort!!
 
Most tough meat is due to not knowing what cut of meat you’re dealing with. I would wager most can’t identify cuts especially once it’s off the bone.

Also knowing how to cook different cuts helps…a lot.
 
SS! said:
Most tough meat is due to not knowing what cut of meat you’re dealing with. I would wager most can’t identify cuts especially once it’s off the bone.

Also knowing how to cook different cuts helps…a lot.
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So what if the package says hamburger?
LMMFAO
 
One thing I have noticed is that when you debone meat in the field right after you kill it it makes the meat tougher. If you let the carcass hang and let rigamortis set in and naturally go away it prevents the meat fibers from contracting and making the meat tough. Problem is most all my animals are quickly deboned and packed out. The few I hung up have been the most tender. Quickness of kill, Age, sex, species, feed, living conditions also contribute to tenderness/toughness.
 
Knowing a bit about cuts of meat and how to prepare and cook them is handy. I suspect oryx is delicious if cared for and prepared properly.
 
my friend shot a cow elk last year that i helped pack out. it was -5* when i got there about 2 hours after he killed it. he gave me a shoulder and ribs and shanks. i ground all shoulder meat about 2 days later. it is tough and not too tasty. it was a half grown cow. my theory is that rigor mortis set in and never released cause it was frozen. i ground it up in that state. does this sound plausible to anyone else?
 
PS: it was a late season private land tag, so animals had not been run around. neck shot so no adrenaline rush,,, went right down he said
 
SS! said:
I always do a double grind. Never a problem.

And if anyone tells you wild game tastes better than beef they are full of chit.
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I agree but I was totally shocked at how close to beef flavor many of the African animals tasted like beef. Most that I ate where certainly closer tasting to beef than they were to any venison species.

Even bison isn’t as good as beef, imo
 
2lumpy said:
I agree but I was totally shocked at how close to beef flavor many of the African animals tasted like beef. Most that I ate where certainly closer tasting to beef than they were to any venison species.

Even bison isn’t as good as beef, imo
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I’ve heard that before! Hopefully I find out one of these days!
 
A year or two ago somebody posted an excellent article here, written by an extremely knowledgable meat scientist on what makes meat tough or tender. I’ll see if I can dredge it back to the surface. It didn’t discuss visual aspects of tough meat however.
 
2lumpy said:
A year or two ago somebody posted an excellent article here, written by an extremely knowledgable meat scientist on what makes meat tough or tender. I’ll see if I can dredge it back to the surface. It didn’t discuss visual aspects of tough meat however.
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Different cuts of meat have different textures and you can and should educate yourself on how to identify. And the texture often determines how it should be cooked. Lean like loins and backstraps should be cooked rare. Striated muscles like flank, tri tip, skirt steak should be cooked hot and fast but medium rare to medium and sliced thin. Sinewy muscles like rib and shank should be braised.
 
HIcountryman said:
my friend shot a cow elk last year that i helped pack out. it was -5* when i got there about 2 hours after he killed it. he gave me a shoulder and ribs and shanks. i ground all shoulder meat about 2 days later. it is tough and not too tasty. it was a half grown cow. my theory is that rigor mortis set in and never released cause it was frozen. i ground it up in that state. does this sound plausible to anyone else?
Click to expand...
Your theory is fact. For best results, the meat needs to set up on the bone and then relax through aging. Meat science 101.
 
This isn’t the article I was looking for but it is comprehensive and at the bottom of the article are a lot of other links articles that have been published on the subject of game aging and tenderizing.

www.tasteofthewoods.com

Taste Of The Woods - Aging Meat 1 - The Knowledge Behind Aging Meat

Dalarna, Sweden. Moose cow and calf hanging and dry aging while waiting for the final day of the annual moose hunt. Depending on hunting schedule and ambient temperature it is not uncommon that hunters have to butcher the dry aging moose prematurely. Savvy hunters then switch to wet aging the
www.tasteofthewoods.com www.tasteofthewoods.com
 
So my review on game is that Whitetail from Idaho is the best I've had and would take it over anything. Moose was so close and so good I loved it. Mule Deer in Idaho and Utah I've had is strong, gamey and I have to use Pork Suet for Sausage, Pork Suet with some meat on it for burger and it still isn't very good. Muley Jerky and Muley Summer Sausage is great when I use Hi- Country Dry Mixes from Sportsmans Warehouse or online order if they are out. I double grind the burger and no silver membrane.
 
When I compare meat flavors, I mean unseasoned meat vs unseasoned meat.

Now days people can make turnips taste like ribeye, with seasoning.

With enough effort or lack there of even Wagyu beef can be made to taste good or bad.

When I say I prefer beef over venison I’m mean before you add all your favorite seasonings to it.

Having said that, we all have different tastes, what’s the problem with that?
 
I think sometimes you can tell if the cuts of meat are going to be tender. This South Dakota Muley back straps were fork tender, you could see the grain in the meat and you could tell they were going to be great. When in doubt cook the tougher cuts in the crock pot make them into a chili or a stew.

IMG952018123095165551363.jpg
 
LIK2HNT said:
One thing I have noticed is that when you debone meat in the field right after you kill it it makes the meat tougher. If you let the carcass hang and let rigamortis set in and naturally go away it prevents the meat fibers from contracting and making the meat tough. Problem is most all my animals are quickly deboned and packed out. The few I hung up have been the most tender. Quickness of kill, Age, sex, species, feed, living conditions also contribute to tenderness/toughness.
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I agree 100%. Deer or elk quickly deboned for a pack out are not near as good flavor or tender.
 
SS! said:
I always do a double grind. Never a problem.

And if anyone tells you wild game tastes better than beef they are full of chit.
Click to expand...
Did an elk roast just two days ago in the wife's InstantPot. The thing was falling apart, just like any beef roast we've ever done, AND it had absolutely no "gamey" flavor whatsoever. My kids all practically inhaled it. (Onions, potatoes, carrots).

Also, some people definitely prefer some gamey flavor, just like some people like a steak that is aged for a few weeks, versus a fresh killed steak. You may not prefer wild game, but I'm certain there are people who do. :)
 
LIK2HNT said:
One thing I have noticed is that when you debone meat in the field right after you kill it it makes the meat tougher. If you let the carcass hang and let rigamortis set in and naturally go away it prevents the meat fibers from contracting and making the meat tough. Problem is most all my animals are quickly deboned and packed out. The few I hung up have been the most tender. Quickness of kill, Age, sex, species, feed, living conditions also contribute to tenderness/toughness.
Click to expand...
This is a great observation... I've NEVER deboned a deer or elk right after the kill. In my younger years, I've even dragged a few deer more than a mile to a two-track to be picked up. Anyway, maybe because I've always hung my animals, I've never experienced any toughness issues (aside from over cooking).
 
BrowningRage said:
Did an elk roast just two days ago in the wife's InstantPot. The thing was falling apart, just like any beef roast we've ever done, AND it had absolutely no "gamey" flavor whatsoever. My kids all practically inhaled it. (Onions, potatoes, carrots).

Also, some people definitely prefer some gamey flavor, just like some people like a steak that is aged for a few weeks, versus a fresh killed steak. You may not prefer wild game, but I'm certain there are people who do. :)
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It’s not that I don’t like wild game……… I like beef more. I like elk the least of all….. I’ve eaten a bunch of them.
 
My wife prefers elk. Usually avoids beef. I like most all wild game. That said I’ve had one bad elk and one really bad antelope. Oryx and other exotics have been great.
 
1989Cohunter said:
The only way I’ve found to not have tough meat is to not over cook. As far as butchering goes, I’ve never heard of anything other then maybe aging it a little bit?
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I hunted with a guy that said an old timer he knew would hang a deer until it was black and could poke his finger past knuckle deep with little effort!
 
HiMtnHntr said:
Knowing a bit about cuts of meat and how to prepare and cook them is handy. I suspect oryx is delicious if cared for and prepared properly.
Click to expand...
SS! said:
I always do a double grind. Never a problem.

And if anyone tells you wild game tastes better than beef they are full of chit.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure that taste is subjective to an individual. Think about it next time you see your dog licking his azz.
 
I kind of think time of year has a lot to do with it, been eating early October muley bucks the last 4-5 years, everything from 4-1/2 to 9-1/2 years old, all been excellent. Now 3rd season Colorado bucks totally different story…
 
Lots of good info. I think you should be able to make a guess when butchering. I know every tenderloin falls apart when lightly rinsing and feels soft and the hock feels like a rock. I have heard about leaving bone in - not always an option but interesting.
 

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