Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewM
For the people that understand the aging process:
Can you age a deer/moose/elk cut up in freezer packed bags in the fridge? I would guess most meat is damaged due to improper temperature storage. Wondering if you could just age it in the fridge prior or after freezing and get the same effect in a temperature controlled environment.
|
Yes, before and/or after freezing.
But....
Be careful of mold.
For your research, you are talking about "wet" aging.
If possible, I wouldn't cut it into smaller pieces and bag it for aging.
You will get mold growing on all oxygen exposed surfaces after 4-5 days.
This could be a safety issue.
I use a fridge to age skinned and quartered deer when it is too warm or cold for the garage. I'll bag a quarter, get out as much air as possible. I trim ALL of the surface off before butchering for freezing. This is not a technique to age longer than a week, which is plenty for deer. I find five days to be just right for me.
Aging smaller cuts after freezing is fine too. Same precautions, watch out for mold growth. It used to be standard practice to age beef from the store when buying a few steaks for the weekend. Buy early in the week, throw the meat into a marinade (which typically prevents mold growth) and age till the BBQ is lit.