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Old 04-25-2018, 06:20 PM
Xiph0id Xiph0id is offline
 
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Default Smelly Ground Deer

The past 4 years have been great.
Prime cuts into roasts and rest into burger or sausage.

Until last few cooks of ground.
The meat smells bad. Like almost rancid. Cant quite put words to the smell.

As I do every year, I buy some pork tenderloin, mix 50-50 ish and grind.
Nothing changed and I have no idea why its like this.

Only difference is this buck was my first in November.
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Old 04-25-2018, 06:54 PM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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could be he was right into the rut? hopefully it wasnt a kill found the next morning ? Or left with the hide on too long ? just asking here not meant to insult!
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Old 04-25-2018, 09:49 PM
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could be he was right into the rut? hopefully it wasnt a kill found the next morning ? Or left with the hide on too long ? just asking here not meant to insult!
No worries.

The roasts and steaks from this deer were great.

That is what has me stumped.
The meet is even vac sealed.
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Old 04-25-2018, 10:09 PM
Freerider Freerider is offline
 
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How well was you grind trimmed. Silver Skin and other tissues could cause off flavours.
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Old 04-25-2018, 10:25 PM
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How well was you grind trimmed. Silver Skin and other tissues could cause off flavours.
Did it the same as the last 5 deer.
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Old 04-25-2018, 10:47 PM
Bushmaster Bushmaster is offline
 
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I think the pork is your problem. It taints very quickly...even in a freezer.
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Old 04-25-2018, 11:39 PM
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I think the pork is your problem. It taints very quickly...even in a freezer.
X2. Pork fat will go rancid in 6 months or less. Vacuum sealed maybe lasts a little longer. Could be that the pork you used was an old boar too. Once in a while when I will buy bacon it tastes like an old boar.
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Old 04-26-2018, 05:53 AM
.257Weatherby .257Weatherby is offline
 
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I think the pork is your problem. It taints very quickly...even in a freezer.
How does pork taint when it is frozen?
Either the meat was tainted before processing or the freezer broke down thawed everything and then somehow started back up and refrozen the now tainted meat.
Either way the product is tainted before freezing.
Freezer burn is a different animal and that isn’t what the op is suggesting, or is it?
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:45 AM
Beeman3 Beeman3 is offline
 
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It could be that the pork went bad. I have recently switched to using beef fat in my burger. I go for about 25-30% beef fat. Try it out I think you will be impressed. Makes for the best burgers. Just make sure you get nice pure white back fat from your butcher.
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:59 AM
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It could be that the pork went bad. I have recently switched to using beef fat in my burger. I go for about 25-30% beef fat. Try it out I think you will be impressed. Makes for the best burgers. Just make sure you get nice pure white back fat from your butcher.
That’s a very large percentage to add to wild game, we add 5-7% treat it as ultra lean...when you cook 2lbs of burger you are left with 2lbs.

LC
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Old 04-26-2018, 08:37 AM
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does it taste bad or just smell bad?

Most butchers and processors will tell you tenderloin is the wrong cut to be using in there. Front pork shoulder is whats mostly recommended. Also yes, Pork fat will go rancid in the freezer all on its own. Just because something is frozen does not end the aging process. Just greatly slows it down.
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Old 04-26-2018, 08:50 AM
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We always mix the pork when we use it. Do that even with ground beef
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Old 04-26-2018, 09:14 AM
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I made sausage one year with 5% pork fat. After 10 months ( vacuum sealed ) it was awful. Had to throw it out. Smelled and tasted rancid. If I add any now it gets eaten within a few months.
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Old 04-26-2018, 09:33 AM
LCCFisherman LCCFisherman is offline
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Never add pork to grounds.. can always add fat in the pan.
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Old 04-26-2018, 10:14 AM
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Originally Posted by LCCFisherman View Post
Never add pork to grounds.. can always add fat in the pan.
This works equally well. Olive oil is cheaper than pork tenderloin. If I want ground pork I will buy it, but if I'm eating game then I want game.

Hope you figure out your issue. Generally speaking if it smells bad, I don't eat it. That has served me well.
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Old 04-26-2018, 10:59 AM
Hogie135 Hogie135 is offline
 
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I never add anything to any of my grounds. Deer, Moose or Elk. Never had an issue with taste and is also a lot cheaper than buying other meat to add to my ground.
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Old 04-26-2018, 12:22 PM
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Default Adding pork to wild ground.

Our Fish and Game Club had a sausage making expert attend a meeting to discuss making sausages, etc.

He stressed you should always make your sausage in small batches so they would be used within 3 to 4 months since the pork fat does go rancid and will affect the taste if stored too long.

Having said that, I always use fat pork, roasts, ground or loins to mix with my wild ground, not just pork fat and I have yet to have a problem. Maybe I've been lucky but I have used ground mixed this way that was older than 1 year and it has been fine.

I have also noticed that sausages with pork fat added will begin to deteriorate in taste if left in the freezer for too many months.

Phil
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Old 04-26-2018, 02:33 PM
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Any ground meat should never be ground in large quantities, always small and NEVER with pork if your keeping it for a period of time. Pork--lean or not--- will not last in the freezer as long as beef or moose. With our moose we package the trim in 10 to 12 pound heavy plastic bags and grind as needed.
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bullets View Post
X2. Pork fat will go rancid in 6 months or less. Vacuum sealed maybe lasts a little longer. Could be that the pork you used was an old boar too. Once in a while when I will buy bacon it tastes like an old boar.
I have elk/pork 50/50 sausage from Jan 29 2017, vac sealed still tastes like it was just done!
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Old 04-26-2018, 07:34 PM
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Old 04-26-2018, 08:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sns2 View Post
This works equally well. Olive oil is cheaper than pork tenderloin. If I want ground pork I will buy it, but if I'm eating game then I want game.

Hope you figure out your issue. Generally speaking if it smells bad, I don't eat it. That has served me well.
Agreed - the little bit of sausage that is mixed with pork gets smoked and eaten quickly (with a month or two). The rest of it stays unmixed. You can still make some pretty darn good burgers, chilli, or whatever out of straight venison OR by just adding some fat (olive oil or fresh pork or beef ground).

Gambling on something that tastes or smells off is not good - everybody, I'm sure has had the experience of done that I'm sure .... and I'm not a big fan of spraying out of both ends.

I also find pork tenderloin to be especially susceptible to stink. You would think that solid muscle would be like any other cut (like a chop) but the slightly darker meat of the tenderloin is definitely more delicate. To me it also has a stronger "porky" taste for sure.

Then again, I find Elk and Moose far superior to deer meat.
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Old 04-26-2018, 11:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mhunter51 View Post
Any ground meat should never be ground in large quantities, always small and NEVER with pork if your keeping it for a period of time. Pork--lean or not--- will not last in the freezer as long as beef or moose. With our moose we package the trim in 10 to 12 pound heavy plastic bags and grind as needed.
Do you thaw the whole bag before grinding? Refreeze?
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Old 04-27-2018, 06:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck View Post
That’s a very large percentage to add to wild game, we add 5-7% treat it as ultra lean...when you cook 2lbs of burger you are left with 2lbs.

LC
This, about 10% lean pork for me, no issues even when taking a rut gorged buck in November or a bull moose in September.

Might want to limit the amount of pork/beef for a better result or like we use to do in the army...ketchup the hell out of it.
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Old 04-27-2018, 07:04 AM
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The whitetail buck I shot last Nov, smelled absolutely disgusting, after it had hung in the cooler.

It was handled correctly from the moment I killed him until de-boning the meat.
We took it to the butcher to get sausage made, and I am absolutely keeping my fingers crossed. I hope it turns out, but am skeptical.

That buck was in the rut.
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Old 04-28-2018, 07:03 AM
Beeman3 Beeman3 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck View Post
That’s a very large percentage to add to wild game, we add 5-7% treat it as ultra lean...when you cook 2lbs of burger you are left with 2lbs.

LC
I only do that blend for making actual cheeseburgers. It is really not out of spec with what a good burger restaurant would grind. Many do a 80-20 blend or higher. Ground chuck and brisket as an example. Everyone has a different taste they enjoy but Give the higher % beef fat a try. Be one of the best burgers you've had.
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Old 04-28-2018, 07:58 AM
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Many people here have said that pork goes back in the freezer quickly; does anyone find the opposite?

I made 80 pounds of sausage last weekend, close to 50/50 moose and pork. The pork trimmings had been in my freezer for a year and everything smelled and looked on point. (I was prepared to forgo the sausage making and just grind the moose for hamburger in the event the pork had gone bad)

I was very concerned about the condition of the pork, mainly due to stories I've read on this board. Perhaps I was extremely fortunate that my tardiness in getting sausage made did not cost me 40lbs of pork trimmings?
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:09 AM
6.5swedeforelk 6.5swedeforelk is offline
 
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Has anyone actually measured the holding temp of their freezer?

I've found many to be set at 0f from the factory.

You need -10f for long-term meat storage. (not my opinion but
from engineering manuals).

Last year we did a 50% mix of 70lb fresh (not frozen) elk,
and pork butts, don't buy what they call trim.
This was just for burger.

Our large batch, hi pork content, quick frozen meat
keeps till the next season just fine, all posts to the contrary.
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:14 AM
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I did shoot a buck that was kicking the heck out of another, full in fight, area all torn up, walked right up to them 10 yards, spinning and pushing, just a holy crap scene and when they broke I took the largest buck....gutted, skinned and hung in the garage...next day the complete garage stunk like cat urine and the meat had a mucus like substance all through it, well I did try a piece just to make sure I was not about to feed the yotes and well I ended up feeding the wildlife but he did make a great mount for the den....so ya things can get a bit sour tasting I guess it is dependent on many factors.
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Old 04-28-2018, 02:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LCCFisherman View Post
Never add pork to grounds.. can always add fat in the pan.
I was your pork. As said above, pork don't keep. If you grind just the deer and add the pork when you need it, and the pork is fresh, you will have no problems. If just a little air gets into the frozen pork, it will go bad. This is my personal experience as I thought I knew better than those that advised me.
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Old 04-29-2018, 07:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by .257Weatherby View Post
How does pork taint when it is frozen?
Either the meat was tainted before processing or the freezer broke down thawed everything and then somehow started back up and refrozen the now tainted meat.
Either way the product is tainted before freezing.
Freezer burn is a different animal and that isn’t what the op is suggesting, or is it?
Rob
This happened to me. Freezer quit mid summer, the wife opened the lid, wretched, closed the lid and waited for my shift to be over so I could deal with it (8 days later). The closing of the lid must have shook the freezer back into action because when I opened it there was several inches of horrible ice in the bottom.
I think if your freezer quit for an extended period, you'd know.
P.S. I don't wish that experience on any other human being. (Unless they just keep booze in the deep freeze, I guess)
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