Hanging meat in a garage.

[kw12]

At what temp is it too hot to be hanging meat in a detached garage?

[Sashi]

Above 10 deg C,

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Sashi

Above 10 deg C,

Above 10? Above 5! This is assuming you were able to properly cool things completely to the happy range of 34-38 F

If you can't control meat from 34-38 F you NEED to cut it.

LC

[sirmike68]

After we had a moose go sour on us the butcher told me if you can't get the thickest/deepest part of the meat down to 3-4 degrees in 24 hours its going to go bad and you should cut it up. Funny thing was we thought it was OK. The butcher cut into the meat and said smell it, so I did, smelled like moose to me. Butcher told me that is not how a moose smells. OH? So now I clued into why I never did like the taste of moose. I have probably been eating bad moose all along. We always assumed if it "cooled" down at night it was good enough and hanging it at 8-10 was never an issue. We were wrong!

[Mountain Guy]

Looking forward for the week the temps look like it would be ok to me.
With lows near or below freezing and highs of 12ish , personally I think it would be fine for several days.
Is your garage insulated?
Covering/insulating the windows help.
That helps in keeping the temp from fluctuating too much.

[CodyCousins]

Think of your fridge! Most run around 4c that's the temp you need to keep meat from spoiling

[kujoseto]

That's pretty funny sir Mike. I hope you get to enjoy moose in the future now that you know how it should be.

[fatboyz]

These temps are fine. Leave the door open a bit through the night if you can. Close her up in the morning and keep it closed all day.No problem.

[lyallpeder]

If it was more than +5 I would be worried. I also would butcher and freeze it ASAP. I'd also fill the chest cavity with bagged ice.

[Roderek]

Bacteria Danger zone is 40-140 F. or 4-60 Celcius.

you need to get the meat under 40F/4C as quickly as possible, once under that temp you need to keep it under that temp.

[TBark]

And ur not out of the woods if you get near zero deg nights then 10-15 deg day’s either.
On moose and elk make the 8-10” thick area much thinner, front quarters cut the armpit and let these legs flop open, still attached of course.
Hind quarters inner leg from the knee up to pelvic area, let it fold or flop out.
Doing this gets u thinner slabs and should get the meat down under 5 deg on the first night.
If not u run the risk of this process taking 2-3 nights and the risk of stinky grey meat.

TBark in Au

[madatter]

I butcher everything myself...
Just about every elk/moose I've shot has been in warm temps.
I will hang for as little time as possible when it's above 5c.....even if it means being up in the middle of night to butcher.

I don't freeze the roasts n steaks tho.
I vacuum seal them and store in fridge for 5 days.
Everything has turned out tasty and tender....
I will always "age" my moose/elk like this

[1899b]

Wife head shot a nice doe yesterday. 3rd deer hung so far this year. Our garage is insulated and it stays 10 degrees cooler than the outside temps. Works very nicely. While we hang deer for 5 days I would be watching a thicker animal like moose and elk a lot more closely and getting ready to butcher sooner if it was Septemberish temps.

[Mountain Guy]

The key is to get it cooled properly in the first place.
If you get the hide off relatively soon after it's down, and it gets a good night of cool weather ( near freezing like we have now )
Then the chill should get to the bone..
After that, you'll have several days grace in an insulated garage even if the day highs reach 12-15. As long as it cools at night it will stay cool.
Try to avoid opening the doors during the day...check once during the day if your concerned. the back of your hand will tell you if it's staying nice and cool.

I know some will say wrong!! and that it can't go above 5 deg...

I've lived this exact scenario numerous times over the last 20 years because I live nowhere near a hanging cooler and I've never had one spoil or taste bad because of bacteria growth?
Saying that, there has been times when it just didn't cool enough at night for it to keep cool so I've cut them before it was ideal.
Just need to pay attention to it and act when you think you have to.

Have you killed it yet?
Maybe your worrying for nothing...

[1899b]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

The key is to get it cooled properly in the first place.
If you get the hide off relatively soon after it's down, and it gets a good night of cool weather ( near freezing like we have now )
Then the chill should get to the bone..
After that, you'll have several days grace in an insulated garage even if the day highs reach 12-15. As long as it cools at night it will stay cool.
Try to avoid opening the doors during the day...check once during the day if your concerned. the back of your hand will tell you if it's staying nice and cool.

I know some will say wrong!! and that it can't go above 5 deg...

I've lived this exact scenario numerous times over the last 20 years because I live nowhere near a hanging cooler and I've never had one spoil or taste bad because of bacteria growth?
Saying that, there has been times when it just didn't cool enough at night for it to keep cool so I've cut them before it was ideal.
Just need to pay attention to it and act when you think you have to.

Have you killed it yet?
Maybe your worrying for nothing...

Agreed. Get that sucker cooling asap right after you down it. This starts the integral cooling process. From there you want it to remain in a cool stable environment. There are lots of varying opinions on the how to of meat care after the animal is downed and to a newbie it can be very daunting to say the least. For myself the hunt includes the meat care. We pull the trigger and we take care of the meat. I have only utilized a butcher once in my life and that was when i shot a moose and we had to be out of our house the following week to close the sale. Never again.

[buckmaster]

As soon as i get the animal home i cool it down quite a bit while cleaning the animal with lots of cold tap water.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Not sure if washing meat with tap water to cool is a good idea. Always thought water is median for bacteria to grow.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Not sure if washing meat with tap water to cool is a good idea. Always thought water is median for bacteria to grow.

We rinse the inside with water sometimes and wipe the outside with 50/50 water:vinegar

LC

[muzzy]

I used to get a couple big 24 inch fans blowing on meat constantly and at night crack garage door open a couple inches to let cold air in closing in morning. Then I got together with couple buddies and we invested in a double door cooler. bolted a metal bar across and bought some meat hooks at Princess Auto problem solved

[The Cook]

Life begains at 40 (farenhit) ( bacteria ).