Tough moose meat

[LongRangebugler]

Has anyone ever had experience with harvesting a moose and everything being tough and chewy ? I mean this was a small cow shot in farmland area basically grain fed ... but I mean the tenderloins and backstraps have been like bootleather lol it’s just weird first time ever for me . The cow was young ... I don’t know.

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by LongRangebugler

Has anyone ever had experience with harvesting a moose and everything being tough and chewy ? I mean this was a small cow shot in farmland area basically grain fed ... but I mean the tenderloins and backstraps have been like bootleather lol it’s just weird first time ever for me . The cow was young ... I don’t know.

I’ve experienced that on big old bulls. Did your cow run a ways by chance? How long did you hang your moose? Tenderloin should be tender even right after shot. Only thing I can think of is it ran a ways and muscles constricted prior to her demise

[slough shark]

There are other possible factors at play, was the animal stressed? Perhaps it had just been pushed, was the shot good and a quick kill? Was it aged? How was it butchered?

[CNP]

Was it aged at all? I would age it 4-7 days before cutting it.

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by slough shark

There are other possible factors at play, was the animal stressed? Perhaps it had just been pushed, was the shot good and a quick kill? Was it aged? How was it butchered?

So exactly what I said lol

[Flatlandliver]

Sous vide

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by CNP

Was it aged at all? I would age it 4-7 days before cutting it.

2 weeks average. At around 0 -2. Sometimes 3 weeks

[3blade]

Did you wait until rigor mortis had resolved before cutting? You should be able to move the joints of the legs. That is the most important step of aging meat. Anyway, there’s plenty of solutions:

Wet age: let a serving sit in the fridge in a vac-sealed package (yes it has to be vac sealed, not wrapped or bagged) for a week before eating. My preferred technique as I can’t stand the waste of dry aging.

Freezer age: let it sit in the freezer for at least a year, more if possible. The aging process (lysosomes breaking down muscle tissue) continues at a very slow pace

Slow cook, pressure cook, braise, double grind and make sausage, cut cross grain and make jerky. You might have to give up the idea of a rare steak for this animal but once you get into it there are many more interesting preparations anyway.

[Dubious]

Just age it in your fridge and forget about hanging it for days in your non temp controlled garage. It’s not to late to age it now that it’s cut and wrapped.

[MountainTi]

Sounds like a lot of moose cutlets

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Sounds like a lot of moose cutlets

A friend of mine started getting all his elk and moose steak tenderized at the butcher. Said it was the best thing he ever did. I’m going to try it this year with my moose

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by Rhino81

So exactly what I said lol

2 people can type at the same time lol

[Brbpuppy]

Yes, have had very tough meat from a big old cow moose one year. Honestly just got used to the tough meat don't mind it, just takes a bit more chewing time haha.

Think it was because of a spine shot (unintentional), which required a finishing shot. That's just a guess.

[Pioneer2]

From what I've read moose doesn't get better aged.Run the works through the grinder and make sausage.I am doing that from now on.I did a whole
3 year old cow into sausage.

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by slough shark

2 people can type at the same time lol

I suppose they can lol my bad

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

From what I've read moose doesn't get better aged.Run the works through the grinder and make sausage.I am doing that from now on.I did a whole
3 year old cow into sausage.

Where did you read that?

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

From what I've read moose doesn't get better aged.Run the works through the grinder and make sausage.I am doing that from now on.I did a whole
3 year old cow into sausage.

Decomposition does not discriminate between ungulate species. Properly aging meat is vital to obtaining the best finished product possible. I age usually 2 weeks in a temp controlled environment. Our meat is never tough.

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

From what I've read moose doesn't get better aged.Run the works through the grinder and make sausage.I am doing that from now on.I did a whole
3 year old cow into sausage.

well from what you read and what I eat I would say you have been reading false sources. Moose most certainly get tastier and more tender dry aged for 2-3 weeks and that is a fact. Need the right temps but dry aged is the way to go

[sarahfaye]

Pressure cooker will make any meat tender.
15 years ago my brother phoned and offered buffalo meat.
Just pay to wrap it. For sure I said. While later 850 Lbs of the toughest meat I've ever tried to eat showed up.
The ground was amazing but the pressure cooker became my friend to deal with the rest.

[whitetail Junkie]

I got my little dink bull this year & he is VERY good eating...one of the best eating animals I’ve ever had...shot the sucker right in a swamp....seems like moose feed in swamps like deer feed in grain fields in the early/late hours of the day....don’t know if it was that swamp grass that made him so tasty and tender but damn he is good eating...think he was a 2.5 year old bull.

[Roderek]

Originally Posted by Dubious

Just age it in your fridge and forget about hanging it for days in your non temp controlled garage. It’s not to late to age it now that it’s cut and wrapped.

Unless it has been frozen, once the meat is frozen the aging process stops

[tony d]

Cold shorted had that happen to myself once on a moose I killed in - 37 google it up for the real explanation

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by tony d

Cold shorted had that happen to myself once on a moose I killed in - 37 google it up for the real explanation

What he said. Every hunter should understand cold-shortening, how it’s caused and how to avoid, mitigate and reverse the effects. For myself, it’s sometimes meant that I avoid taking the hide off and exposing meat to quite cold air when field dressing and hauling out. Generally that’s not doable with large critters killed in November or later though, necessitating longer hanging / ageing times.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by CNP

Was it aged at all? I would age it 4-7 days before cutting it.

not the tenderloins....OP said the whole moose so far is chewy and tuff...only explanation is that he forgot to put his teeth in.


cow must have been hot on the hoof for some miles.....

[KyleSS]

This should fix the toughness of the meat

https://www.amazon.ca/Jaccard-14405-...6190596&sr=8-6

[timsesink]

Wet age everything a minimum of 3 weeks. Works wonders.

I believe wet aging still works after frozen but I would only consider it on pieces you won't refreeze. Other then that insta-pot, jerky or sausage.

[Pioneer2]

https://www.theoutdoorlodge.com/feat..._big_game.html

[colt45]

I use a slow cooker , will soften the tough meat ,

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Rhino81

A friend of mine started getting all his elk and moose steak tenderized at the butcher. Said it was the best thing he ever did. I’m going to try it this year with my moose

I bought a cutlet machine last year. Always have pork cutlets on hand, don't need a knife to cut them, just use your fork. Will be nice to have for my next old tough moose..

[huntinstuff]

He probably shot it with something other than a 30-06

THAT will always result in tough meat