I process a few deer on my own each year. Sometimes I get a problem with a tenderloin or backstrap called "cold shortening". This makes the meat impossibly tough...you can't chew it...even if you run it through a meat grinder it's inedible. I've done some research on the topic but I'm still uncertain as to the best way to avoid this.
The experts say this is caused by the carcass cooling too rapidly. However...if you don't coo the carcass the meat starts to spoil.
For example...this morning there were two doe shot within 30 seconds of each other. They were both immediately brought to the rack, gutted (skin left of) and hung in a meat cooler.
After the first deer was in the cooler I gutted the second one and then immediately cut out the tenderloin...this deer hadn't yet been in the cooler...and the loin has become very tough.
The second deer had been hanging in the cooler for perhaps 20 minutes before I cut the loin from it...and that loin is as tender as tender can be. This seems to run contrary to what the experts have to say about cold shortening as the one that was cooled faster was more tender.
I really don't know why one would have toughened and the other not.
I have the animals hanging head-down with the skin on in a cooler set at 38 degrees. I did not cut the throat...just left it as is. My initial plan was to finish the butchering tomorrow but after some research I'm thinking it may be better to leave them til next weekend (won't be able to do it during the week).
I guess i have at least two questions for you:
1 - why do you think one loin got tough and the other didn't?
2 - do I need to cut the throat of the deer that are hanging or leave them as is?
The experts say this is caused by the carcass cooling too rapidly. However...if you don't coo the carcass the meat starts to spoil.
For example...this morning there were two doe shot within 30 seconds of each other. They were both immediately brought to the rack, gutted (skin left of) and hung in a meat cooler.
After the first deer was in the cooler I gutted the second one and then immediately cut out the tenderloin...this deer hadn't yet been in the cooler...and the loin has become very tough.
The second deer had been hanging in the cooler for perhaps 20 minutes before I cut the loin from it...and that loin is as tender as tender can be. This seems to run contrary to what the experts have to say about cold shortening as the one that was cooled faster was more tender.
I really don't know why one would have toughened and the other not.
I have the animals hanging head-down with the skin on in a cooler set at 38 degrees. I did not cut the throat...just left it as is. My initial plan was to finish the butchering tomorrow but after some research I'm thinking it may be better to leave them til next weekend (won't be able to do it during the week).
I guess i have at least two questions for you:
1 - why do you think one loin got tough and the other didn't?
2 - do I need to cut the throat of the deer that are hanging or leave them as is?