An old rancher told me his trick for aging venison in a cooler

I was at the county fair in Bozeman last fall, just grabbing a coffee. This guy, looked about seventy, saw my work shirt and started talking about processing his own deer. He said he hangs the quarters in a regular Coleman cooler with the drain plug open for five days, keeping the temp right at 34 degrees with frozen water bottles. Claims it makes the meat tender like nothing else. I've always used a proper walk-in, so his method with a simple cooler stuck with me. Has anyone else tried aging game in a cooler setup like that, and did it work?

3 comments

3 Comments

simon_coleman2mo ago

Works great if you can keep the temp steady.

lilyr252mo ago

Tell me about it, right? Keeping a steady temp is the hardest part of the whole process. I feel your pain on that one.

-1

pat_schmidt602mo ago

My old electric smoker had a 40 degree swing, up and down, no matter what I did. I finally gave up and bought one with a digital controller. It holds within 5 degrees now, which makes all the difference. The steady heat is what gives you that perfect bark and tender meat. It took me years to learn that the equipment really does matter for temperature control.