Note: Based on the article “Resources for Home Preserving Venison” by Dr. Brian Nummer, National Center for Home Food Preservation. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/tips/fall/venison.html

Introduction
Venison offers variety and an unusual flavor to the fall and winter table. When handled properly it can make an excellent meat. It can be refrigerated or frozen as meat cuts or sausage. It can also be preserved by canning, curing, or drying.

Field-to-“frig”
Use care when field dressing the deer. Contaminating the carcass is one of the most common errors hunters make. Refrigerate the carcass as soon as possible for best quality; usually within 3 to 4 hours after killing if the air temperature is above 45° F.

Aging Venison
Aging will help dissipate the gamey taste and permit natural occurring enzymes to tenderize the tissues. Proper aging also firms the meat, making it easier to cut. Aging should be conducted between 32° and 35° F for 7 to 10 days. Never age at room temperature. Venison may be cut within 24 hours after the kill and still be acceptable for aging. Improper storage facilities increases risk for spoilage.

Freezing Venison
Trim fat and clean cuts so they are ready for end use. Fat will go rancid quicker and often has a very “gamey” undesirable flavor. Use freezer wrap or packaging made for the freezer. For best quality, wrap the meat tightly in plastic wrap first, keeping air out as much as possible. Then wrap packages in moisture- and vapor-proof freezer paper. Seal, label and date each package. Home vacuum sealers will also work for packing venison for freezing. Follow manufacturer directions for vacuum sealing. Freeze quickly at 0°F or below. Freeze no more than 4 pounds per cubic foot of freezer space within a 24-hour period. If space in the home freezer does not permit spreading the packages out, take the wrapped meat to a processing plant or meat locker for quick freezing.

Store ground venison in a freezer at 0°F or colder for no more than 3 to 5 months. Venison roasts and steaks can be stored up to 6 to12 months at this temperature. Meat quality and flavor will deteriorate in the freezer over time. Proper dressing, handling, packaging, quick freezing, and colder freezer temperatures will help maintain meat quality for the longest period of time. Thaw meat in the refrigerator or microwave, never at room temperature. (Adapted from: So Easy to Preserve, Andress and Harrison 1999).

Resources for handling and processing wild game (including sausage recipes) – see How Do I… Make Sausage, Cure Meat, and Smoke Fish and Handle Wild Game http://www.wisc.edu/foodsafety/Food%20Preservation/how_Do_I.htm

Other Resources for Making Sausage from Venison

•  Venison Sausage . University of Georgia http://www.homefoodpreservation.com/how/cure_smoke/venison_sausage.html

•  Fresh Game Sausage . University of Minnesota http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod01/01600616.html .

•  Venison Garlic Sausage, Venison Summer Sausage . N. Dakota State University http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/he176w.htm .

•  Wild Game Polish Sausage . Pennsylvania State University http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/test/pdfs/procwldgamefish.pdf .

Canning Venison

•  Canning Strips , Cubes or Chunks of Venison http://www.homefoodpreservation.com/how/can_05/strips_cubes_chunks.html

•  Venison Mincemeat http://www.homefoodpreservation.com/how/can_05/mincemeat_filling.html

•  Venison Chile con Carne (substitute ground Venison for ground beef in this recipe) http://www.homefoodpreservation.com/how/can_05/chili_con_carne.html

Curing/Smoking Venison

•  Corning Game , Sweet Pickle Cure of Game, Venison Bologna , Venison Summer Sausage. Pennsylvania State University http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/test/pdfs/procwldgamefish.pdf .

•  Dry-Curing Game , Sweet Pickle Curing [Game], and Corning Game Meats. Clemson University ; http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3603.htm .

•  Dry Curing Game , Using Sweet Pickle Cure [Game]. N. Dakota State University http://www.abs.sdstate.edu/flcs/foodsafety/menulist/doc/wildsid3.htm .

Drying Venison (making jerky)

Homemade venison jerky was responsible for an outbreak of foodborne illness several years ago. Therefore use only “new” and updated processing recommendations as suggested below:

University of Georgia http://www.homefoodpreservation.com/how/dry/jerky.html

Colorado State University http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn001003.html

How do I know my venison jerky is dried properly? The jerky will be as brittle as a green stick; it won't snap clean as a dry stick does. Be sure to test it after cooling because it will be pliable when it is still warm.

Can I safely make a meat jerky without salt? Making low-salt jerky is not recommended. The salt binds the moisture in the meat and thus any bacteria on the meat are more quickly killed because they do not have water available to them.

Venison Cooking Tips

The key to cooking venison and to making it tender, moist and delicious is understanding that it has very little fat or fat cover. Add butter or cheese, or baste with other fats for improved flavor. Without much fat cover, the meat tends to dry out. Cook venison slowly using moist heat and baste often with a marinade sauce or oil. Don't overcook. A roast may also be wrapped in aluminum foil after browning or covered in a roasting pan. Strips of bacon may be placed on a roast for self basting. For these foods to be safe, internal temperatures must be high enough to kill any harmful microorganisms. Cook ground meats, chops, steaks and roasts to 160°F. Venison can be substituted for meat in many recipes and makes an excellent variation to your menu. (Source: Estes Reynolds, University of Georgia ).

Recipe books on cooking venison and other wild game:

•  Wisconsin 's Wild Game http://cecommerce.uwex.edu/pdfs/B3573.pdf

•  Michigan Venison http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/i/mp/modac/visuals/E657.pdf .

Canning information can be found in B3345 Canning Meat, Wild Game, Poultry and Fish Safely http://cecommerce.uwex.edu/pdfs/B3345.PDF

[back to top]

The University of Georgia announces a new "Smart Kids Fight BAC! ® ". This interactive CD-ROM is a collection of engaging computer games and activities focused on safe food handling education for elementary age children.  It introduces safe food handling concepts of The Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight BAC! ® Food Safety Education Campaign through science, language arts and mathematics activities.  The CD-ROM contains:

• The "Smart Kids Fight BAC! ® " animated video, a 15-minute cartoon about keeping food safe.
  
• Six interactive games to reinforce food safety principles and integrate them into math, science and language arts.  All games have 3 levels of play (Easy, Medium and Hard) to accommodate differing ages and abilities.  Most games allow for two players.
  
• Teaching Tools which lets educators access the animated video by chapter for quick review,  pre- and post-tests, coloring pages to print, sound controls to allow teachers to turn off music and sounds for a quieter classroom.
  
• "BACtionary," a glossary for kids of almost 200 terms related to the science of food safety.
  
• "BAClopedia," two mini-encyclopedias on food safety.  The Kids' "BAClopedia" explains the science of food safety simply and includes pictures and illustrations.  The "BAClopedia" for Teachers provides greater detail on the same basic food safety topics.
  
• "BACFacts," a collection of facts about bacteria and the science of food safety.

Together, "BACFacts," "BAClopedia" and "BACtionary" supplement the science curriculum and are excellent resources for vocabulary development and writing assignments.  The games reinforce and extend the teaching introduced in the animated video. The program works on PC or Macintosh computers.  For more information, contact Dr. Judy Harrison, University of Georgia , at: judyh@uga.edu or 706-542-3773.

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/food/safety.php

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/food/fightbac.pdf

 

The color pink in cooked turkey meat raises a "red flag" to many diners and cooks. Conditioned to be wary of cooked fresh pork that looks pink, they question the safety of cooked poultry and other meats that have a rosy blush.

The color of cooked meat and poultry is not always a sure sign of its degree of doneness. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that a meat has reached a safe temperature. Turkey , fresh pork, ground beef or veal can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160°F and higher. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink.

To understand some of the causes of "pinking" or "pinkening" in fresh turkey, it's important to know first what gives meat its natural color.

Why is poultry lighter in color than beef? The protein myoglobin is the major pigment found in all vertebrates and can exist in various forms which determine the resulting meat color. The major reason that poultry meat is much lighter in color than beef is that it is dramatically lower in myoglobin. Also, as an animal becomes older, its myoglobin content usually increases. Turkeys today are young — 4 to 5 months old at the time of slaughter.

Why are white and dark meat of poultry different colors? The pink, red or white coloration of meat is due primarily to oxygen-storing myoglobin which is located in the muscle cells and retains the oxygen brought by the blood until the cells need it. To some extent, oxygen use can be related to the bird's general level of activity: muscles that are exercised frequently and strenuously — such as the legs — need more oxygen, and they have a greater storage capacity than muscles needing little oxygen. Turkeys do a lot of standing around, but little if any flying, so their wing and breast muscles are white; their legs, dark.

[back to top]

Helpful cooking hints and resources online! Wondering where to go for recipes? Check out Recipe Source . Hosted by the Univeristy of California, Berkeley , this site is a searchable archive of thousands of recipes. So when a consumer calls with a difficult question, consider directing them to this site. http://www.recipesource.com/

Cook's Thesaurus is a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools. If a learner calls you wondering what ‘treacle' is, this is the place to look: http://www.foodsubs.com/

Interested in contacting Food Companies for information? Check out the list provided by the University of Nebraska http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-contacts.htm

Ingredient substitutions can be found online http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqsubs.htm or in the Food FAQs book (each county office should have a copy of this handy little book).

For the latest information on the Avian flu , turn to the CDC web site for up-to-date information: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm

Happy New Year!

[back to top]