Letting Venison Settle

I’ve got two game fridge freezers, and it is unusual for one of them not to be full. The single most important part of cooking game is to get the preparation right, meaning let the meat settle before freezing or cooking. This applies equally for game birds or deer, and I like to leave my game for at least two weeks before processing.

Venison Rump settled out for two weeks, ready for processing.

Venison can be tough, and it usually starts out tough if it has not settled properly. Ageing venison allows the proteins in the meat to break down, and the meat becomes tender over time.