Butchering Question--Resting the Meat from Rigor Mortis

[michaels4gardens]

With deer, I don't really have anywhere to hang, so we cut ours up and freeze it right away, eating mainly the best and tenderest parts first. I think they must come out of rigor when frozen, because our deer are always tender.

Gaminess is funny though, since I've had people tell me hanging a deer will INCREASE gaminess, and othes say NOT hanging it do the same. :?

I've heard a 101 ways to get rid of gamey taste in venison...but I've yet to find one gamey to begin with!!!
I'm sure there is someone else who would find the same deer to be "gamey." (It is a game animal, after all)

Or maybe people haven't considered the age, gender, or diet of the particular deer and assumed it was their prep method that affected the taste???

I know the plump doe and button buck my husband brought me the last two whitetail seasons were very tasty animals.

I wouldn't expect a trophy buck with a giant rack to be quite as tender...

I think rabbits killed by CD have less toughness, and less off flavors, then rabbits that were bashed in the head, - but a good friend who has a lot of experience also-- disagrees with me...

 

[Deer Heart]

I also place my rabbits in the grass and dispatch them with a pellet gun to the back of the head. Usually they are mid weed-nibble and completely unawares at the time the gun goes off. Lately though, I have had to do the broomstick method as my pellet gun was broken and I haven't been able to buy a new one yet. But the way I do this, the spine is completely severed in two immediately and the rabbit is properly bled out by the time I get them to my skinning station (all of the blood is still in the neck under the skin though). I use a solid, thick metal handle that used to belong to a mop. I gently place the rabbit on the ground, stroke them a little, place the handle behind their ears while quickly reaching for their back legs. As soon as I get their back legs, I step down on both sides of the handle and pull up on the legs as hard as I can. Rabbit goes completely limp instantly. This does not work if you are unsure of yourself and don't do it quickly and with all your weight. They might move slightly after due to nerves but that should only last a few seconds.

 

[Ncrabbit]

"Gamey taste" sorry, was just referring to the deer, not the rabbit... :?

 

[Scooter1A]

I am processing today and am thinking of letting them go thru rigor in an iced cooler. I don't brine until I am ready to cook. I have let them go thru rigor in the fridge dry and that was fine. They are 12 weeks so too big for a gallon bag and my rigor fridge is full of beer. I bop and bleed which I think helps the taste. Before cooking I soak in buttermilk if I am frying. I always soak venison in buttermilk.

 

[ladysown]

I've never let them sit and enjoy them immediately or just after they have thawed out in the fridge. I prep them in a variety of ways and they always turn out for me.

 

[Scooter1A]

I found room in my fridges, I'm going to stick to the dry rest for a few days. Looking forward to smoking one or two or three and since I'm afraid of losing electricity think I'll can a few. That should keep me busy for a while. I love hearing how others do it though, everyone seems to have their own way. Every day is a learning day lately for me. Expanded the garden from one to three, ugh, more chickens. So happy spring is here finally!!! Have a great Monday.

 

[eco2pia]

I am processing today and am thinking of letting them go thru rigor in an iced cooler. I don't brine until I am ready to cook. I have let them go thru rigor in the fridge dry and that was fine. They are 12 weeks so too big for a gallon bag and my rigor fridge is full of beer. I bop and bleed which I think helps the taste. Before cooking I soak in buttermilk if I am frying. I always soak venison in buttermilk.

I have a similar resting fridge, lol, with beer kegs. I save produce bags for the big items, or even double bag in plastic shopping bags. you can also quarter then rest. I do prefer resting, tho under 12 weeks is probably fine to go without.

 

[Cocta Rana]

So one question I can't seem to find a direct answer to is how long to rest the meat after slaughter. And what about freezing vs rigor mortis?

After quartering the rabbit, can I freeze immediately or should I refrigerate to let the r.m. pass?

When that rabbit is thawed, does it go through rigor mortis then? Or does freezing skip the rigor mortis phase?
If a thawed rabbit has to go through r.m., would it be best to let it thaw in the fridge for a day or so, so r.m. can happen then?

I soak my rabbits (and chickens) in a cooler of salted ice water for 2 or 3 days. Butchered 2 rabbits over 18 months recently and loved them.

 

[dlynn]

I also place my rabbits in the grass and dispatch them with a pellet gun to the back of the head. Usually they are mid weed-nibble and completely unawares at the time the gun goes off. Lately though, I have had to do the broomstick method as my pellet gun was broken and I haven't been able to buy a new one yet. But the way I do this, the spine is completely severed in two immediately and the rabbit is properly bled out by the time I get them to my skinning station (all of the blood is still in the neck under the skin though). I use a solid, thick metal handle that used to belong to a mop. I gently place the rabbit on the ground, stroke them a little, place the handle behind their ears while quickly reaching for their back legs. As soon as I get their back legs, I step down on both sides of the handle and pull up on the legs as hard as I can. Rabbit goes completely limp instantly. This does not work if you are unsure of yourself and don't do it quickly and with all your weight. They might move slightly after due to nerves but that should only last a few seconds.

I too used a mop handle, but always felt a little clumsy holding a squirming rabbit, getting the bar and my feet in place. Someone here posted a choke chain hanging from a tree branch. I found some sash cord ( that stiff stuff holds it's shape) put it in a nice round loop. Hanging about shoulder height.I'm hugging and talking to bun as I slip head in loop, slide hands to legs, sharp tug dislocates neck. 2 steps from cleaning sink for a quick cut and bleed. Quicker and less stressful for both of us. Less bruising in neck area. Thanks to whoever posted the noose idea.

 

[Firedanc7]

I found room in my fridges, I'm going to stick to the dry rest for a few days. Looking forward to smoking one or two or three and since I'm afraid of losing electricity think I'll can a few. That should keep me busy for a while. I love hearing how others do it though, everyone seems to have their own way. Every day is a learning day lately for me. Expanded the garden from one to three, ugh, more chickens. So happy spring is here finally!!! Have a great Monday.

Apple and pecan for smoking are excellent. Hickory and mesquite were to overpowering.

 

[Rabbit Tree Farm]

I too used a mop handle, but always felt a little clumsy holding a squirming rabbit, getting the bar and my feet in place. Someone here posted a choke chain hanging from a tree branch. I found some sash cord ( that stiff stuff holds it's shape) put it in a nice round loop. Hanging about shoulder height.I'm hugging and talking to bun as I slip head in loop, slide hands to legs, sharp tug dislocates neck. 2 steps from cleaning sink for a quick cut and bleed. Quicker and less stressful for both of us. Less bruising in neck area. Thanks to whoever posted the noose idea.

I intend to try this method as a back injury makes the broomstick cumbersome. Not as quick as I'd like it to be.

 

[dlynn]

I intend to try this method as a back injury makes the broomstick cumbersome. Not as quick as I'd like it to be.

Trick is to tug hard and fast so neck separates. Then it's fast, and easy to cut thru skin.

 

[dlynn]

Trick is to tug hard and fast so neck separates. Then it's fast, and easy to cut thru skin.

This has made the process easier on me and the rabbits.

 

[Bunnies4me]

How do you do the choke chain method without breaking the legs?
I've tried both choke chain and broomstick method and not gotten well with either.
First couple of times with the choke chain ended up bunny with broken back legs and basically strangled and a fair lot of bruising at neck, rabbit squealed, not at all nice. Hard to process with broken back legs too. Often just broke at the knee joint.
Switched to using broomstick method, actually adapted it so we hit them at the top 2 vertebrae with a steel rod to make them unconscious, then once lights out, stand on broomstick and pull rabbit....I found this made their internal organs stretch and sometimes hard to process, as it was obviously a lot of pulling especially once we've pulled the skin off too, ended up with the intestines and stomach being very weak, a couple of them split while trying to gut them....and the stench of split open inside guts is awful!!!
Wondering if maybe I should invest in an air rifle, but we are in town and have neighbours, neighbours can be nosy and I don't want anyone to look over the fence and see me killing my rabbits with a gun, they would have a shock!

I haven't tried the v-block method of cervical dislocation, it seems any pull method so far doesn't really work for me. Maybe I just don't have the muscles? But is it more about technique?
Any ideas?

 

[Alaska Satin]

How do you do the choke chain method without breaking the legs?
I've tried both choke chain and broomstick method and not gotten well with either.
First couple of times with the choke chain ended up bunny with broken back legs and basically strangled and a fair lot of bruising at neck, rabbit squealed, not at all nice. Hard to process with broken back legs too. Often just broke at the knee joint.
Switched to using broomstick method, actually adapted it so we hit them at the top 2 vertebrae with a steel rod to make them unconscious, then once lights out, stand on broomstick and pull rabbit....I found this made their internal organs stretch and sometimes hard to process, as it was obviously a lot of pulling especially once we've pulled the skin off too, ended up with the intestines and stomach being very weak, a couple of them split while trying to gut them....and the stench of split open inside guts is awful!!!
Wondering if maybe I should invest in an air rifle, but we are in town and have neighbours, neighbours can be nosy and I don't want anyone to look over the fence and see me killing my rabbits with a gun, they would have a shock!

I haven't tried the v-block method of cervical dislocation, it seems any pull method so far doesn't really work for me. Maybe I just don't have the muscles? But is it more about technique?
Any ideas?

Sounds like technique problems, and maybe the age of the rabbit is factoring into it. Many people prefer to harvest fryers (8-12 week-olds) because, among other considerations, everything about dispatching and skinning is easier at that age. Older rabbits are much harder to dispatch, as their muscles are stronger and bones more stout; and their connective tissues are developed enough that they tend to hold onto their skin much more strongly, so skinning can get to be a workout.

The broomstick and choke chain methods are both cervical dislocation methods. Like @dlynn says, "tug hard and fast." You should hear/feel the neck vertebrae separate. It doesn't take much muscle strength, but does take commitment to do that pull effectively, and it should happen in a single pull. Hold onto the entire leg on each side (also easier when it's a small fryer instead of a full-grown meat rabbit) and pull straight in line with the spine; the only angle should be at the neck. You definitely shouldn't be breaking leg bones or stretching internal organs out of shape; you should not have to pull that hard. Again, it's a sharp movement, not slow and gentle. Cervical dislocation isn't so much abut breaking the vertebrae apart, rather the goal is separating the spinal column from the brain - that's what kills the rabbit, broken bones just hurt. Of course if you pull the neck bones completely apart, that usually severs the spinal column, too.

My daughter uses a "hopper popper" mounted in the wall, similar to this:


But when I have to do it, I usually bop them on the head first - hard - to make sure they're unconscious. It's kind of violent-feeling, but I really, really, really don't want an animal to suffer, so I do it with conviction. Our rabbits are calm; I put them on the ground, they nibble grass and they never know what hit them. Then I use a broomstick to do the dislocation, to be sure they're dead. Having the animal on the ground and pulling up means it doesn't require any muscle strength at all; you just stand up. Having the animal already unconscious means that you're not struggling with it, and can adjust as necessary without worrying about causing it pain or having it freak out.

Dispatching any animal is a learned skill. Maybe having them already unconscious would allow you to get the feel of cervical dislocation without so much agony for you and the animal.

 

[dlynn]

How do you do the choke chain method without breaking the legs?
I've tried both choke chain and broomstick method and not gotten well with either.
First couple of times with the choke chain ended up bunny with broken back legs and basically strangled and a fair lot of bruising at neck, rabbit squealed, not at all nice. Hard to process with broken back legs too. Often just broke at the knee joint.
Switched to using broomstick method, actually adapted it so we hit them at the top 2 vertebrae with a steel rod to make them unconscious, then once lights out, stand on broomstick and pull rabbit....I found this made their internal organs stretch and sometimes hard to process, as it was obviously a lot of pulling especially once we've pulled the skin off too, ended up with the intestines and stomach being very weak, a couple of them split while trying to gut them....and the stench of split open inside guts is awful!!!
Wondering if maybe I should invest in an air rifle, but we are in town and have neighbours, neighbours can be nosy and I don't want anyone to look over the fence and see me killing my rabbits with a gun, they would have a shock!

I haven't tried the v-block method of cervical dislocation, it seems any pull method so faresn't really work for me. Maybe I just don't have the muscles? But is it more about technique?
Any ideas?

??? I've never had broken legs. Or ruptured insides. A quick sharp downward pull separates spine. Head is easy to remove with kitchen shears when it's only cutting skin. Maybe you are harvesting younger rabbits and they are more fragile? I raise silver fox and harvest between 6-8 #s. 12 to 16 weeks

 

[Bunnies4me]

Ok, yes mine are definitely older, I let mine grow their first adult prime coat, as I want the pelts too, which would always be a minimum of 16 weeks and usually 20+ weeks. They're still so teeny at 12 weeks, they do so much more growing between then and the next month or 2, I feel it's hardly worth the effort of dispatching and processing them when they are too small. Emotional effort especially probably, I find it easier to process them when they look just like a rabbit and are not as "cute".

Wow, @dlynn, 8 pounds in 16 weeks! I'm doing well to reach 8 pounds in 20 weeks. Mind you, it's my rejects that I process, which are typically smaller - there is a reason why I have rejected them!

Yes @Alaska Satin 100% I would find it easier to process and test out cervical dislocation methods once they are unconscious, from the perspective of me being comfortable working with them. Just sometimes it's getting them into that unconcious states that I struggle with.
Where on the head do you hit them? Just on the top between the ears? Or specifically beneath the ears?

Hold onto the entire leg on each side (also easier when it's a small fryer instead of a full-grown meat rabbit) and pull straight in line with the spine; the only angle should be at the neck.

How far up the legs do you hold? The hocks, or the tops of the legs? Or on the knee joint?

Having the animal on the ground and pulling up means it doesn't require any muscle strength at all; you just stand up.

Ok, I wonder if we are using too much muscle then. I think we are pulling them too far. Which explains why my internal organs are getting out of shape.

@Alaska Satin how old do you let your average meat bun get before dispatching?

 

[TamiPac]

This thread is extremely important to me. I need to process today for the second time. I use a pellet gun and the last time we had a terrible experience and I ended up crying the rest of the day and generally upset for several days afterwards. I would be really interested in knowing exactly where to hit them on the head for them to lose consciousness. And/or exactly how to angle the pellet for immediate death.

 

[Bekah-n-Tennessee]

Following closely as I have yet to dispatch and my biggest concern is doing correctly, quickly and humanely...

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

How do you do the choke chain method without breaking the legs?
I've tried both choke chain and broomstick method and not gotten well with either.
First couple of times with the choke chain ended up bunny with broken back legs and basically strangled and a fair lot of bruising at neck, rabbit squealed, not at all nice. Hard to process with broken back legs too. Often just broke at the knee joint.
Switched to using broomstick method, actually adapted it so we hit them at the top 2 vertebrae with a steel rod to make them unconscious, then once lights out, stand on broomstick and pull rabbit....I found this made their internal organs stretch and sometimes hard to process, as it was obviously a lot of pulling especially once we've pulled the skin off too, ended up with the intestines and stomach being very weak, a couple of them split while trying to gut them....and the stench of split open inside guts is awful!!!
Wondering if maybe I should invest in an air rifle, but we are in town and have neighbours, neighbours can be nosy and I don't want anyone to look over the fence and see me killing my rabbits with a gun, they would have a shock!

I haven't tried the v-block method of cervical dislocation, it seems any pull method so far doesn't really work for me. Maybe I just don't have the muscles? But is it more about technique?
Any ideas?

Use a shelf bracket turned sideways mounted to a building, post or fence. Simply slid the head into large opening to the small side lift up and pull back with a sharp tug.