How long does the meat need to age?

[MacNobody]

I have read that I must let meat age for a time after butchering. I have read some conflicting ideas, or at least gotten them a little mixed up in my head.

If I butcher a rabbit today, as long as I start cooking within an hour or two, will the meat be ok?

If I butcher 17 today, are they ok to put in the freezer, or do I need refrigerator space to cool the meat for a certain time first?

thanks for any replies!

 

[Dood]

You can eat the meat right away but most people like it to "rest" in the fridge (either in a bowl or sealed ziplock bag) for a day or two so rigor has passed, making the meat more tender, and the stress hormones released during butchering have dissipated and the flavor altered/improved

You can freeze right away as well but I usually rest the meat a day before putting it in.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have read that I must let meat age for a time after butchering. I have read some conflicting ideas, or at least gotten them a little mixed up in my head.

It can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week for the rigor to pass depending on the temperature of your refrigerator.

If I butcher 17 today, are they ok to put in the freezer, or do I need refrigerator space to cool the meat for a certain time first?

You can freeze the fresh carcass, and it will go through the rigor process as it thaws, but according to a study I read, the muscle tissue will not break down as fully as it normally would. If you are planning on "low and slow" cooking, such as wrapping it and cooking in the oven at 275F or so for a few hours, or putting it in a crock pot on low, you probably wont notice too much of a difference.

I usually clear off the top shelf in the refrigerator and bag them in ziplocs. You can fit a surprising number in there if you stack them up. To save even more space, you can quarter them- two front legs, thighs, loin, ribcage- and bag the pieces according to type. The rib cages can "nest" within each other, or you could split them lengthwise so they lay relatively flat. I sometimes cut the meat while it is still body temp, but the cuts are cleaner and more professional looking on chilled meat than fresh.

If I butcher a rabbit today, as long as I start cooking within an hour or two, will the meat be ok?

For best results, you should have your cooking method ready to go. If you are going to bake it, have the oven warmed up. Simmer in fluid? Have your liquid warmed.

You will also want to rinse the carcass in tepid NOT cold water, and get it cooking as quickly as possible.

 

[JulieCunicole]

This may not apply for you, as it takes alot of fridge space.

After I process 3 or 4, I let them sit in salt water for a day or so. Then I take them out, rinse them off, and dry them pretty carefully. I place 2-3 (clean!) dishtowels in the bottom of a roasting pan, put the rabbits on top of them, and then cover them with another 2 or 3 clean dishtowels, which I tuck in so there's nothing hanging over the side of the roasting pan. Then I put them all in the fridge for 3 days or so.

One they've full aged, I either carve them up and freeze/sell the pieces, and make stock/freeze the carcasses, or freeze them whole. I's tough to get the whole carcass to fit in a plastic bag, so I prefer cutting it up.

I just got a chest freezer, and am SO happy not to have pelts and stock bits in my kitchen freezer anymore!

One last thing: there's apparently an old technique called "faisandage." It was (is) used with pheasants and other game birds, but also with rabbits. You kill the animal in a way that does not damage its insides, and then hang it for several days in a cool area. After a certain amount of time has passed (which varies with the age of the animal, whether it's wild or domestic, and the ambient temperature), you gut it and can then eat it. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet, but I am very intrigued!