Deer hanger

Kat1170

Should hold up anything I'm likely to come across in Wicklow :D:D

Just needs a spray of paint.

Cass

Did ya get it painted?

Kat1170

Just gave it a good coat of Hammerite. Have a nice Sika/Red hybrid hind hanging from it at the moment. If that doesn't bend it nothing I shoot will :)

Cass

Nice. Throw up a picture if ya get a chance of both the hanger and deer.

Kat1170

Just finished butchering the deer about 20 mins ago . Will throw up pic of the hanger tomorrow and if I get one next week I'll throw up a pic of a deer on it.

tikkahunter

You have a chance of the ro bar rusting , i have some stainless steel round bar your welcome to some for free if you like, you just need to drill each side of the fridge with a hole saw and seal up the small gap with silicone.Im in Dublin and work near Wicklow , if want it give me a shout.

Kat1170

tikkahunter wrote: »

You have a chance of the ro bar rusting , i have some stainless steel round bar your welcome to some for free if you like, you just need to drill each side of the fridge with a hole saw and seal up the small gap with silicone.Im in Dublin and work near Wicklow , if want it give me a shout.

Thank you. Offer much appreciated, but its well coated with Hammerite so shouldn't rust. Had a stainless bar in last fridge but this one is wider. Just made it out of rebar because I had some lying around and was bored.
I have it mounted right up to the top of the fridge so I don't loose any hanging height.


tikkahunter, do you find the fan in your fridge dry's the meat out a bit causing a 'skin' on the carcass. Is fan on all the time or does it come on and off with the thermostat ??

Cheers Joe

cookimonster

Re: hanger - I've one made from rebar spray painted in Hammerite and its holding up to abuse, I use it for skinning, butchery etc. I wash it after use to ensure no corrosion from blood etc.
I also use a very large stainless steel butchers hook, too big for any deer, modified by reversing one side of the 'S' and bending slightly in the middle.

Ref: Drying Skin.

Most commercial fridges with extraction fans are either designed for bulk loading and rapid chilling or frequent use where the door is opened regularly (example drinks units).
If the internal cabinet temp is above the fridge setting the unit will continue to draw off the heat thus causing an airflow over the meat surface and assisting evaporation.

A few things can help or need to be addressed.

Do you allow the carcass to cool before refrigeration ? It is better to allow the carcus to cool considerably before refrigeration.

Do you leave the pelvic bone intact?, the simple act of splitting or partial removeal of the bone prior to hanging will aid in quicker cooling.

Hide on or off is debatable and circumstantial - partial hanging in the hide can reduce drying, when I do this I will hang for another day skinned before breaking the carcass. When hanging without the skin I will most definitely reduce the hanging time. But if I have a skinned deer in the refrigerator I will never hang another one with the hide on at the same time.

Lastly and this is my own personal belief, I think far too many of us hang our deer far too long. I belive 10 days to the point of butchery is sufficient for any age and species. I usually butcher over 2 days, that is breaking the carcass, cutting primal joints, rechilling meats for dicing or mincing. If I have all day I ensue my meat for dicing, mincing etc is well chilled before processing this ensures a better product. So this effectively adds more time for the meat to 'ripen'. So that's 10-12 days prior to freezing and even shorter for calves.

Sorry about the ramble but cabin fever is setting in so I'm killing time bofore tomorrow's stalk.

tikkahunter

Kat1170 wrote: »

Thank you. Offer much appreciated, but its well coated with Hammerite so shouldn't rust. Had a stainless bar in last fridge but this one is wider. Just made it out of rebar because I had some lying around and was bored.
I have it mounted right up to the top of the fridge so I don't loose any hanging height.


tikkahunter, do you find the fan in your fridge dry's the meat out a bit causing a 'skin' on the carcass. Is fan on all the time or does it come on and off with the thermostat ??

Cheers Joe

Hi Joe, my fridge is set at 2deg it raises to 5 deg then it kicks back in to bring it back to 2 deg, i have that bar a bit too low, should have it higher ,wasnt till i drilled it i realised i ****ed up.I leave the skin on normally , i just dragged that lad through a lot of slop so i skinned him for hanging , leaving the skin on just means a little less trimming(the hard skin your talking about) ,i wash the animal down with 50/50 water and vinegar just before i put it in the cooler, helps with mould prevention.