Elk meat still good?

[Wilderness_56587]

My wife shot a cow elk on Monday morning, pretty sure it died within half hour. We didn't find it until 10 hours later. We quartered it out and got it in the freezer. Cut it up today and most the meat seemed fine, there was one spot in the one hind quarter that had green almost grass like stands in the meat, only in one small area by one of her bullet holes. We didn't take any of the meat around that area. All the rest of the meat smelled and liked fine. Did we do the right thing in keeping the meat that seemed ok?

 

[Wilderness_56587]

Was about 50 degrees in morning and 75 during the day

 

[npaden]

If it was bad you should be able to smell it. Sounds like it is fine.

 

[Wilderness_56587]

That was my instinct as well, just have never saw anything like the green grassy things in the meat, it was only in one small 3" area.

 

[Elkmagnet]

When we have lost meat it was obvious. Sewage smell or off color. It sounds fine to me.

 

[wolfpup]

Your good. Cut away the green until you have the red meat. Sniff test and your good! I always smell my meat throughout the processes so I know what it smells like. I even go as far as taking a bite of a small piece of raw meat to check.

 

[NoWiser]

You should be fine. In the future, it's best not to put the meat in the freezer right away. That's a good way to get it to spoil. Hang it overnight to cool down, first.

 

[MITCHMO]

Agree with what was said above. If for some reason you are still nervous, just eat a small piece from an area of concern before eating more to see how you feel. I’d feel really comfortable eating it though.

 

[Wilderness_56587]

You should be fine. In the future, it's best not to put the meat in the freezer right away. That's a good way to get it to spoil. Hang it overnight to cool down, first.

Why does the freezer make it spoil more? I figured the faster it cools the better?

 

[buckbull]

You dont want to through uncooked meat in a bag and throw it in the freezer, the middle may spoil before it cools. Taking small pieces on a cookie sheet lined with cookie cooking mesh would be fine to get it cooled down in a hurry. You need airflow.

 

[MTHunter1321]

Why does the freezer make it spoil more? I figured the faster it cools the better?

The outer portion of the mean will freeze before the inner portion, therefore it will trap heat inside.
Couple years ago a friend of a friend shot a bull in single digits and thought it’d be fine in the back of his truck for a couple of days before he could get it to the processor. Whole ended up spoiling.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

ive seen some of that bluish green color by big bones and joints that seem to hold the heat longer than other places,,sounds like you did fine.neck meat and hind meat by the bone seems to be the first areas to look for this.

 

[Wilderness_56587]

ive seen some of that bluish green color by big bones and joints that seem to hold the heat longer than other places,,sounds like you did fine.neck meat and hind meat by the bone seems to be the first areas to look for this.

The area was right by the hip joint in hind quarter, thanks for all the help. I have learned allot through this experience

 

[OntarioHunter]

It's called bone sour. Watch that meat next to the bone. Sniff it.

 

[JLS]

Frozen meat does not trap heat. Hide and other surfaces such as the ground trap heat.

Where you run into issues in a freezer is packing the packages in tight with no air flow.

 

[NoWiser]

Why does the freezer make it spoil more? I figured the faster it cools the better?

As mentioned above, you need airflow to efficiently cool meat. If you throw big, warm hunks of meat on top of each other in the freezer, the middle will spoil well before it cools down. It’s amazing how effectively a breeze will cool down meat, even if the temperature isn’t super cold.

 

[BoulderBulls]

Echo what others are saying. When the meats spoiled it STINKS. Shot a whitetail doe with my bow last year didn't find her until the next morning around 10am. Some of the hind meat by the ball joints had to go rest was good and it was OBVIOUS.

my guess the heat disappears the slowest from that part of the animal?

 

[Wilderness_56587]

Echo what others are saying. When the meats spoiled it STINKS. Shot a whitetail doe with my bow last year didn't find her until the next morning around 10am. Some of the hind meat by the ball joints had to go rest was good and it was OBVIOUS.

my guess the heat disappears the slowest from that part of the animal?

Mine had a general "gamey" smell but nothing bad, nothing that made your face scrunch or anything.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

exactly,,,bone and hide hold the heat.

 

[claybreaker]

I always used the smell test... but after having covid my smeller just don't work like it used to and I'd afraid that I might not detect something bad in front of me.