I'll tell you of an experience that embarrasses me. We have an annual big cookout on the private airstrip (Governor Dewey's property) where I hunt, fly and hang out. A person who I lost respect for decided he wanted to have a deer done whole the way pigs are done. He shot a fawn, illegally since it was summer, and put it on the spit. I refused to eat any of it but those who did said it was inedible because it was so tough. The deer went to waste. I have no idea why some young animals are tender, like yours, and others are tough. I think the veal example is a good one. On the whole, I do believe that the theory of young animals being tender while old animals are tough is not consistently true. What I do know for sure is that all my meat, regardless of age, is tender due in no small part to how I handle it and age it.
I have a friend that owns a dairy farm. When his cows get too old to milk, he butchers them. He has given me some meat from the cows which I aged properly. The meat was always tender and flavorful.
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