Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Flanders
The meat of young animals is tough? Seriously? I shot a deer once that once I got up to it seemed the size of a Brittany. Oh well. I put the whole deer, minus head an forelegs in my pack and kept on hunting. They guys in camp laughed at it on the meat hook.... until they tasted it. It was near as tender as roasted armadillo. I've had the same experience with bison, caribou and moose. With moose, if their antlers are longer than their ears, they're too big.
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Richard, I think the bottom line, from my perspective, is proper handling and aging of the meat at a constant, consistent temperature for an appropriate period of time, depending on the animal. I like 38 degree's but a person I know who raises and processes Angus and Hereford beef in Mt. Airy, Md, for the fine restaurant market, likes 42 degrees. He likes the higher temperature better because the meat ages more quickly and it cost less to bring his meat to market. He also told me that the older beef is more flavorful, something I can’t confirm or deny through my personal experience. All I know for sure is that the dry cows, from my Pawling dairy farmer friend, were some of the best beef I have ever eaten.
I have never killed a young bull moose. All of mine had antlers that extended well beyond the ears. Nor have I killed a calf, which are legal in Saskatchewan. My bulls have all been fine eating. Granted, they are much smaller than Alaskan moose, but I don’t think that size really matters when it comes to the quality of the meat. I have enjoyed this conversation and others opinions. And, by the way, a Piper Super Cub is my favorite airplane to fly. I much prefer it to a Cessna 182 which is also available to me. I love tail draggers. I'll bet we can both agree on that.