How to age meat

The aging process in meat is of primary importance for the success of a recipe.
Game meat, like all meat in general, needs a resting period before consumption.

In fact, game meat, in particular, cannot be consumed immediately because it is too stiff and tough to chew.
Aging is a process through which the contracted muscles of the animal, due to rigor mortis, relax, become tender, and the meat, once cooked, is more flavorful, tastier, easier to chew, and digestible.

This meat maturation period takes place in a refrigerated cell at a temperature of 0-4°C for a variable time, which changes based on the size of the product we are working with, the age of the animal, and the temperatures of the cells where the aging takes place.

If you buy already aged game meat, it is advisable to store it in the refrigerator between 2°C and 4°C if consumed quickly. If consumed after 24 hours, it is recommended to freeze it at -20°C to avoid altering the nutritional characteristics of the product.

How to handle game meat

When hunting, special care must be taken in handling the animal immediately after it is killed. First, instant bleeding is performed by cutting the jugular veins and then gutting. In this second phase, it is important to pay particular attention to the affected part, whether above or below the diaphragm, deciding, based on the damaged organs, whether to move the animal for evisceration.

Then, organic dirt and blood clots are removed from the carcass using a clean white cotton cloth. It is best to avoid using water for internal cleaning: if absolutely necessary, ensure that the liquid does not wet the fur first, to avoid further contaminating the internal part of the animal with bacteria present externally.

It is advisable to cool the animal as soon as possible to stop or slow down bacterial activity.

For transportation, a backpack can be used, preferably open, if it is small or medium-sized animals. Big game can be dragged or moved using a pole.

It is advisable to air the animal well before putting it in the car. For transportation, avoid closed containers, especially plastic ones. Ideally, use some large plastic bottles containing ice, placed inside the animal, to facilitate cooling and preservation.

Before processing, it is optimal to store the animal with its fur in a refrigerated cell for at least a week or ten days at a temperature between 0° and 4°C.

If a refrigerated cell is not available, it is sufficient to store it, covered with an anti-fly net, for a couple of days in a healthy and cool environment at a temperature of 7-8°C. If this is not possible, an old refrigerator can be used: in this case, however, the animal must be skinned, wrapped in specific cloths available from butchers (to prevent the meat from drying out externally), and placed on grids.

To prepare brown stock, you need the following ingredients:

• Carcass or bones and meat trimmings from several animals of the same species
• 1 stalk of green celery
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 golden onion
• 2 glasses of aromatic white wine
• 2 glasses of vegetable broth
• 1 ripe tomato
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 parsley stems without leaves
• 3-4 juniper berries
• 1 clove
• 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste

Break the bones, grease them with extra virgin olive oil, place them on a baking sheet, and toast them in a preheated oven at 220°C until they are dry and very dark, but not burnt. Transfer them to a large saucepan. Roughly chop the celery, carrots, and onion and stew the vegetables in a pan with a drizzle of oil, initially over high heat, then over very low heat. When they are well cooked, raise the heat again and brown them until golden. Then put them in the saucepan with the roasted bones. Pour a glass of wine into the pan used to brown the vegetables and reduce it by half. Repeat the operation with the baking sheet where you roasted the bones, pouring the second glass of wine and scraping the bottom with a spatula to collect the caramelized meat sugars during toasting. If necessary, add a glass of broth. Pour the liquid from the baking sheet into the saucepan. Clean the tomato and cut it into cubes. Brown it in a pan with a drizzle of oil over very high heat and put it in the saucepan. Deglaze the pan with a glass of broth, reduce it, and add it to the rest. Brown the ingredients for a few minutes over high heat, then add the bay leaf, parsley, juniper, clove, and pepper, and finally cover with water. Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 1.5 hours. At the end of cooking, adjust the salt, strain the game broth, cool it down, possibly by immersing the container in a basin full of water and ice, jar it, and store it in the refrigerator or freeze it immediately.