Roadkill ?

[Hopz]

We found this very fresh roadkill at the bottom of the canyon today...

Medium sized doe... likely 100 pounds or so of fresh venison there.

Anyone have any clues about cleaning this beast and recipes?

As you can tell I am not too familiar with wild game, but hey, lets give it a try...

 

[pdswife]

Glad to see someone using the meat! It's so sad to see it just sitting there rotting away. Enjoy every bite! Yummmy!!!

I know there are a few deer hunters on board here...they'll be sure to jump in with a recipe or two.

If you saved the heart

just boil it up with some onions, celery, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper.
It's great.


( be sure the meat is still safe to eat though!!!!)

 

[Half Baked]

I know how to field strip a deer, but that's all. Isn't the meat pretty ruined if it was smashed by a car? I have no idea what the meat would be like with all that bruising.

 

[tomchef]

dont eat any bruised meat.venison has to be hung for a couple of days,dosnt it?a bitter chocolate sauce is a must with venison!

 

[Buck]

I know how to field strip a deer, but that's all. Isn't the meat pretty ruined if it was smashed by a car? I have no idea what the meat would be like with all that bruising.

No, no silly Jan. The meat's not ruined. It's pre-tenderized. Just think of the vehicle that hit it as a 300 hp jaccard tenderizer. He! He!

 

[Constance]

The venison is usually field-dressed and hung in a cool place at least 24 hours.

But my husband, almighty hunter, says you can skip that part, and just peel the skin back, go in from the back, and take out the hams and the loins...which are the best parts anyway.
The loins lay along the backbone, and the hams are the behind.
Then just lay the meat out on a clean surface, cut into pieces the right size for cooking, and remove as much silverskin and fat as you can. (What little fat there is is kinda nasty.)

Or, Google up how to field dress a deer. Does are a lot easier than bucks.

 

[Walt Bulander]

Road Kill

You are in a race with spoilage.
I wouldn't use a road kill unless I knew when it died, how long it may have lain wounded, the temperature, etc.

When we hunt deer, they are immediatly field dressed, hung to drain the blood,and cooled. Most years in Minnesota, the temperatures are below 40 degrees.

If you are going to use it, field dress it immediately! If there was intestinal rupture and fecal material loose in the abdomen, I would just give up.

We bone out all the meat from the carcass. The bone marrow gives an undesireable flavor. Remove all hair and tallow.

You can probably find instructions on how to butcher on the internet. Or, maybe you know someone with experience.

Good luck!

 

[Constance]

Walt, one year my grandson gut-shot one that had just been in a farmer's cornfield. He said there was corn all over the place.
He and Kim did there hunting in the spoils of the strip mine, though, and they were able to take the carcasses up to the shop, where they could be hung and pressure washed with the big hoses.

 

[Walt Bulander]

Roadkill?

Just had another thought.

How do you know it's a roadkill? Western deer can get something called "chronic wasting disease" which is thought to be somewhat like Mad Cow Disease, which killed a bunch of people in Europe.

In fact, If I had a deer harvested in parts of Utah, I couldn't even legally bring it into Minnesota as a whole carcass.

 

[pdswife]

sadly it's not legal in Wa. either. We see dead dear on our road all the time.

It seems to me that the meat should be put to good use.

 

[Walt Bulander]

I live in a rural area, and have hunted with the same bunch on the same land for over 30 years. We usually have several deer to butcher at the end of the weekend.

The game wardens know they can often get rid of fresh road kills with us. On opening morning, lots of deer are trying to avoid the hunters, and get hit by cars. (they give you a possession permit, otherwise it's illegal here also.)
We use them, if they are fresh, killed within hours. We wouldn't take one that had been killed the previous day.
If it's relaxed and still warm, it's fresh.
If it's in rigor (stiffened up), it's almost fresh.
If it's relaxed and cold, it's probably not fresh. We turn down any deer that hasn't been field dressed in this condition.

If we decide to use the deer, any bloodshot meat is discarded.

My concern is not with the use of the meat. Only with the food safety issue.

 

[sparrowgrass]

I had a wildlife biologist friend who studied roadkill. His philosophy was if it didn't smell bad, it was ok to eat. As far as I know, he is still alive.

I wouldn't go quite that far, but I have hauled home a deer or two from the side of the road.

Don't throw away the ribs--leave some meat on them and BBQ like pork ribs.