Deer meat in freezer

[blasted_saber]

5 months is nothing for vacuum sealing. They should basically be as good as they day they went in the freezer. I routinely eat venison that is wrapped in butcher paper thats up to 8 months old.

Some cuts of meat are stronger tasting then others. Maybe that meat was handled a bit differently, made it has a bit of bloodshot to it.

[sabmgb]

all my meat is taken to a butcher and is wrapped in butchers paper. I just ate a roast from 2020 season and couldn't tell the difference between 2021 season meat.

[MihajloSimsic]

If you left the fat on it then that would explain the gamey taste. Deer don't have grisle like on beef. They have tallow which is tough, waxey, and gamey. Always trim the fat off your deer meat.

[diverduck]

Agree with above. If you left any fat on, that can account for the taste. Deer fat is gross, and could certainly account for effecting the flavour. We trim ours out completely and get all fat off, and as much silverskin as possible out of the meat! 5 months in vac pack is nothing and shouldn’t effect the quality at all!

[Hardman]

The one of the greatest thing about deer is its freezer abilities, we constantly have deer for a year with no issues. We do not added pork trimmings to any deer as we do with bear sausage, best to eat all meat with pork within 3 months, that is our rule anyway

[gbk]

The one of the greatest thing about deer is its freezer abilities, we constantly have deer for a year with no issues. We do not added pork trimmings to any deer as we do with bear sausage, best to eat all meat with pork within 3 months, that is our rule anyway

I do smoked sausage from my deer,with 40-50 % pork belly fat added,dry it out in the garage,and freeze it.
No issues.
Now this sausage seldom goes in the pot,and never on BBQ.
We eat it as cold cuts.

[Ata83]

Thank you everyone, I think the problem was the fat left in between the meat, and overcooking.
thinking back, it was the top part of the back leg, where 3 different muscles come together basically. there was alot of missed silver skin and fat between the layers, which seems to bring out the gamey taste ...
I tried another piece last night, and it tasted alot better.
this was the first leg I processed, the other leg i basically seperated all muscles individually, trimmed it and packed it, which does not have this ISsue. I was trying to make "Steak cuts" with the first leg, which left alot of stuff in.

[rf2]

There's a lymph node located in the big chunk of fatty tissue in the middle of all the muscles of the hind leg. I make sure to remove that when butchering.

[Fox]

Did you forget to remove the glands by any chance?

[Ata83]

this was from a Doe.
I did not know they have lymph node/ glands .. didnt remove anything specific I can think of. im sure I would have noticed a big lymph node though !