Preparationg of venison for the pot

The secret to your very tasty venison that is not chewy or tuff...
Bleed the carcass as soon as possible after the hunt. If you can cut the main artery in the neck and hoist the animal where you find it, even better.

Do not skin the animal! Unless of course you are only going to make biltong and droëwors with the whole carcass. Not skinning the animal will protect the meat from contamination from the stomach if ruptured.
When removing the stomach, intestines and organs, avoid puncturing the stomach as this will result in a nasty surprise and contamination of the meat - this is very important if you do not like a bitter taste in your mouth (if the stomach is ruptured, ensure the meat is washed thoroughly with water ASAP).

Once the intestines and organs are removed, hang the carcass neck down in a refrigerated room safe from flies, insects and other possible problem animals, for a period of about five days. Keeping the skin on the carcass prevents the meat from drying out. The hanging process softens the natural meat fibres (naturally tenderised).

When the ripening (hanging ) period is complete you will find it much easier to skin the animal and meat is easier to work with.

I find it best to use a good butcher to process the meat for me as it is most convenient and it saves me time. I separate the meat into: shanks for long braising, two shoulders, two hams which I usually bone out, a whole saddle roast (that is the butt end minus the bare bone you have left after the legs are gone), a crown tenderloin roast with the backbone split in half and about 6" of the ribs still on, two slabs of ribs for immediate BBQ slathered in homemade sauce, the neck for stewing and the flank for scrap. You can further reduce the saddle or the crown tenderloin roast into chops; it depends on how many folks you want to invite over for dinner.

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