Is it safe to eat venison tartare from an animal that was harvested in the wild?

I recently watched a cooking show on how to prepare venison tartare. There was an explanation given by the host stating that the venison was acquired at a local deer farm. There was no mention regarding meat that was harvested in the wild.

Deer farming keeps the deer in a controlled environment where their diet is controlled as well as the deer receiving the proper vaccinations.

Since wild deer don't have a controlled environment or vaccinations, would it still be safe to eat raw meat from deer harvested in the wild?

Best Answer

If you really want to eat that raw, freezing the meat at -4 deg F (-20°C) or lower for 30 days or more should kill most if not all the types of parasites found in deer.

Different parasites die at different temperatures, for example:

Anisakiasis (fish worms) can be treated at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time).
Trichinellosis (pork worms) treated by freezing pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms.
Venison -4°F (-20°C) or below for 4 days.

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Can you eat wild venison raw?

But here's what you need to know to eat raw venison (deer, antelope, moose, elk, etc) as safely as possible: Shoot straight. Seriously. If' you've gut-shot the animal, think twice about making it into tartare or carpaccio.

Is it safe to eat venison tartare?

When handled correctly from start to finish, venison tartare is perfectly safe. That safe handling starts in the field. Use a backstrap from a deer you harvested cleanly, no gut shots, and cleaned impeccably, no nicking of the stomach while field dressing.

Can humans eat raw meat in the wild?

Humans are omnivores: we can digest raw meat and thrive. The Inuit, among others living in frozen latitudes, eat raw meat from seals, caribou, elk or whale. Uncooked cuts from horses, chickens and goats are presented as small delicacies on tables from Europe to Japan.

How do animals eat raw meat and not get sick?

Animals can eat raw meat because they have have stronger stomach acid that helps digest their food. From an evolutionary standpoint, the acid has needed to be much stronger to kill parasites and different bacteria.

Wild Venison Tartare | Hunter Gather Cook

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Skyler Ewing, Skyler Ewing, Chris F, Глеб Коровко