RED DEER – Venison gracing the tables of long-dead European kings is an
important history lesson for
Alberta deer and elk producers.
Slav Heller of Alberta Agriculture told a recent Alberta White Tail and
Mule Deer Association meeting in Red Deer that they have to think of
their product as gourmet meat.
“You have to be creative in marketing this gourmet venison product,” he
said.
But he cautioned that the process will need to be planned carefully.
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The industry will need adequate amounts of raw product, a suitable
processor and a buyer willing to spend more for a premium product.
“You will need a different approach and different set of skills. You
will have to understand handling raw meat and all the food safety
regulations.”
He told producers they should work with the beef and pork industries to
learn more about the meat trade and food safety.
He suggested starting with the Alberta market, because the province has
broad international exposure with a major tourism industry in its major
cities and national parks. Visitors expect unique food.
“You don’t sell the steak, you sell the image.”
He also warned about potential problems, such as deciding what to do
with the trim and lower-valued cuts.
“You can put it in the freezer and wait for a miracle or you can grind
it for smokies,” he said.
Quality control will also be important, he said, because a disappointed
customer does not return a second time.
While the meat market could take three to five years to develop, Brett
Oliver-Lyons of the association is convinced there is international
demand for meat from the 10,000 deer raised on 196 licensed Alberta
farms.
For example, Germany has imported 20,000 tonnes of venison from New
Zealand.
Terry Church, manager of Canadian Rocky Mountain Game Farm south of
Calgary, is already selling venison and bison meat. The ranch supplies
Alberta-grown venison from elk and bison to the mother company’s
resorts and restaurants in Banff and Calgary.
The Rocky Mountain Resorts Company is focusing on heritage game meat
for an international clientele in white tablecloth restaurants.
Gourmet chefs want consistency, quality, uniqueness and guaranteed food
safety. Church said price is not the most important consideration for
these chefs.
To improve consistency and quality, the ranch invested in meat testing
programs at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lacombe, Alta.
They learned several things:
- Slaughter animals must be presorted before they are delivered to the
processing plant. To reduce stress, the animals must arrive on time so
they are not standing and waiting in a holding pen.
- Cooling rates for venison must be modified to prevent moisture
loss, which results in dry meat with less flavour.
“A slower cooling rate improves the quality and tenderness of elk,”
Church said.
- Meat must be aged in a vacuum-packed bag rather than by hanging,
which dries it out.
- Tenderness tests at Lacombe found that aging of venison may not be
as important as in other meats. The study showed even older animals
produce tender venison.
Trim is a problem. For example, about 30 percent of an elk is
high-value cuts while the rest is of lesser value. There is little
external fat except over the rump. Church said this is an opportunity
for value adding with products such as sausage, deli meats and pate.
While customers are always looking for something different, he said it
has to be as good as beef because that is the standard.
Meat served in Alberta can be processed in a provincial plant, but many
do not have the facilities for specialty livestock.
Alberta has only one federally inspected plant capable of handling
these animals.
