How long should beef, lamb, pork and venison hang?

Updated 2 November 2026

AHDB recommends ageing beef for at least 7 days and ideally 21, with little gain after 28, and lamb for at least 7 days and ideally 10. We found no official figure for pork: one Gloucestershire abattoir hangs it for 4 to 14 days. Guidance for venison runs from 3 days for a muntjac to 14 for a red deer, and for game birds from 2 to 7.

Why meat is hung

After slaughter the muscles run out of energy and stiffen, which is rigor mortis. Over the following days natural enzymes in the meat break down muscle proteins, so it becomes more tender and the flavour develops (AHDB).

The biggest gains come early. A review of dry-ageing research found enzyme activity is highest in the first 7 days, and Meat Standards Australia says most of the improvement in beef comes in the first 21 days. Longer isn’t always better: AHDB warns that ageing for too long can produce off flavours.

How the carcase is chilled matters too. If muscle is chilled too fast before rigor sets in, it contracts and goes tough, which is called cold shortening. AHDB’s rule of thumb is to keep the muscle above 10°C for the first 10 hours after slaughter.

How long to hang each meat

AHDB’s beef and lamb times apply whether the meat is dry aged or vacuum packed. It gives 120 days as the most beef or lamb should be aged to avoid spoilage, and that depends on strict hygiene and temperature control. It suggests limiting lamb cuts sold on the bone to 7 days.

AHDB says only roasting, frying and grilling cuts gain from more than a week, so the cuts for mince and dicing are mostly taken off within the first week. The hygiene rules also say mince has to be made within 6 days of slaughter, or 15 days for boned, vacuum-packed beef (Regulation 853/2004).

The mutton figure is AHDB’s description of Renaissance mutton: sheep at least two years old, matured for at least two weeks.

Hanging pork

AHDB’s maturation guidance covers beef and lamb, not pork, and we found no official figure for it. In practice, J Broomhall hangs pork for 4 to 14 days as standard, and Munro’s in Dingwall won’t hang pigs for more than 7 days. AHDB gives the storage life of a hygienically dressed pig carcase as up to 14 days, against 15 for lamb and 21 for beef.

Temperature and humidity

By law, carcases have to be chilled to 7°C or below all the way through, and offal to 3°C, before they leave the abattoir (Regulation 853/2004). Wild game going into the food chain has to reach 7°C for large game such as deer and 4°C for small game such as pheasants (FSA). Game kept only for your own household is outside these hygiene rules.

Best practice is colder:

• AHDB says abattoir chillers usually run at 0 to 5°C until the deep muscle reaches 7°C. Meat is then best stored at 0 to 3°C and 90 to 95% relative humidity, with sides spaced so cool air can move without drying them out.
• AHDB says meat ageing in vacuum bags should be kept below 3°C.
• The Deer Initiative says a deer carcase is ideally stored at 1 to 2°C and must not be frozen.
• The Code of Good Shooting Practice says to get game birds down to 0 to 4°C as quickly as possible.
• The 2016 review gives dry-ageing conditions as 0 to 4°C, 75 to 80% relative humidity and air moving at 0.5 to 2 metres a second.

Game to Eat’s 5°C for birds is above the 4°C legal limit for small game going into the food chain, so birds for a game dealer need to be kept colder.

Weight loss during hanging

A carcase loses weight as it cools. AHDB says a hot pig carcase weighs 1.5 to 2% more than a cooled one, and price reporting rules for cattle and pigs take 2% off the hot weight.

Hanging in open air dries the outside of the meat. The 2016 review found dry-aged beef lost 6 to 15% of its weight in the chiller, and another 3 to 24% when the dried outside was trimmed off. Beef aged in vacuum bags lost little or no weight.

So long dry ageing gives you less meat to take home. Our guide to how much meat you get from a pig, lamb or cow has the yields before any ageing loss.

Dry ageing or vacuum bags

AHDB says meat becomes more tender at the same rate whether it’s dry aged or vacuum packed.

• Dry ageing means hanging carcases, quarters or cuts in the open air. It gives a distinct flavour that some people prefer, but loses more weight through drying and trimming, and takes more chiller space and energy.
• Vacuum bags cut weight loss and take less space. Bags that let moisture out are also available, giving a dry-aged flavour with less loss and trimming.
• On the bone. Maturing on the bone is thought to improve flavour, but AHDB says there’s little evidence of a large effect.

Hanging game birds

Cool birds as soon as you can. The Code of Good Shooting Practice says to lay shot birds on their backs with space between them, never in heaps, then move them to a larder and chill them below 4°C. Hang them apart from each other and away from walls so air can flow.

Game to Eat suggests 5 to 7 days at about 5°C, and less if it’s warmer, though it calls hanging a matter of personal preference. It also says not to hang a bird that’s gut shot or badly damaged. Nick Lister of Ox Close Fine Foods told BASC that birds are generally prepared 2 to 5 days after the shoot, or up to about 10 days if kept in a chiller.

Hanging venison

Game to Eat says deer should be gutted straight away, before hanging, and that bigger animals hang longer. Scotland’s Best Practice Guides say to skin the carcase once it’s been lardered and let the heat go for the first 6 hours, which avoids cold shortening. Then hang it at 0 to 4°C with good air flow for up to 10 days, not touching other carcases, and away from any still in the skin. For skinning and butchery, see our guide to deer and wild game processing.

What hanging costs

• Langford Abattoir charges £5 a day to hang cattle, from the day after slaughter, so three weeks adds £105.
• Cig Eryri’s 2024 list charges £2 a day for cattle and prices extra hanging for lamb on request.
• Brace of Butchers in Dorset charges £5 a week to age a beef carcase, space permitting.
• Martins Meats in Gloucestershire includes 14 days of dry ageing in its beef butchery price and charges £60 for 30 days.
• Munro’s won’t hang sheep or pigs for more than 7 days, or beef for more than 14. Anything left after that is boned and vacuum packed at your cost.
• J Broomhall says it will hang meat for as long as you need.

For kill and butchery charges, see how much private kill costs.

What to ask your abattoir or butcher

• How long do you hang beef, lamb and pork as standard, and is that in the price?
• What do you charge after that, and what’s the longest you’ll hang?
• Is it hung on the bone as a side or quarter, or boned and aged in vacuum bags?
• Can you hang beef by the hip rather than the Achilles tendon? AHDB says hip suspension is very effective at making leg and loin cuts more tender, though it isn’t commonly used.
• What temperature do your chillers run at?
• When will the mince and stewing meat be cut?

Put your answers on your cutting list, and use the finder to compare abattoirs near you.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between England and Wales and change over time, so check with your abattoir, vet or local council if you're unsure.