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DIY Processing - How Long Does It Take You?

Good call @elk yinzer. Haha. My week night consumption has definitely gone up on a few nights. Cold Busch Light, some new Luke Combs and/or classic 90s country, and does the rest really matter??

I appreciate everyone’s feedback. I do think it’s a matter of putting in time on the front end or the back end. I had the big roasts off each leg fairly quickly and could have frozen them that way. But I would have spent time trimming once I thaw them out in the future. I typically just like to get it done all at once.
 
About 3hrs on average, sometimes less if its a smaller deer. I have spent 9hrs on one deer in my life but he was huge. It helps to get the wife and kids involved, I cut...they grind...mama vacuum seals.
 
Quartering out depends on how much beer is consumed

I let it sit at least a few days in plastic bags in the fridge before final processing and freezing. That could take 30 minutes or a couple hours depending on what I do with the meat. Grinding or slicing always takes longer because of the time spent running the machine and then cleaning all the parts afterwards. Steaks and roasts are the quickest


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I do most the work hanging.
Skinning is a 5-10 minute job.
Deboning i do in 30 to 50 minutes depending on if i'm alone or if someone is slowing me down. (Faster alone, LOOK OUT I'M CUTTING!!)
Due to CWD restrictions i must debone before leaving the area.
With all meat bagged and in a cooler, at home typically the next day i spend an hour trimming all the fat off the cuts and moving into the freezer.

So, 2 hours total to freezer.

After the season i grind and process my own.
 
You can spend as much or as little of time as you want - and in some cases choose between being picky with silverskin on the front end vs on the back end.

I like to keep whole
All shanks. I'll either cook them whole or saw from frozen into osso buco
backstraps each get cut into hunks. A "fancy" looking roast with frenched ribs attached, and the rest of the strap in another chunk. If I'm not feeling fancy, or I'm in a hurry and doing boneless processing the straps just get cut out and either froze whole or in 8-12 in sections.
Usually the shoulders. I like doing whole shoulders slow-cooked.
Occasionally the ribs

Occasionally I'll cure a whole ham. Otherwise I break out the hindquarters into roasts.
Trim the neck roast off.
random bits and pieces go to grind/sausage/stew

If I want chops or steaks - I'll steak out the corresponding roast or backstrap hunk at the time of preparation.

As long as I have the time, I enjoy it and take extra time to make the cuts "pretty". But that's just playin' with my meat.
 
depends on how many times i cut my thumb and what the first aid kit has left ;)

seriously i cut my frickin hands field dressing/butchering deer all the time. wouldnt be the least bit surprised if im the first man to catch CWD.

age your meat for 5-7 days if possible. This is what separates venison from "deer meat"
 
PEEJAY said:
depends on how many times i cut my thumb and what the first aid kit has left ;)

seriously i cut my frickin hands field dressing/butchering deer all the time. wouldnt be the least bit surprised if im the first man to catch CWD.

age your meat for 5-7 days if possible. This is what separates venison from "deer meat"
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Bahahaha. Same here. I worked in a restaurant for 8 years and know my way around a knife but for some reason cutting up a deer I always catch myself buuuuuut the buck I just killed I never cut myself and he is all sealed away so I am good to go. hahaha.

I don't work super fast because I don't want to cut myself and I feel like a rookie every year on the first one so that one always takes time. I have cleaned over a dozen deer and it still feels like day one every year.

All said and done I am probably 4 to 5 hours skin to freezer. I don't want my wife to expect me done quickly so she can give me another project.
 
I usually butcher somewhere between 8-12 deer a yr but the more comfortable i get, the quicker i go and then...slice.

My #1 tip: Keep your knives razor sharp.
Dull knives = longer frustrating butcher jobs
 
Wyatt_burp said:
Hang until rigor sets in, I like hanging in the hide if its cold enough. If not skinning and quartering takes 30 ish minutes, pack in game bags, put in coolers with bagged ice. Leave overnight at least.

I like keeping large roasts and taking off as much silverskin as possible, trim out ribs and and any other area you don't get large cuts. 2 hours ish- maybe 3, then wrapping in saran and butcher paper.

4 ish hours active work, assuming you have a study area to hang, a sawzall, knife skills, and know your way around the animal.

Trimming silverskin and wrapping/ labeling are the most time consuming.

Save your shanks, they are a dream in a slow cooker!

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Spot on!
 
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