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What to do post quartering?

This video is of a guy butchering a Roe deer in the U.K., it is smaller than our whitetail but the anatomy is the same. I hope to butcher one like this in the next year or two. But, I would need a really good cold snap to let a deer hang for a few days. We don't usually get good meat hanging weather down here in Texas.



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IkemanTX said:
This video is of a guy butchering a Roe deer in the U.K., it is smaller than our whitetail but the anatomy is the same. I hope to butcher one like this in the next year or two. But, I would need a really good cold snap to let a deer hang for a few days. We don't usually get good meat hanging weather down here in Texas.



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Great video!


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redsquirrel said:
Build this in 2013
http://www.saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/my-coolbot-deer-cooler.7/#post-30
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So you have no excuses!!!

Gut deer, again, cutting from sternum to butt. NO WATER OR ICE ON MEAT
Hang deer in that cooler for 1 day. (~37 degrees less than 85% humidity)
After the first day, pull deer out and skin. Again cutting with the hair, keep one hand on the hair side (non knife hand) and knife hand on the meat side. Helps keep hair off the meat.
Quarter deer, remove loins and inner loins, hang back in cooler for at least 7 days up to 21 again ~37 degrees less than 85% humidity

If your going to use the shoulders for burger or anything but steaks, then you don't need to hang. Hanging benefits the steaks and roasts, does nothing for ground meat.

Thanks,
Boswell
 
Boudreaux said:
Always cut with the direction of the hair, never against.
Try not to cut up deer prior to rigormortis
If you can hang meat to cool, below 50 your fine
Don't let water or ice contact the meet directly. It makes the meat turn "greyish" its called red meat not grey meat.
Let it hang, if you can! If you kill a lot of deer it might be worth it to make a deer cooler. Dry age.
I know there is some things I am forgetting but those are the BIGGEST points.

Thanks,
Boswell
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I agree with Boswell here. I HATE cutting up meat that is wet! If I can, I let the meat hang on the carcass and age for about a week until the outer layer gets hard. Hair comes right off when it gets to that point and all of the blood has drained. If it's too warm I quarter and lay the meat on the fridge rack with a pan to catch the blood underneath it. The fridge in my basement is only for this purpose and I clean the racks after every deer. I have butchered 80+ deer this way without a problem. I have also rinsed the meat off with cold water and cuss every time because the meat is just so much harder to handle. Maybe I am just doing it wrong lol. Are you guys drying the meat out after rinsing?
 
Skin it, wash it. Hang it to dry in a cooler, cold cooler. Process I think colder meat cuts better. I stopped processing my own a few years back. I don't have a good area to do it.

G2 showed me pigs ain't much different

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I field quartered a wild hog the other night throwed all the meat in my field coat and headed out. I just washed and brushed extensively all the rest the grill will take care of


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If I had a walk in cooler I would definitely prefer to hang and dry age. But I don't.

I skin and quarter immediately since I live in GA and it's rarely below 60 degrees for any length of time. Depending on what I want to eat right away, I'll keep some backstrap and tenderloin. The rest goes to the processor for burger, sausage (I prefer link with a little heat), jerky slices (I dehydrate my own), stew meat, and anything else that I plan on cooking.
 
For pigs, I will just be shooting piglets from now on... makes drag out easy (lift it up by one leg and walk out), and they are super tender.

A guy in my neighborhood has gone to using a field tip on piglets and taking head or behind the ear shots only. His smoker is a bit bigger than mine, so a piglet that's just been weaned still fits completely inside his smoker. No processing at all, hahaha.


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Cold meat cuts better and also grinds better. You don't want it frozen but a happy medium in between. Wet meat is where the potential for knife slips happen and will also add to the amount of wasted meat because the cuts on the softer meat won't be as precise. I have been processing my own deer since I started hunting. It takes some work and I am meticulous in my process. I could pay a butcher to do it but I want my deer and it not to be mixed in with someone elses. Plus alot of butchers throw them on bandsaws which is faster yes but you up the bone shards and it is just not as skillful doing it with some knife skills.

My next house I will be buying a walkin cooler so till then ill make do with my fridge combo. Quartering them that way also allows me time to work on the individual quarters and not rushing the process.
 
MCDM said:
Cold meat cuts better and also grinds better. You don't want it frozen but a happy medium in between. Wet meat is where the potential for knife slips happen and will also add to the amount of wasted meat because the cuts on the softer meat won't be as precise. I have been processing my own deer since I started hunting. It takes some work and I am meticulous in my process. I could pay a butcher to do it but I want my deer and it not to be mixed in with someone elses. Plus alot of butchers throw them on bandsaws which is faster yes but you up the bone shards and it is just not as skillful doing it with some knife skills.

My next house I will be buying a walkin cooler so till then ill make do with my fridge combo. Quartering them that way also allows me time to work on the individual quarters and not rushing the process.
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Got a pic of the fridge combo? I've considered getting an old upright freezer to hang quarters in. Do you need a fan and humidifier/dehumidifier?


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IkemanTX said:
Got a pic of the fridge combo? I've considered getting an old upright freezer to hang quarters in. Do you need a fan and humidifier/dehumidifier?

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Ill take pics when i get home as i have a deer to find.:grinning:
 
Does anybody wipe their meat down with vinegar? Just asking because I do this if I gut shot a deer before I take it to the butcher to make sure nothing starts developing in there. I thought it might be a good idea to do on the quarters after quartering also.
 
I highly recommend listening to The Hunt Backcountry Podcast - Episode 76 "How to Stop Abusing Venison with Hank Shaw". They talk about water, bacteria, and why soaking the meat is one of the worst things you can possibly do. I'll use water to rinse individual cuts of meat, but only just prior to patting completely dry with a paper towel and vacuum sealing.

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IkemanTX said:
Got a pic of the fridge combo? I've considered getting an old upright freezer to hang quarters in. Do you need a fan and humidifier/dehumidifier?
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Here you go just your basic fridge/freezer. All i did was make a rack out of some scrap 2x3, some threaded rods and misc hardware i.e. Couplers washers nuts. No fans needed just get your temps right!!

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You can easily build your own using a coolbot and an air conditioner too. I built a collapsible meat locker for my dad's elk camp that way. It works great! I have extra insulated panels in storage waiting to build a smaller more permanent one here at home someday

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You can usually find this fridges that i am using on craigslist or some classified thing. Most are in great condition for $50-100. Most people getting rid of them have upgraded and just want it hauled away. One mans trash another hunters deer cooler lol!
 
I wash the meat off and then pat dry with papper towels. Put in refrigerator for about 5 days before butchering and vacuum seal.
 
1) I take care to minimize the amount of hair on the quarters to begin with. This gets easier with practice. In the woods it can be really tough in some situations, but you do your best. I like to have a tarp or garbage bag along just to lay everything out and keep it clean.

2) Before hanging it to age in my fridge, I will wipe what I can with a slightly damp rag. I don't really aim to get all the hair off right away, I want it to dry so that nice protective crust forms. I do try to clean up any bloody areas using some cotton rags.

3) Once I go to butcher after resting the meat in the refrigerator for up to a week (not so much aging as finding a good time to butcher), I will give it a final once-over and use a damp rag to remove any remaining hair. The only meat I wash is the shanks, since I am cooking those whole with the silverskin on, and their proximity to glands and they tend to pick up some debris. Most cuts I am trimming the silverskin/surface off anyway, so it really doesn't matter if there is a little hair on there, it just ends up in the dog food pile.


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