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Can I Butcher?

Patriot

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Messages
842
I want to butcher my own deer so I can take more does and have plenty of venison and not worry about paying a butcher. I have no friends who hunt let alone butcher or show me how. I’ve watched YouTube videos and it doesn’t look too tough, I have some questions though:

1. I can’t find a GREAT DIY video for newbs. Any suggestions?

2. Do I have to have an expensive meat grinder or will the $100 one I saw in the bass pro add get me by? Should I buy once cry once? Or is it ok to use cheap equipment if I’m only doing a handful of deer per year?

3. Do I have to have a vacuum seal or can meat last over a year in nothing but a zip lock?

4. Can I just skip meat grinding and only butcher steaks? I don’t want to waste a lot of meat bc it’s not fair to the animal. But can I substitute the excess cubes as little cubes for frying or something or do you have to use that type of meat for the grinder?

Sorry for all the questions. I’m just trying to figure out if I can teach myself to butcher on a budget without wasting meat.
 
Good for you. I have no words of wisdom to offer, but it sounds like you’re going to do great. Hopefully some guys will chime in.
 
Don't make it harder than it needs to be. That is the best thing to remember. It's not hard to butcher a deer and there are tons of videos to teach you. Have fun! Good luck this season
 
2. A good grinder is with it's weight and cost. But you can get but cheaper if you want.

3. You don't need a vacuum sealer. You can use plastic wrap (just try to get all the air out) and then Ziploc bags or freezer wrap.

4. You don't have to grind burger scraps into burger. You can use some of it for stews, slow cooler, etc. Some local butcher shop by me will grind your scraps for a price, just call and ask. You can also take scraps in to have it made into sausage, brats, we etc but that can get costly.

Good luck. You may get hooked and start making your own sausage too!!!

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YOU CAN DO IT! Don't be intimidated by it. Your first (and second and third) won't look pretty, but it doesn't affect how it tastes ;)
 
2. A good grinder is with it's weight and cost. But you can get but cheaper if you want.

3. You don't need a vacuum sealer. You can use plastic wrap (just try to get all the air out) and then Ziploc bags or freezer wrap.

4. You don't have to grind burger scraps into burger. You can use some of it for stews, slow cooler, etc. Some local butcher shop by me will grind your scraps for a price, just call and ask. You can also take scraps in to have it made into sausage, brats, we etc but that can get costly.

Good luck. You may get hooked and start making your own sausage too!!!

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Thanks man, good advice. I was thinking I could probably get by without a grinder.

What about grey skin? How much is too much? I can’t find that answer anywhere.
 
I watched a couple of their videos about this subject... Pretty good but I have not yet watched this one.


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Cosign....this video is the one that taught me. You won't figure it out until you try it. It's not rocket science...just be careful because you'll need a very sharp knife.


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Kentucky dnr or some Kentucky college has a video that is the best video I’ve seen.

I taught myself how to do it 16 years ago and this is what I have done.

1. Get a grinder...you can get a a good one for 100 or less. If you do less than 3-5 deer a year you don’t need the big one.

2. Buy a good cheap fillet and boning knife. Breaking down a deer while it’s hanging is easy.

4.get 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bags for placing the meat in...I have an extra fridge where I chill the meat for 5-7!days.

5. Learn from the videos and then trial and error.

I can help further if need be. Talk you through it.
 
Thanks man, good advice. I was thinking I could probably get by without a grinder.

What about grey skin? How much is too much? I can’t find that answer anywhere.
Not sure what you mean by gray skin.

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If you meant silver skin, it is personal preference. I send most of it through the grinder but not all of it.

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I want to butcher my own deer so I can take more does and have plenty of venison and not worry about paying a butcher. I have no friends who hunt let alone butcher or show me how. I’ve watched YouTube videos and it doesn’t look too tough, I have some questions though:

1. I can’t find a GREAT DIY video for newbs. Any suggestions?

2. Do I have to have an expensive meat grinder or will the $100 one I saw in the bass pro add get me by? Should I buy once cry once? Or is it ok to use cheap equipment if I’m only doing a handful of deer per year?

3. Do I have to have a vacuum seal or can meat last over a year in nothing but a zip lock?

4. Can I just skip meat grinding and only butcher steaks? I don’t want to waste a lot of meat bc it’s not fair to the animal. But can I substitute the excess cubes as little cubes for frying or something or do you have to use that type of meat for the grinder?

Sorry for all the questions. I’m just trying to figure out if I can teach myself to butcher on a budget without wasting meat.
I grind very little. You can absolutely use cubes of meat etc. Part of why I butcher is because I'm not a big fan of "grind it up" as a default option.

Saran wrap followed by butcher paper keeps great.
 
When I started cutting my own, I used a $35 porkert hand grinder, freezer bags and freezer paper. It definitely got the job done.

BUT, it sure is easier with even a cheap electric grinder and a vacuum sealer. My vote would be buy once, cry once.
 
Some really sound advice above so I won't repeat those. You cant mess up so dont worry. Just start the easy stuff and work your way through it.
Rear quarters, try and follow the "seams" the muscle groups actually come apart with some finesse.
Process your game cold if possible. It makes it easier to cut and separate.
If you buy a grinder buy a good one. The cheaper ones heat up fast and ruins your meat.
Air is the enemy, pack it tight in plastic wrap and freezer paper.
I watched a video years back of an English dude processing game and he explained it really well. I learned a few tips from him. I'll post it if I find it.
 
I learned from watching some of the older guys I hunt with. The two brothers can break a deer down in about 10 minutes. It’s crazy!

When I started doing them myself I just took my time with a fillet knife. Trace out the muscle groups and compare them to diagrams online then label them accordingly. It’s a learning process and I still think it’s fun!

Also, I still don’t own a grinder. Even after 6 years of processing multiple deer a year.

One tip I will give ya that I haven’t heard yet is get a dedicated boning knife. I prefer a 6” victorinox straight edge boning knife.
 
Definitely do your own butchering, it is very much worth the effort.
Buy the best meat grinder you can afford, but an inexpensive one will work, just slower.
I have used vacuum sealed and plastic sheets and freezer paper, both work. I prefer the vacuum sealing but wrapping in freezer paper is faster, cheaper a works fine.
Just keep researching how to videos, and start doing. You'll figured it out soon enough.
You also need a good boning knife, cutting boards, bowls or containers to process.

Just do it, you won't go back.
 
I try to cut out anything white. Deer fat doesn’t taste good and the more silver skin you remove the better. If you do grind its easier if you have the meat cubed and almost frozen. It’s not hard to figure out, just time consuming.


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Kentucky dnr or some Kentucky college has a video that is the best video I’ve seen.

I taught myself how to do it 16 years ago and this is what I have done.

1. Get a grinder...you can get a a good one for 100 or less. If you do less than 3-5 deer a year you don’t need the big one.

2. Buy a good cheap fillet and boning knife. Breaking down a deer while it’s hanging is easy.

4.get 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bags for placing the meat in...I have an extra fridge where I chill the meat for 5-7!days.

5. Learn from the videos and then trial and error.

I can help further if need be. Talk you through it.

here you go...1 hour 35 minutes of very detailed instructions.
 
I think everyone should have a grinder. While it’s nice to savor the flavor on the prime cuts I do more ground than anything. We use it as a direct replacement for ground beef so there is always a use for it. A lot of it gets legs old plantation sausage seasoning at about half the amount recommended. It just makes for a nice seasoned pack of meat. It goes in about everything like spaghetti, meatloaf, rotel dip and the list goes on. If you don’t want to get a grinder this year pressure canning is a good way to make scrap pieces and less desirable cuts of meat table worthy. It’s great for stews. I’ve even used it in chili and tacos though the stringy stew beef type of texture was something for my wife to turn her nose up to.
 
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