Discuss the why, what, when, how....
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Deer Processing Poll
- Thread starter elk yinzer
- Start date
For the last 6 years I have been doing all my own. Except when I killed an elk in Idaho in 2015, and the logistics got overwhelming.
I got tired of lack of customization and wondering if I was getting my own burger or mixed with some jabroni's that gut shot it then drove it around on the hood of his truck for 2 days.
I've come to really, really enjoy the process. The first couple were quite a learning experience.
I have an extra fridge in the basement (beer fridge). When I get a deer I clear the shelves and hang the quarters in there for a few days until I get time to deal with it.
I have a little hand antique hand grinder, which is plenty for my scale of operations.
I don't really care for the sausages. When I want a sausage (rarely) I go to the store and buy sausage. I like deer meat.
I do make muscle jerky in my oven a few times a year.
Excited to cut up a couple deer again. All part of the process.
I got tired of lack of customization and wondering if I was getting my own burger or mixed with some jabroni's that gut shot it then drove it around on the hood of his truck for 2 days.
I've come to really, really enjoy the process. The first couple were quite a learning experience.
I have an extra fridge in the basement (beer fridge). When I get a deer I clear the shelves and hang the quarters in there for a few days until I get time to deal with it.
I have a little hand antique hand grinder, which is plenty for my scale of operations.
I don't really care for the sausages. When I want a sausage (rarely) I go to the store and buy sausage. I like deer meat.
I do make muscle jerky in my oven a few times a year.
Excited to cut up a couple deer again. All part of the process.
We process all our own and a bunch for our church's wild game dinner we put on. I have a pole barn with stainless processing table and my kids help out. We typically process 10-15 deer a year. We've also done a buffalo, yak, and some elk. For my own I save backstraps, tenderloin, a roast or two, and then the rest is all ground into burger (not mixed with anything). My kids have grown up on venison and we tend to use up burger faster than steaks.
The exception was last Christmas when we came home with a cow elk from Wyoming. I processed it and took the bulk meat to a local place to have snack sticks and salami made and then the rest ground up. Didn't have time to grind that all myself.
The exception was last Christmas when we came home with a cow elk from Wyoming. I processed it and took the bulk meat to a local place to have snack sticks and salami made and then the rest ground up. Didn't have time to grind that all myself.
I honestly don't understand folks that take their stuff to a processor. To me taking an animal from hoof to plate is IMMENSELY rewarding, and not really that difficult.
I generally quarter and debone in the field. Less mess at the house that way. The meat goes in a contractor bag, which goes in a cooler, which gets filled with ice on the way home. I let it sit a few days, draining and adding ice as necessary until the water turns fron red to straw colored. Then I trim away everything that ain't red meat (for a deer, hogs I leave the fat) and grind the shoulders, hams, neck, etc. I usually leave most of it 100% venison. Some I'll mix with bacon ends and pieces for burgers, since those need a little fat to hold together and be juicy.
Backstraps get cut into steaklettes to be cooked medium rare in a skillet with butter and Montreal's.
Also, when time permits, I like to go ahead and have a victory meal same-day with either the tenderloins or a piece of backstrap.
I generally quarter and debone in the field. Less mess at the house that way. The meat goes in a contractor bag, which goes in a cooler, which gets filled with ice on the way home. I let it sit a few days, draining and adding ice as necessary until the water turns fron red to straw colored. Then I trim away everything that ain't red meat (for a deer, hogs I leave the fat) and grind the shoulders, hams, neck, etc. I usually leave most of it 100% venison. Some I'll mix with bacon ends and pieces for burgers, since those need a little fat to hold together and be juicy.
Backstraps get cut into steaklettes to be cooked medium rare in a skillet with butter and Montreal's.
Also, when time permits, I like to go ahead and have a victory meal same-day with either the tenderloins or a piece of backstrap.
My sentiments exactly , my grandfather was a butcher & I didn’t know people didn’t all just do it themselves until I was older. I always wanted to know exactly how it got to the plate & am not fond of not knowing what happened before that point.
I have used a processor twice in my life and both times had problems with the taste. I don't see myself ever using a processor again. I quarter in the field then to a cooler on the bone for about a week. I usually do about 3-4 roasts for the smoker and then for slicing for sandwiches. The rest is steaks and grind. Unless im getting it mounted (which is like 2 times) then I gut and bring home to cape and quarter in my garage.
mudminnow
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2017
- Messages
- 120
I never have, but I want to. Why I havent is mainly laziness and convenience. I do most of my hunting 20 minutes from my house. On my way home is a processor. It's nice and convenient. But its a bit annoying when i drive by and see trucks lined up to drop off their deer and i have nothing but gear in the back of my truck with no deer.
I am less than 5 minutes away from two different processors at my new place. I'm seriously considering offering a helping hand just to do a little grippin'and grinnin'. Can't think of a better way to assess the local herd either.
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2014
- Messages
- 3,939
I grew up butchering deer with my dad and grandfather. We always just did everything ourselves and made it a family event. I have continued that and we still do every animal we kill. My wife and I can knock a deer out in one evening from quarters to packaged. It's really not hard, just takes a little time.
I do pretty much the same with everything except the deboning in the field. That's dependent on how far I'd have to drag the deer out.
The cooler aging was a game changer for me about 6 or 7 years ago when a friend told me about it. I never used to like hunting early season because I had to accelerate my pace a bit when it came to butchering, not anymore.
Same. My wife serves as a clean set of hands to open cabinet doors and hold the Ziploc bags open.
She draws the line at squirrels and ducks though. They make her sad.
I should also add that my kids all fight over who's going to get to grind the burger when I'm cutting up venison, they love the whole process.
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2014
- Messages
- 3,939
Lol same here! My son LOVES the grinding part. And I don't blame him, I always liked that part as a kid too
Vtbow
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2018
- Messages
- 5,516
Always do it myself with my father in law. He was a professional meatcutter/butcher in the 70's. The meat comes out looking like steaks instead of hunks of meat hacked off the carcass as some processors do. They are also all labelled professionally instead of just "steak" the proper cuts are labeled top round, bottom round, eye of the round, backstrap, sirlioin, etc. We also take the time to make neck roasts, and clean the meat out of the rib cage, etc. We have a 220v hobart industrial meat grinder so we make our own burger and loose sausauge as well. My family and I ALWAYS end up with more meat, and a higher quality than when we've had them processed by others...and less goes to waste.
donnieballgame
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2017
- Messages
- 1,872
I processed all of my deer last year on my own. First time ever lol, grew up I only ever field dressed and skinned then took it to get processed. To make things worse my first deer to be processed ended up being 2 deer, lol. I really like being in control of the entire process from field to table.
I did have one mistake, towards the end of the urban archery season I was helping a buddy drag out a few deer (he shot 9 last year and doesn't eat that many he gives the rest to hunters for the hungry or fellow hunters in my case) and he gave me one and I threw it in the back of my 4runner got home and forgot all about it, it was in my car for a few hours before I realized it. I thought I ruined the whole thing. I started processing it and it it was fine, got lucky. It was already field dressed. The meat didn't smell and turned out great, huge relief!
I have a big cooler and I typically quarter and put them all in there with some frozen gallon jugs. If I have to run to work and I don't have time to skin and quarter I'll throw 2 of those frozen gallon jugs in the cavity to cool it down.
Overall it is a lot of work at first but I feel like I did get a lot better after processing a few.
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I did have one mistake, towards the end of the urban archery season I was helping a buddy drag out a few deer (he shot 9 last year and doesn't eat that many he gives the rest to hunters for the hungry or fellow hunters in my case) and he gave me one and I threw it in the back of my 4runner got home and forgot all about it, it was in my car for a few hours before I realized it. I thought I ruined the whole thing. I started processing it and it it was fine, got lucky. It was already field dressed. The meat didn't smell and turned out great, huge relief!
I have a big cooler and I typically quarter and put them all in there with some frozen gallon jugs. If I have to run to work and I don't have time to skin and quarter I'll throw 2 of those frozen gallon jugs in the cavity to cool it down.
Overall it is a lot of work at first but I feel like I did get a lot better after processing a few.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
I do almost everything myself. Grind my burger, make hot dogs and steaks. I will take a hind quarter to a processor every now and then for them to make "chipped" out of it. That stuff is amazing. Now I am hungry for chipped gravy over toast or biscuits.