Newby Butchering Questions

[dlist777]

So, I decided to butcher my own deer this year.  I'm not really trying to save money...just wanted to give it a try.  I have a whole set up in my garage; bought a grinder, knives, hoist, etc.  Looking forward to it.  I have some questions:

 

1.  Do you guys grind the venison once and then freeze?  Grind once, add bacon / beef, grind again and freeze?  Do you just grind the venison and then add bacon or beef later when you're making the meal?  

 

2.  I got a huge chest freezer from my parents basement and converted it to a refrigerator (there is a unit it plugs into that has a temp probe you put in the freezer...it then turns the power on and off to keep the temp above freezing).  I was planning on letting the deer age in there for a bit after I get it back to the house before butchering...is this what you guys do?  Do you age with the hide on or off?  Does it matter?

 

I know everyone has their own method...just looking for ideas.  Thanks in advance.  

 

Any other advice is appreciated as well.  I've watched a ton of videos but that's it.  

[mattg1500]

I dress in the field. come home and skin to cool the meat, the hide helps hold heat in, then if its cold enough out ill let it hang in my garage for a few hours usually while i nap lol. Then i quarter it and put it in tubs in the fridge until i debone, trim, and vacuum pack it. If i cant let it hang i quarter it and let it sit in fridge in tubs and the blood drains then the following day i process it. If i jad a walk in I would dress,skin and hang it for a day or 2 and work on it at my leisure.

As far as the grind and mixing, if i am going to mix it with somthing i will do a coarse grind with both meats, mix then do a medium. If im adding fat i do a medium and add the chunks as im grinding. I think this will depend on what texture you want. To much grinding makes it like a hotdog almost play doh like

[tjfslaughter]

Look up Sahanas Taxidermy.  He is holding an open house on the 16th in Wanaque, he will cut up a deer as part of a demonstration.  Link here. https://www.njwoodsandwater.com/topic/14963-sahanas-taxidermy-open-house-sept-16th/?hl=%2Bopen+%2Bhouse

Edited September 7, 2017 by tjfslaughter

[tjfslaughter]

The only time I age a deer/elk/caribou is if it is below 40 degrees out.  When I lived in AK we aged Caribou in the garage for a few days (skinned).  Remember if you age that you need air movement and it should be on racks.  I do think that once you butcher your own deer you will never look take your deer to a processor.  You will only go to have sausage made up, since you have a grinder that will probably be your next step....

[Haskell_Hunter]

Dress in the field.

 

Hoist upside down and skin from the hind legs to the head.  Use a hacksaw to cut the head off at the base of the skull.  Discard.

 

Take the backstraps off whole.  Set aside.

 

Take the front two legs off and then cut the body at the spine close to the hips at the thinnest point.  Lower the hind and quarter the back legs on a table.

 

Throw the meat into the fridge for 24 hours and then cut it up however you like.  That's the general path I follow.

 

I grind up the meat and store it just like that.  I don't mix anything into it so that way I have options because it's just ground venison.

[allmann]

Dress in the field.

 

Hoist upside down and skin from the hind legs to the head.  Use a hacksaw to cut the head off at the base of the skull.  Discard.

 

Take the backstraps off whole.  Set aside.

 

Take the front two legs off and then cut the body at the spine close to the hips at the thinnest point.  Lower the hind and quarter the back legs on a table.

 

Throw the meat into the fridge for 24 hours and then cut it up however you like.  That's the general path I follow.

 

I grind up the meat and store it just like that.  I don't mix anything into it so that way I have options because it's just ground venison.

 

 

I do it basically the same way. I only ever add fat or bacon if I know I am dedicating that meat to a specific meal. When I grind I usually grind half frozen pieces and grind large then grind it again to medium usually keeping the grind batches to 10lbs as it is much easier to do when its cold.  

[Rusty]

Dress in the field.

 

Hoist upside down and skin from the hind legs to the head.  Use a hacksaw to cut the head off at the base of the skull.  Discard.

 

Take the backstraps off whole.  Set aside.

 

Take the front two legs off and then cut the body at the spine close to the hips at the thinnest point.  Lower the hind and quarter the back legs on a table.

 

Throw the meat into the fridge for 24 hours and then cut it up however you like.  That's the general path I follow.

 

I grind up the meat and store it just like that.  I don't mix anything into it so that way I have options because it's just ground venison.

 

Ditto.    

[rocky]

If you don't have access to a cooler I would skin, quarter, and then refrigerate for at least a few days in tubs draining the liquids daily. I like to keep the meat on the bone as long as possible. If you debone a animal before it goes thru the rigor mortis process totally the meat will be tougher. 

Knowing that you harvested the deer and processed it yourself is very rewarding. Plus you know you are not getting someone else deer, you are getting all the meat back, and it was handled properly. Good luck.

[dlist777]

I grind up the meat and store it just like that.  I don't mix anything into it so that way I have options because it's just ground venison.

 

So, if later you want to make burger and add some pork or fat, do you just run it through the grinder then (as your preparing your meal)?  Or just kind of hand-mix?  Your method sounds better since I won't know exactly what I want as I'm butchering....

[tjfslaughter]

 

backstraps.  

 

 

Did somebody say backstraps!!!!

[Nanuk]

Dress it in the field ASAP , Skin it as soon as you can right into a garbage bag unless you're keeping the hide. If it's below 45 I'll let it hang in shed or the garage till next morning, in warm weather I'll quarter and put in meat lugs and keep in frig overnight . Next morning I cut into whatever cuts I like and vac pac . All scraps get ground and packed into 5 lb units that way I just add 5 lbs of pork or beef to the mixture, I never do less then 10 pounds of snack stix or summer sausage just to much work for less.

If your local to Jackson Pm me

Good Luck this Season

[Deerslayer21]

I cut my meat that i will use for chopmeat into chunks and freeze it just like that. When I mix in my other stuff I just defrost the chunks and add it all together and grind it this way it just incorporates better..  If you didnt buy a food saver I highly reccomend you get one immediately. It makes the finishing of the butchering so much more convenient.  

[Nanuk]

Did somebody say backstraps!!!!

BackStraps Baby !!! It's what's for DINNER

[Lunatic]

So, I decided to butcher my own deer this year.  I'm not really trying to save money...just wanted to give it a try.  I have a whole set up in my garage; bought a grinder, knives, hoist, etc.  Looking forward to it.  I have some questions:

 

1.  Do you guys grind the venison once and then freeze?  Grind once, add bacon / beef, grind again and freeze?  Do you just grind the venison and then add bacon or beef later when you're making the meal?  

 

2.  I got a huge chest freezer from my parents basement and converted it to a refrigerator (there is a unit it plugs into that has a temp probe you put in the freezer...it then turns the power on and off to keep the temp above freezing).  I was planning on letting the deer age in there for a bit after I get it back to the house before butchering...is this what you guys do?  Do you age with the hide on or off?  Does it matter?

 

I know everyone has their own method...just looking for ideas.  Thanks in advance.  

 

Any other advice is appreciated as well.  I've watched a ton of videos but that's it.  

If you take several deer in a season I would juts freeze all meat from each deer you want to grind and then grind it all together. It will save you some time and give you better ground meat.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Lunatic

[Haskell_Hunter]

I grind up the meat and store it just like that.  I don't mix anything into it so that way I have options because it's just ground venison.

 

So, if later you want to make burger and add some pork or fat, do you just run it through the grinder then (as your preparing your meal)?  Or just kind of hand-mix?  Your method sounds better since I won't know exactly what I want as I'm butchering....

 

I'll take a package of frozen, ground venison and defrost it.  Hand mix in beef or whatever.  Apply heat.  Indulge.

 

The parts that you're going to grind up are the thin muscles in the legs.  It's barely enough to make jerky, but there will be a good amount of it.  You also won't cut perfectly close to the bone, especially when you're taking out the backstraps for the first time.  So you'll want to scrape all of the meat off there, but it won't amount to much.  It's all good to go into the grinder.  Try to save large pieces in the shoulders and thighs for steaks and roasts.  It's always a good practice to cut a 1/4" to 1" away from the tendons.  They go inside the muscle and aren't the best thing to bite into.

 

Oh, one more important thing:  When you are dressing it in the field, save the heart.  Ms. Grit raves about eating deer heart as well as other folks on the forums.  I hunted with some Polish guys who took the liver and kidneys too.  Up to you if you want to go this route, but there are some parts to consider taking when you dress the deer.