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Post by 10point on Oct 9, 2020 8:22:10 GMT -5
Hi All, I don't think I have ever had venison that was processed at a butcher besides sausage. Last year I processed two at once and that was quite the chore. I have always thought my meat is better than going to a butcher because I take the time to get all the fat off. Those who have experienced butcher shop deer vs doing it your own is it worth the effort in taste of the venison? I also avoid hunting when warmer like now since I am doing it myself.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 8:31:21 GMT -5
I've always done it myself. I only take frozen (the round area) to cut in thin slices for jerky. I then take it to a local butcher shop and cut it myself. I know the owner. I've never had wild or bad tasting deer.
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Post by genesis273 on Oct 9, 2020 8:37:47 GMT -5
I have cut up a couple deer myself. The issue is, no one has ever shown me how to do it properly. Therefore, I've taken everything to a butcher. I honestly wish I knew how to do it and do it properly. Then I'd never take it in. The money saved will be a huge bonus in itself.
I envy those who know how to do it and do it right.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 8:51:36 GMT -5
I have cut up a couple deer myself. The issue is, no one has ever shown me how to do it properly. Therefore, I've taken everything to a butcher. I honestly wish I knew how to do it and do it properly. Then I'd never take it in. The money saved will be a huge bonus in itself. I envy those who know how to do it and do it right. My older brother worked for our Uncles Butcher shop and he taught me. It closed before I was old enough to work. The cut of a deer is the same (very close) to a cow. Just smaller cuts.
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Post by steiny on Oct 9, 2020 9:29:00 GMT -5
Every time I take one to a processor I am disappointed.
Don't let the warm weather scare you out of the woods. Field dress as soon as you kill it, then get it somewhere quickly, skin and quarter and stick the big pieces in a cooler with ice. You can leave it in the cooler 3-5 days before processing, no problem. Do them all the time like this when we travel and hunt.
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Post by sculver7 on Oct 9, 2020 9:43:00 GMT -5
Every time I take one to a processor I am disappointed. Don't let the warm weather scare you out of the woods. Field dress as soon as you kill it, then get it somewhere quickly, skin and quarter and stick the big pieces in a cooler with ice. You can leave it in the cooler 3-5 days before processing, no problem. Do them all the time like this when we travel and hunt. I 100% agree. In the last 7 years, I have processed over 20 deer between my own and my brother and brother-in-law. If you kill one in warm weather, just quarter it out and put on ice in a cooler like you said. I also leave the drain plug open on the cooler and tilt the ooler to drain any ice that melts. I have left meat in a cooler like this for as long as 5 days and the meat is still great. I always put the ice on bottom with the meat on top and I also like to cover the top of the meat with saran wrap. It keeps it from getting that gray look from air getting to it. Keeps it nice and red.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 9:50:58 GMT -5
I'm spoiled!. My brother built a walk in cooler in the barn where we can hang 3 deer. All three set up with double pulleys. We turn it on as needed. Building one in my barn is on my list. I have it figured out and it will hold two deer. I already have the air conditioner to use for cooling. Just a little thermostat coil adjustment.
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Post by 10point on Oct 9, 2020 10:00:37 GMT -5
You guys almost have me convinced to go out tonight. I have a batch acorns at one place I hunt right by the driveway near a barn close to the road also that has deer coming to it every night. I picked a tree out to climb with my climber yesterday and it's a 20 yard walk! I do skin and quarter right away and I have a fridge in the garage for the quarters but I have also used a cooler in the past. One year when I was hunting urban I got one the first couple of weeks. I put the carcass in our trash and it got up to 90 a few days later. You could smell it on the street behind us. I will not make that mistake again.
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Post by ukwil on Oct 9, 2020 10:43:13 GMT -5
I did my first home butchering last year and thought the yield was better. Where I question myself is am I too meticulous on trimming? Decided to go the home route due to the kids hunting now and the processing fee of 90$ per deer. If its hot ill still occasionally drop one off, but thats it
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Post by luckyhounddog on Oct 9, 2020 10:49:27 GMT -5
Personally, the venison our family processes is superior in every way to the few we have had done by a processor. I've had deer done by 4-5 different processors over the last 25 years. Some before I had the needed knowledge. Some more recently when we were short on time and the weather was warm. Or, If we just wanted some summer sausage and we didn't want to commit the time. Typically, we will get the animal field dressed, back to the shed, hung, and skinned ASAP. If it's over 55-60 outside and we're not hunting close to the house, I'll take a good sized cooler with in the truck. I keep it full of ice, drinks, and sandwiches for lunch and more for after the hunt in the evening. Nothing worse than tracking on an empty stomach! Then, if we get one down, we can use the ice in the cooler to pack the body cavity till we get home and get it stripped. Then, de-bone all but the front shoulders. We put them in a snap lock tub in the garage fridge on top of some raised grating along with the rest of the de-boned meat. So it can drain and stay cold. We usually wait 2-3 days to process. Cold meat goes through the grinder much better than if at room temp. We remove as much fat and silver thread as possible. We put smoked bacon in with the grind. Say 1/2 a strip per 6 pieces of deer meat. After it's ground the first time, we put it back in the fridge to chill. Following that, I butterfly the backstraps into good sized steaks along with the internal tenderloins. Then, clean up all of the roast cuts and seal. That has given time for the first grind to cool and we do a second grind. Weigh out in 1 and 2lb packages and vacuum seal. That's the most of it. At no point do we use a bone saw. Most of the issues I've had with meat from a processor is because we've found small bone chips in the ground venison. Or, the silver thread wasn't removed well enough from the steaks. Hope this helps someone. Maybe, I should do a video on it sometime if any are interested. Enlightened Outdoors
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 11:05:52 GMT -5
There are YouTube videos. Use either deer or cow. It's the same cuts.
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Post by beermaker on Oct 9, 2020 11:11:36 GMT -5
I haven't used a butcher in more than 15 years. I was fortunate to learn from a professional. A family friend had a neighbor that was the meat dept. manager at a large grocery store. They went in a bought the old equipment when his store remodeled. They would do deer and custom beef and pork processing for people they knew. My brother and I would help with deer in exchange for getting ours done at no charge.
I don't trust butcher shops due to "batching" when making sausage. I get it, that's the only way to make enough money to be worth the trouble. It's not the butcher shop itself that I don't trust, it's the X number of other hunters that have meat there and how they handled the deer post-kill. I've see way better hunters than myself that don't dress or clean a deer the way I was taught.
If you are curious, there are numerous good YouTube videos out there. The "Bearded Butchers" have a few good ones on deer processing and sausage making.
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Post by sculver7 on Oct 9, 2020 11:28:19 GMT -5
I'm spoiled!. My brother built a walk in cooler in the barn where we can hang 3 deer. All three set up with double pulleys. We turn it on as needed. Building one in my barn is on my list. I have it figured out and it will hold two deer. I already have the air conditioner to use for cooling. Just a little thermostat coil adjustment. I am planning a pole barn build at my house in the next few years (hopefully next year) and I will definitely be building one in there. I already have the thermostat controller. Waiting to see what happens with the election before I purchase materials for the pole barn.... Always good to have a large amount of cash on hand, I feel, when potentially looking at future chaos.
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Post by sculver7 on Oct 9, 2020 11:29:52 GMT -5
You guys almost have me convinced to go out tonight. I have a batch acorns at one place I hunt right by the driveway near a barn close to the road also that has deer coming to it every night. I picked a tree out to climb with my climber yesterday and it's a 20 yard walk! I do skin and quarter right away and I have a fridge in the garage for the quarters but I have also used a cooler in the past. One year when I was hunting urban I got one the first couple of weeks. I put the carcass in our trash and it got up to 90 a few days later. You could smell it on the street behind us. I will not make that mistake again. I'm going out this afternoon. Sure, it's going to be 80 degrees, but the deer are still out there. Just have to adjust tactics/clothing. LOL
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Post by genesis273 on Oct 9, 2020 11:32:34 GMT -5
You guys almost have me convinced to go out tonight. I have a batch acorns at one place I hunt right by the driveway near a barn close to the road also that has deer coming to it every night. I picked a tree out to climb with my climber yesterday and it's a 20 yard walk! I do skin and quarter right away and I have a fridge in the garage for the quarters but I have also used a cooler in the past. One year when I was hunting urban I got one the first couple of weeks. I put the carcass in our trash and it got up to 90 a few days later. You could smell it on the street behind us. I will not make that mistake again. Dooo it! Dooo it! DOOOO IT!!! LOL! No peer pressure or anything.
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Post by bullseye69 on Oct 9, 2020 12:12:04 GMT -5
When its warm out. Quarter them like the others said and I wrap mine in garbage bag and tape up. Better than seran wrap. My trimmings for burger gets put in a tote with newspaper in the bottom and let sit for a day or two in fridge. The paper will soak up the blood that drains out and dosnt stick to the meat.
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Post by featherduster on Oct 9, 2020 12:16:19 GMT -5
Processed my own deer for 35 +/- years now I have it done by a trusted butcher.
I have never questioned the process and I am always satisfied.
It's nice not having to clean up the mess or rush to get it done.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 12:16:57 GMT -5
I`ve processed my own deer before, and it was good. Very good. We took the time to ensure all the silver skin, hair and bloodshot meat was gone. We knew when we opened a package, it was ready for the Dutch oven, skillet, slow cooker, whatever. I sold the grinder, meat lugs, and supplies when I moved and no longer had a place I could skin a deer in the driveway. It`s just not possible anymore.
I did know a couple really excellent processers, that were first rate in every way, and their packaged venison was the same as mine when I processed it: it was ready for the Dutch oven, skillet, slow cooker, whatever, but they both stopped processing deer. So since they`ve stopped and I cannot do my own anymore, the search is on for a really good processor once again.
As far as learning how to butcher and wrap deer, years ago, I attended a workshop put on by the Indiana DNR and the Purdue Ag Extension in which they brought in a depredation doe in August, skinned her and butchered her as we watched, took notes, and asked questions. That`s what gave us the courage and direction to get started.
When we processed our deer, we cut everything except the trim we would save for ground, and we put it in freezer bags and froze it until we had all we intended to grind. We then ran it through the grinder frozen, and we never had any issue with the head getting too hot, or the plate/screen clogging.
If you have the place to do it, and the time, it absolutely is a money saving job, and rewarding too.
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Post by parkerbow on Oct 9, 2020 14:55:46 GMT -5
Here is my thinking. I started processing my own. I can skin it out in my garage and either let it hang when it is cold out or quarter it up and put it in the fridge. I have a fridge in the garage and I take out all the shelves. I then made a stick and hang the quarters from it. I can cut it up at my convenience then or do it all at one time. If you do not have a spare fridge the get a big cooler like they said above quarter it and put it in the cooler. You can keep it in there for several days to a week. Processing it yourself takes time but you do not have to drive to a processor which may be an hour away to drop the deer off and then drive back home. Then you have to drive another hour to go pick it up and back home so right there is 4 hours. It takes about that long maybe even less time to process it yourself. Plus you get "your" meat back and you can be as particular with it as you want. I bought a good meat grinder for under 200 buck off Amazon. To get a deer processed is close to 100 dollars so 3 deer will pay for itself. Too me that is one season. It is a no brainer to me. It is also rewarding. Try it!!
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Post by drfleck on Oct 9, 2020 15:47:00 GMT -5
Ive always cut up my own. Now I have a garage fridge and its really convenient like others have mentioned to quarter out, put in fridge, then cut and grind at my convenience. My wife helps me as well as my hunting partner. Many hands make light the work. I think I appreciate all the effort that goes into processing myself everytime I take a bite of venison throughout the year.
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