Anyone else butcher?

[Hunt anything]

DIY from members of AH. Can’t say I’m surprised at the skill set.
Hats off to you.

When I was young a butcher shop was used. I walked in one year and found ownership had changed. The place was filthy, they took game in from slobs that did not bother to clean the carcasses before drop off, etc. That was it.
All processing is at the house now. Mince, sausage, jerky, steaks, etc.

Thankfully, I can regulate my cooler with a sliding window and fresh air during the deer season and hang it like beef. When it is chilled enough we can even keep the hide on the deer while aging. Big critters, not so much.

I used to have a processor that made fabulous bologna and hotdogs from venison, they sold the business and supposedly the recipes went with the business, they obviously didn’t or didn’t have the skill to duplicate the taste. It was awful and we never went back.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I used to have a processor that made fabulous bologna and hotdogs from venison, they sold the business and supposedly the recipes went with the business, they obviously didn’t or didn’t have the skill to duplicate the taste. It was awful and we never went back.

Indeed, the owners of the business make all the difference. There are two butcher shops that we typically use for custom processing. The main one has been under its current ownership for probably 8 or 10 years now; previous to that it had a poor reputation for cleanliness and accuracy of orders. The location was bought out by a retired executive from one of the grocery chains; he had started out as a butcher and wanted to get back to that. They cleaned the place from stem to stern and hired/ trained new employees (with himself as head butcher and his wife running the front office).

They told me that for the first few years they got the occasional customer who would come in and ask to buy a $40 minute steak. These were not their regular customers or ranchers, and apparently some of them looked pretty sketchy. Turns out that "$40 minute steak" was the code-word for narcotics that were being sold by an employee of the previous owners.

 

[skydiver386]

Done all my own processing for years. My favorite is canning deer and other game meats. A Ball Canning book, a large pressure cooker and some canning jars. I can mostly the poor cuts from the front legs, etc. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes, put the meat into the canning jars with a tablespoon of canning salt (no iodine), fill with beef broth, pressure cook at 15psi for 90 minutes and done. Now you have the best stew meat known to mankind. No wild taste, and all the silver skin seems to disappear.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Moose, caribou, deer, whatever... A good vacuum packer and a quality grinder and you're off and running. I don't remember what vacuum packer I have - a Cabela's model maybe? My grinder is the 3/4 hp HD one from Cabela's, back when they were still Cabela's. It's built like a tank and blows through moose faster than I can feed it in.

 

[deewayne2003]

I agree with @philipglass - the days of trading deer for tamales are sadly gone.

There are some great processors in the greater DFW area, but they process 7,000+ deer a year and getting your own meat back is a joke…. Regardless of what they tell you.

Chili/burger grind is the meat from a whole deer minus the back straps and tenderloins - I mix in 3lbs of bacon and it comes out to 90%ish lean with great flavor.

 

[Firebird]

Have done a lot of my own but often I take animals with a bow when it is hot and I don’t have a cool room, so I will have them professionally done. But late season animals I will still do my own

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My wife makes the best steak and Guinness stew I’ve ever had, so our steaks all end up as stew meat.

@WAB
Venison neck make a beautiful pie.
Slow cooked in Guinness whith herbs of choice until the meat falls off the bone.
Strain the liquid and reduce by two thirds and put back over the venison.
Refrigerator overnight to set and cool then make meat pies. Absolutely beautiful hot or cold.
Great snak while out hunting.
My son still calls them Bambi pies.
Bob

 

[TMac]

We do all the processing on most game we take. Including a variety of sausages. Only use a processor if unseasonably warm and humid and can’t get home to process within a day.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I process all my own but I'm a complete failure at getting the sausage mix right so gave up on that. Nowdays I just mince/grind the meat for rissoles/Burgers or make venison lasagne.
Back straps in a Diane or pepper sauce, round steak schnitzels, rump steak marsala,
All bloody beautiful eating.
Bob

 

[Rem280]

Curing wild boar backstraps. It is amazing. Much more rewarding doing it myself vs paying someone.

Dry Cured Calabrian Pork Tenderloin – 2 Guys & A Cooler

twoguysandacooler.com

 

[steve white]

I've never sent anything to a processor--grew up poor. BTW a GREAT venison cookbook is "Buck, Buck, Moose" by Hank Shaw. One of a kind gourmet recipes for sure!

 

[Rare Breed]

I’m happy to say that the Mrs took her first deer over the weekend. My family has a rich tradition of pure DIY during deer season. Including butchering everything ourselves. Just curious what everyone prefers to do when hunting near home.

I have taken deer to a butcher, but have done it myself for over 10 years now. It is extra work, but my wife is willing to assist and I take pride in knowing that animal went from field to freezer without leaving my sight.

when i hunted white tail deer i did the same. i had all the equipment. the single reason why was because i hated the taste deer fat has. unlike any processor i tried i was able literally to take off all fat and silver skin so that the meat was outstanding.

 

[Longwalker]

THIS is my kind of "trophy"
I've done all my own meat processing since I started hunting more than 50 years ago. It helps that my Dad was butcher, and my Grandfather, and my Great grandfather... We have always had a "meat kitchen" set up on the family farm. My brother carries on that tradition and I'm very fortunate that I get to use it. Walk in cooler, and commercial grade equipment - saws, grinder, mixer, smoke house. Butchering and preparing sausage etc. with my family is a big part of the whole hunting experience for me. I would feel odd taking my game to a commercial butcher, it just wouldn't feel right. When I'm in camp on safari, I'm always hanging out with the skinners and butchers to see how they do it. Have to suppress and urge to join in, but they have their job to do and as client hunter I have mine.

this old cast iron winch has been lifting animals for my family for more than a century

We have our own recipes for sausage that have been handed down and fine tuned over the generations. My sons and wife join in too!

 

[Chaplin]

When I have time, I do my own chickens. It's not my favorite thing to do, but there's no place around here where I could take them.

 

[Dewald]

I’ve been processing my own venison for 20 years now, since we were done in by a butcher.

In the last 4 years 5 mates have put all our equipment together and started a proper butchery with a large coldroom.

Most venison goes to:
Mince
Wors (sausage to braai/ bbq)
Burger patties
Biltong
Dry wors
Sirloin steak
Fillet - carpaccio on small game
Various stews and Curries- as a KZN native I can not get enough of a hot curry, Naan bread and sambals
Roasts
Stewing meat for venison pie.

We also regularly process donated venison, or trophy animals bought for cheap into 1kg packs of mince for the church. Given the current RSA economy especially pensioners and others who are going through hard times can not afford meat at the shop.

 

[double rifle newbie]

100% butchering on the family farm in minnesota during deer season. the family also butchers beef, pigs, and chickens. no meat bought at the store that i can ever remember.

 

[steve white]

I've never sent anything to a processor--grew up poor. BTW a GREAT venison cookbook is "Buck, Buck, Moose" by Hank Shaw. One of a kind gourmet recipes for sure!

Guess I better correct that--I did have Kuby's make some sausage but I had boned it out already and handed it to them in ziplocks. Now my brother in law helps with the sausage making at home.

 

[WAB]

Here is the steak and Guinness stew recipe promised earlier. We use venison stew meat. The braising is critical.

 

[HankBuck]

I’m happy to say that the Mrs took her first deer over the weekend. My family has a rich tradition of pure DIY during deer season. Including butchering everything ourselves. Just curious what everyone prefers to do when hunting near home.

I have taken deer to a butcher, but have done it myself for over 10 years now. It is extra work, but my wife is willing to assist and I take pride in knowing that animal went from field to freezer without leaving my sight.

Dillion, I also butcher most deer myself and also most bear. However, I don’t do as good a job as nearby Game processor - don’t have a good grinder for hamburger and don’t cut the roasts properly, and don’t have good shrink wrap machine.....so some meat gets wasted or used for bait on my trapline. Also, I don’t have a walk in cooler so if weather is hot I can’t process it fast enough - or am too busy still hunting.
When I get a really big buck or bear - it goes to the processor, sort of my “treat” for getting a nice trophy.

 

[freefall]

We have always butchered everything we kill. Since I haven't been hunting so much, we buy whole primal cuts from ThreeBears and cut, grind, and vacuum seal that.