Butchering your own meat...

[Zappaman]

Continuing the narrative here...

Just now, we ate fresh back-strap with a bottle of Josh (red). My my buddy killed a 6 yr old buck yesterday and gifted it to me yesterday. I'd grade it "sirloin" as it was extremely delicious, but a tad tough for the lower strap. But hey! - I'm glad to have the gift!

But knowing it would probably be a bit on the tough side, I decided to freeze it on the quarters (Vs. cut it down). Lucky for me I have a guy like "butcherboy" who makes superb buck sticks AND jerky. So as much as I like to do my own meat- sometimes it's best to let a pro getter' done for ya!

I'll shoot a nice (tender) doe in January and butcher her down for the house cuts. While she's hanging, I'll call Gene (my cool butcher) and let him know I've got a tough buck coming his way. I'll drop that meat off to him the day after I shoot the doe. She'll hang a week or so, then she'll take the place of my FULL freezers right now!

But I still have to make room for Gene's stuff a month later. So I just have to "gift" enough meat over the holidays to make room for Gene's stick and jerky. Good thing I have family in Texas who can use the meat. It's a balancing game... until I finally break down and buy that $2,500 side-by-side commercial freezer

 

[Red Letters]

Do any of you guys have any success draining blood from the whole carcass? Ive seen different methods used by old timers on farm animals, but I’ve never figured out how to drain the blood out like others have.

 

[Zappaman]

I always cut the throat right after the kill- that helps as the vascular system is still "flowing". Then I typically hang the deer 3-7 days (depending on the weather- but not this year as Kansas has been in the 60s!). After cutting the deer down, I put the quarters on trays in the fridge a few days- and drain the blood out of the trays by day #2. After that, the meat stays pretty dry and can age a week or two at 34 degrees

Some will hang it, but I've never found the need personally. But back in the 80s we hung deer in the saddle shed for MONTHS (with the hide on) and "widdled" meat off as needed. That shed stayed between 35 and 55 degrees during those months (in southern NM). I remember cutting the LAST of the meat (neck meat) off one of our deer then- it was four months old. TENDER as I've ever had!

 

[Steve from GA]

Um no, it’s not a common practice with good legitimate processors. It may be common with part time shop, back door type. I’ve heard of people dropping off a deer and leaving with a processed and frozen deer! I would run as far and as fast from that processor as possible. Also, why would a good processor want to take someone else’s stinky, dirty, shot up animal? We don’t want to eat the nasty thing, you can’t sell it, and the biggest thing is that it’s dishonest. Of all the horror stories people have with processors, I can guarantee you that processors have twice as many if not more about irresponsible hunters. Lol

Of course it’s not a common practice among good legitimate processors - hence them being good and legitimate. I was saying that if you look at processors as a whole, it is not at all uncommon for processors to cut down their turnaround time by giving one client the last client’s deer all packaged up (without being transparent about it). Plenty of horror stories on both sides, but enough bad stories here in my neck of the woods that I decided I will never use a processor unless it’s some kind of emergency.

 

[Zappaman]

I feel you... I've had a FEW processors I wasn't happy with over my earlier years. But like anything else in life it about relationships and referrals. My guy (Gene) is a superb processor (and person) and I came to find him though another great individual I hunt with. When I moved to Kansas I went through a few "sausage makers" until I found Gene.

Now, when I pick up an order (approx 80-100 lbs of buck sticks and massive jerky) I always give him an excellent tip! He's fair priced, does superb work, and he's truly a "referral" only processor- he picks his customers (as I do in my biz). I get I'm lucky to have found him... but point being: if they are good, take care of them and they'll take care of you!

 

[Outdoors1]

I butcher all my own wild game, and make my own steaks, roasts, burger, sausage and jerky. When I first started, many years ago, I was too poor to pay someone to butcher my meat. I’m now too picky to allow someone else to cut my meat. The one time I took meat to a butcher, roughly 20 years ago in order to extend my hunt, I got back less than 70 lbs of meat from an elk, was charged over $300, and had to trim every one of the steaks before I cooked it.
I swore to never again allow someone else to cut my meat. I invite my buddies over to butcher and make sausage, drink beer and tell stories about the hunt. If the meat tastes bad, I’ve no one else to blame. It nearly always tastes great, with the exception of a mountain goat I can’t explain .
As an aside, I helped a buddy’s son get his first caribou this year. They took the meat to a local butcher. While there, they observed the butcher accidentally dump someone else’s clean caribou meat on the floor, then pick it up and process it.
No thanks, I’ll keep butchering my own.

 

[Zappaman]

We usually get together and make a salami in January with our "late season" doe tag meat. I agree! that's totally the BEST way to do it! Your story above is one of the BAD one's I've hear over the years and I can understand your position. IF you have the time and resources... I'm 100% DYI (except for Gene who does save me time I don't have) and I'm glad you've got your buddies to hang with and make your sausage (and drink beer!) - LOVE IT! That's the way it should be done; it's all about hanging with your hunting buddies whenever you can!!!

 

[butcherboy]

Of course it’s not a common practice among good legitimate processors - hence them being good and legitimate. I was saying that if you look at processors as a whole, it is not at all uncommon for processors to cut down their turnaround time by giving one client the last client’s deer all packaged up (without being transparent about it). Plenty of horror stories on both sides, but enough bad stories here in my neck of the woods that I decided I will never use a processor unless it’s some kind of emergency.

Careful of such a generalized statement about processors. So, you know how the industry works in and out? Is it your reputation on the line? I guess from your line of thinking we can say that all LEO are bad, all lawyers, judges, teachers, doctors, or anyone in any kind of trade or service industry is bad? Having a few bad experiences doesn’t make it to right to make generalized or blanket statements. I have acknowledged that there are bad processors buy to say that’s it’s common practice as a whole for processors to give you someone else’s meat just isn’t true.

I’ve tried to help hunters and diy guys for over 30 years but I’m starting to believe that it just doesn’t matter anymore.

 

[KoolBreeze]

What precautions do those of you that live in CWD areas take when processing the meat, if you test but don't have the results? Here they recommend soaking everything that comes in contact with the meat in a 50/50 bleach solution for an hour. That seems a bit a extreme and about impossible considering everything involved.

 

[Zappaman]

Careful of such a generalized statement about processors. So, you know how the industry works in and out? Is it your reputation on the line? I guess from your line of thinking we can say that all LEO are bad, all lawyers, judges, teachers, doctors, or anyone in any kind of trade or service industry is bad? Having a few bad experiences doesn’t make it to right to make generalized or blanket statements. I have acknowledged that there are bad processors buy to say that’s it’s common practice as a whole for processors to give you someone else’s meat just isn’t true.

I’ve tried to help hunters and diy guys for over 30 years but I’m starting to believe that it just doesn’t matter anymore.

Hey Butcherboy... don't let the negative stuff here get you down. You MATTER!

I STARTED this post because I appreciate the same satisfaction that you do (*when you help someone out doing it for them when they can't). I never meant to sound "anti-processor" throughout my comments here and as you have read, Gene (my buck stick and jerky maker) is a GREAT resource to me... WHEN I can't do it myself.

I'd like all the time (and knowledge) in the world to do it ALL myself, but there is a balance I've found butchering all my own deer (all the way) down. It takes a LOT of TIME to make sausage and jerky-- while not everyone has a Hobart slicer ($1000+) to just make jerky once a year! So I'm HAPPY to take my OLD buck hams and shoulders to Gene and have him make them into amazing stuff for me!

I love my fresh back straps and tenderloins, and I get plenty of shoulder roasts and sirloin steaks from my more tender deer. But I can eat so much "burger" and having a great processor (like you and Gene) for the "treats" is so nice to have!! WE NEED YOU GOOD PROCESSORS!

I wish we were closer as I'm a NM brat and would LOVE to try your green chili sticks! If I pop an elk in NM next year-- lets talk!

Cheers to ALL here and lets all be thankful for a great hunting year I HOPE you all are having!

 

[butcherboy]

Hey Zapp, no offense taken by anything you have ever said in any of your posts from this thread. I actually encourage hunters to process their own wild game. It’s the generalized statements made by others about processors as a whole being dishonest that get me cantankerous. Lol

If you ever come by my way I’ll be more than happy to make some stuff for you. You can send me a private msg and I can give you my info for future reference. Thanks for your kind words, much appreciated!

 

[dennyking]

I find myself replying to a lot of threads re. my own preference to butcher my own meat. I kill 3-4 deer a year, 3-4 pigs a year, and when it works out an elk or oryx. I grew up in west Texas and we always butchered our own deer. On (a few) guided hunts (over the last 35 years) I (almost) felt like a jerk for NOT using the "local" butcher for my animals.

I know most hunters probably appreciate the "butchering service" offered up in any market... and I certainly HAVE used a FEW processors (like Penshorns in Marion TX--for bad-ass sausage) over the last 40 years. But even today, I have a sausage press and tend to make my own. This last year I made smoked/pickled buck sticks and they were superb!

So the question is: how many hunters out there today actually process their OWN meat? And while you are at it: HOW do you like to do it? I'm always looking for new ways to use the excellent protein I bring home.

I butcher and process all my wild game. I have a Weston 3/4hp grinder that also does my stuffing of snack sticks. I mix by hand if making sticks/summer sausage/brats. We like deer/elk burger so a lot of it just gets ground with 20% beef or pork fat and sealed with a LEM vacmaxx 1000

 

[Tod osier]

Do any of you guys have any success draining blood from the whole carcass? Ive seen different methods used by old timers on farm animals, but I’ve never figured out how to drain the blood out like others have.

My technique includes firing a bullet or arrow through highly vascularized tissues like the heart or lungs.

 

[Lhook7]

I process my own and am jealous of some of the setups in this thread!