I'm a slow butcherer...

[fshaw]

I've butchered all my animals for ~15yrs, I've cut a couple thousand pounds of meat up easily. I'm aware how to get the job done, I just am slow. Despite keeping my knifes sharpe.

I'm aware if I had a whole carcass hanging to skin and then break down that would certainly save time later in terms of clean up work on quarters/meat, removing stray hairs or such on the quartered meat coming out of game bags (some is inevitable). I don't really have that opportunity so that is one area that adds time to things.

I don't like chewy stuff in my meat so I spend probably too much time cutting out thicker silver skin/ligaments, even in the trim pile. When I've had a stack of pronghorn to do at once I'll start leaving more stuff in there to expedite the process and a grinder chews it all up well but its not quite as good of a product imho so I struggle to compromise there unless I'm really in a bind. Do I just need to get over it because it takes up a boat load of time?

I've seen folks using a meat hook to rip between meat seams more quickly, that seems like one area I could potentially pick up the pace in. Anyone rocking a meat hook and thoughts if so?

Smaller animals I don't mind cleaning/deboning the quarters on a flat table but I do think if I could hang elk quarters up for that work it'd help, something I may rig up going forward.

Obviously my ramblings are kinda vague since not one has seen me butcher but what tips/tricks/tools and preferences do you all employ?

I cut my own meat and have for many years. What you say here mirrors my experience. If you want to do it for high quality product, and get all the useable meat available, it just takes time. You pick up some tricks along the way to speed things up, but it’s slow tedious work. When I try to hurry I either end up scrapping more useable meat than I normally would, and feeling guilty, or grinding stuff that I would normally trim. Sending animals out to be cut results in the former because of all the reasons stated above. As Yoda would say. “Always a compromise cutting meat is.”

 

[Wrench]

I am lucky enough to have whole elk on the hook often. I always grab the front shoulders first, then work my way up to the rear. It all gets cut off and goes right on the table to be worked.

I killed an elk in December that I boned out in the field. It probably added no measurable time difference as I didn't have to work out the bones, but did fight a bit of hair. I prefer whole.

As for the grinder, keep your plates sharp and get a sharp flexible knife to fillet the connective tissue off.

I use a total of 2 knives. Both Henckels one is their fillet and the other is a wide blade for keeping steak cuts square. I've used the same knives for a dozen or more animals and never touched anything but the steel they came with.....and they're lazer sharp.

 

[Tod osier]

I've butchered all my animals for ~15yrs, I've cut a couple thousand pounds of meat up easily. I'm aware how to get the job done, I just am slow. Despite keeping my knifes sharpe.

I'm aware if I had a whole carcass hanging to skin and then break down that would certainly save time later in terms of clean up work on quarters/meat, removing stray hairs or such on the quartered meat coming out of game bags (some is inevitable). I don't really have that opportunity so that is one area that adds time to things.

I don't like chewy stuff in my meat so I spend probably too much time cutting out thicker silver skin/ligaments, even in the trim pile. When I've had a stack of pronghorn to do at once I'll start leaving more stuff in there to expedite the process and a grinder chews it all up well but its not quite as good of a product imho so I struggle to compromise there unless I'm really in a bind. Do I just need to get over it because it takes up a boat load of time?

I've seen folks using a meat hook to rip between meat seams more quickly, that seems like one area I could potentially pick up the pace in. Anyone rocking a meat hook and thoughts if so?

Smaller animals I don't mind cleaning/deboning the quarters on a flat table but I do think if I could hang elk quarters up for that work it'd help, something I may rig up going forward.

Obviously my ramblings are kinda vague since not one has seen me butcher but what tips/tricks/tools and preferences do you all employ?

Many of us in the same boat, it seems. I've been doing it for 35 years and I'm slow. Reading your posts in the thread, I think we are on the same pace (and several others). A deer takes about 8 man hours to debone, trim and package. Usually 2 2 hour bouts with the wife. It used to bother me, I'm content with the speed and very happy with the quality of the product.

A couple things about fishing that relate... as far as the time it takes, there are a lot of 3 pound fish that are said to be 5 pounders on the internet. Sticking with the fish theme, you don't have to watch too many fish filleting videos to see that most fillets look like absolute dog crap.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Probably a little differant than many of you. Once I kill them and gut them out, I move them away from the gut pile and prepare them for recovery. This includes brushing them up and flagging the way out.

Once I return with the horses, it takes about 20 minutes to prepare the site with cross pole for hanging andmake a gimble. I hang the elk on the block and tackle and split out the hind quarters. Then I reset and do the same with the front quarters. The whole process takes about 1.5-2 hours. I leave the head and lower legs. This includes loading everything on the ponies for the trip.

Once home I hang the quarters on the gimble in the barn , skin them, trim them and scrub them down, wrap them in sheets and hang them to freeze on nails in my shop where it stays cold. That usually takes about 1.5-2 hrs for two of us.

To cut them up I bring them into the house and let them sit on the dining room table (properly prepared) and let them thaw for 1-2 days. I usually do this a half an elk at a time.

I pull off the muscle groups for steaks and roasts and fill a double lined 5 gal bucket with the hamburger meat. The bones go out on the porch for the barn cats until I can haul them off to my north pasture.

I cut the steaks and roasts up and give them to my wife for packaging. She trims as she wraps. This process takes about 3 hrs and yields a bag of hamburger meat which I freeze until processing in the off season. Each half of an elk yields a 5 gal bucket of hamburger meat and 1-1 1/2 buckets of packaged meat. I keep another bucket and use it for fat, bloodshot and general trim off each half. Normally this will be about 5-7lbs per half.

The entire process takes about 1- 1 1/2 hours per half not counting cleanup.

I take the hamburger meat into town about once every two years and get about 300 lbs ground up and packaged at a time.

I don't usually bother with silver skin or tendons. What the wife doesnt trim during packaging gets cooked and if you can't eat it - out it goes. There isn't much waste.

When I used to find deer, I would cut a deer a night - same process. With them it was steaks, roasts and sausage. I don't dry age anything. I have followed the same process for nearly 50 years.

A couple of years ago I was short on elk and one of my young bulls pissed me off and he filled the freezer that year. I think we also did the same with a pig. I didn't see much differance from the elk. The most notable thing was the look on the UPS drivers face when she drove into the yard and noted the puddles were blood.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Well I guess I don’t feel so bad on trimming time then. I’m in the camp of roasts, whole lions, hunks of back strap (cut steaks at cooking time as desired or cook whole) and trim meat. With deer/pronghorn that’s is, with elk and the bigger muscles I’ll save more whole pieces from the rump/flank/brisket/fronts to make jerky or use in stew or whatever.

I have a 3/4hp grinder and no complaints there, I single pass grind fine and it feeds fine. The first critter(s) of the season I grind the trim right away because we likely need ground meat replenished. Later animals I freeze 6-8lb packages of vacuum packed trim meat to deal with later (regular ground, maybe some sausage, etc).

 

[flathead#2]

When I was younger I could kill a deer in the morning and have it processed and in the freezer
before bedtime, then get up before daylight and do it all again.
No more.
Killed a nice whitetail back Thanksgiving weekend and it took me 2 days to get it done.
Then I needed a day off.

 

[Gravel Road]

Slow here too. The wife is super picky about silver skin and connective tissue, so it takes a long time to separate it out. I cut everything up and she grinds and/or wraps in saran wrap and freezer paper. She shaves or thinly slices roasts into fajita or bulgogi meat. Usually it takes an evening to get it done, so at least 4 hours or so. I will say that having clean meat makes for looong freezer life.

 

[wapitibob]

this is the way

 

[Walmart Greeter]

In my old job I ran a chain saw nearly every day. As a rookie I was amazed at how fast the older guys were with a saw. I tried to cut fast like them and ended up cutting my chaps. After 15 years of cutting nearly every day I was at the point where I was very fast. The thing is I didn’t try to be fast, i had just become very efficient with my body posture and positioning of the saw combined with application of the throttle. I figure it’s the same way with butchering. If you want to put out a good product quickly just do it every day for 15 years. Or settle with being slow.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

this is the way

Just clicking through that video for a minute or two in spots the two major distinctions I see that add to my timeframe are:

First: she cuts wide margins and tosses much more meat than I do, when I fillet off silverskin I then shave off the meat stuck to the silverskin and put that meat into my trim pile and toss the silverskin, she's tossing it all to save time (which is what I am aware pro cutters do too).

Second: As I touched on earlier I seam out most silverskin, there is very little in my trim that isn't red, this by far is my biggest time consumer, she's tossing much more into the trim pile than I do. Its a case of diminishing rewards depending on how much occasional chewy bits in your meat detract from your experience. For some folks they could care less, I care more so it just takes me time.

I spent last week butchering an elk so it was a fresh topic in my mind.

 

[schwaf]

Just clicking through that video for a minute or two in spots the two major distinctions I see that add to my timeframe are:

First: she cuts wide margins and tosses much more meat than I do, when I fillet off silverskin I then shave off the meat stuck to the silverskin and put that meat into my trim pile and toss the silverskin, she's tossing it all to save time (which is what I am aware pro cutters do too).

Second: As I touched on earlier I seam out most silverskin, there is very little in my trim that isn't red, this by far is my biggest time consumer, she's tossing much more into the trim pile than I do. Its a case of diminishing rewards depending on how much occasional chewy bits in your meat detract from your experience. For some folks they could care less, I care more so it just takes me time.

I spent last week butchering an elk so it was a fresh topic in my mind.

Sounds like trimming silver skin and connective tissue is taking up a lot more time than it should. I think that's a technique issue. The butcher in the video does take off more meat than optimal, but I think she was more focused on the presentation than maximizing yield. I would bet her personal animals she is getting much better cuts with less waste to go in trim. Her technique is very good though. Notice how she doesn't start removing silver from one end to another, but pokes in partway through and does a long stroke to cut one end, then finishes the other side. That keeps it from needing to hold the silver skin taut and gives consistent tension. You can easily pull on it to create the desired amount of tension as you make that long stroke and you don't need to worry about it slipping out of your fingers. Then on the other side you have a long piece of skin to grab on and do a reverse cut.

I'll usually start my initial cut about 20% in and do a long and smooth cut starting with the heel of the blade closest to the handle and slowly use the length of my blade to slice while I move down the skin. Angle the blade slightly upward, not enough to cut through the silver skin, so that the edge rolls along it. A blade with a relatively straight edge does this best imo. Done correctly you won't have much, if any meat left. The remaining bit you can take your knife and scrape off like a lotto ticket. I also found it better to remove only as much silver skin in one stroke as you can comfortably handle. At most I'll only do around 1"-1.25" strips at a time. The silver skin need to be able to sit flat on top of the blade. Also, it's important to move the meat to work with your body, rather than move your body for the meat. My arm and hands move ergonomically in the exact same way every time to comfortably make that cut.

If you're trimming out meat that has a ton of connective tissue like the shank, there is no fast way to do it. It's not worth trimming out. You'll lose a lot of meat, get very little yield, and it takes forever. You're better off braising those pieces and using them for different recipes.

The lady is a very good butcher and her method is very efficient. She's getting premium cuts like the flat iron that most people just hack up and throw in the grind. Even if you were to grind up those pieces, that exact method of butchering where she removes the large piece, splits it at the seam, then removes the connective tissue off the whole muscle is FAR more efficient than hacking it up and cutting out the connective tissue one little piece at a time. You'll reduce your butchering time by a few hours if you get good at breaking down the muscles by the seams into large pieces and having a good technique to remove the parts you don't want. Trim, scrape, and throw away the silver skin as you go. It's faster and cleaner than if you have a massive pile to sort through later. Have a couple buckets and a trash can next to you so you have somewhere for stew meat, grind, and the rest in trash.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Thanks I'll watch the video closer when I have time.

 

[schwaf]

She does tend to cut more into the meat when removing the silver than I would recommend. Try your best to slip the knife directly between the silver and meat for best yield. She needs to use more of a sawing motion because she's cutting meat, not removing the silver skin. A smooth slicing motion is what you should be aiming for.

 

[wapitibob]

I flip the muscle over and fillet the silver skin off, like skin off a salmon. I also noticed the trim was heavier than mine.

BTW Pods, we're still running the pack bags you custom made for us. Excellent work, thank you!

 

[Jon Boy]

If it’s rifle season, I know leave hide on and bone in when I quarter them. When I get them to my garage I hang them and skin them and put plastic wrap over the quarters. No need to worth about skin, hair, or cleaning up the rind on the outside. Easily cut an hour off of my butcher time and the meat was absolutely fantastic. This pic was after hanging a bull for 8 or 9 days. No rind to contend with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[butcherboy]

That was a pretty good video overall. She had really good explanations of different muscle groups. I know she was cutting slower so the viewer could see the process. She could have trimmed more meat for grind from the backstraps by simply turning over the silver skin and then filet the meat off just like you would a fish. I like to lay the silver skin side down and make a little starting cut between the meat and silver skin. Lay the knife flat and then pull the silver skin towards you while pushing your knife away from you. I would have deboned the shoulders and hind legs differently and still be able to separate the muscle groups. Some of the cuts off the shoulders were good but it depends on what you like. More roasts, jerky, kabobs or hb. Your decision just like she said in the video.

I also use cotton gloves with latex gloves over the top of them. You can also use a cut resistant glove instead of a cotton glove. I think she went overboard with the contractor bag for your dirty side and then moving to a clean side. Just use a table top that’s big enough to handle the dirty meat on one side and then move down to the clean side or just use two cutting boards. Also, a table scraper will really clean the surface of your cutting table or board so you wouldn’t need two boards.

She did a pretty good job but I could tell she has experience but maybe not a lot of experience. By this I mean by her knife skills. Don’t get me wrong, they were decent but saying she is a head butcher she could use some more knife skills. Her knives were on the wrong side but maybe that’s what she likes. I wouldn’t want to reach across my body and have to look for a knife every time I wanted one. As a right hander her
knives should have been on her right side so she could have reached straight down. It’s more of a natural way and safer. Her steel was where it should be on the left but should have been attached to her belt hanging down. Could grab it without looking, polish her knife, and then just drop it by her side. She also needed to polish the blade by starting at the top of the steel and pulling towards her not from the bottom and pushing away from herself. Much easier to get the right angle on the blade. You can also hold the steel vertical and work the blade down allowing you to actually adjust the knife angle because you can see each side of the knife.

Overall, pretty good. A few more tricks for faster deboning she could have used but I don’t think she knows them. I think some of the videos put out by the Bearded Butchers are better but I relate to them more. They cut more like I do with maybe a few variations here and there but not much. You can tell a butcher with a lot of experience and one with a tremendous amount pretty quickly.

 

[Durran87]

I’ve often wondered the same thing about my own butchering. It definitely speeds things up if I cut and the wife wraps and labels.

 

[butcherboy]

I cut another elk this past Friday for a friend of mine. He was originally going to just hang it in my cooler and cut it himself but he was called back to work a week early so he asked me to do it. Had a little
Bit more trimming to do since it was hanging for 3 weeks. I cut, wrapped, ground and stuffed the hb, finally cleaning my shop. Took me 4 hours by myself for all of it.

 

[camping1601]

A small thing but the past few years I started standing at the kitchen counter rather than sitting at the table and I feel more productive this way.

 

[Harvey_NW]

I'm slow too, and my wife and I are very meticulous. It sounds like we have the same field processing situation (packing out whole quarters), and mindset of minimal waste and extremely clean meat. My best advice is to watch the video below and memorize how to quickly break down the quarters, then you can spend all the time you want trimming. This has sped the process up the most for me.