I'm a slow butcherer...

[TxHunter9]

I use meat hooks and would recommend. There will be small learning curve but more efficient/safer in the end.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

@pods8 (Rugged Stitching) - Others have said it, but when a bull hits the dirt, the work has only begun. It just takes time. Especially if you are anal and want the highest quality meat. It’s like getting firewood, just think how many times that cord of wood warms your body temp before you even burn it. There are a hell of a lot of steps from now until there is a nice elk steak on your plate next fall.

My dad worked in a butcher shop before I was around. My wife and I have both cut meat for as long as either of us can remember. Between us and two successful boys, we cut a LOT of meat each year… We have a saying in our house.

“The only thing worse than cutting meat, is NOT cutting meat.”

 

[MallardSX2]

I spend more time sharpening knives than I do cutting up the deer. I hate having a dull knife. Dull knives are dangerous.

 

[flathead#2]

I'm 6'2" and our countertops were built for somebody else.
Got to where I have to wear a back brace while standing in the
kitchen while processing. Makes a big difference.

 

[crmt]

I have always been slow as well but it seems doing bigger cuts and freezing them for later use makes the initial process go faster.

 

[fishslap]

I’m similar to the op. I take a lot of time but I have very little waste and every thing I grab from the freezer is going to be just as I want it and enjoyable. It’s worth the investment for the rest of the year. Leaving more cuts whole to braise is my only time saver. Grinding more can save a bit of time also.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I have always felt like I am a really slow processor. For instance, I bet it takes me an hour to process a whitetail quarter from the time I take it out of the fridge to the time it is packaged/in the freezer. I've heard people claim to process an entire deer in ~2 hours. I just don't see how that's done unless you're leaving a ton of work for later. Even then, that timeline seems really sporty to me. If i assume ~1 hour per quarter plus backstraps and tenderloins I bet it takes me 5-5.5 hours to process a deer. That does not include any gutting/skinning/etc.

To attempt to speed up my process, I started leaving all roasts together for freezing. I pretty much leave all silver skin on now and remove it before I cook. If i want to grind meat, I thaw a roast and hand grind it right before meal time or the day prior. The only thing I try hard to remove during initial processing is hair and fat. I'm sure some are just naturally faster than others, but ultimately, I think you're squeezing the balloon with processing. It takes time - you can choose to do it all on the front end and have a 100% ready to eat piece of meat when you thaw it, or you can leave a little work to do after the thaw. I've migrated more towards the latter.

 

[Gravel Road]

Agreed. You can have speed or quality, but both are factors in the final product. If you go fast then you have to be satisfied with more tendon, silver skin, etc in the grind pile. Quality is zero tendon or silver skin. Only the one processing or eating it can decide which way they want to go.
My wife insists on the quality side, so I'm slow, lol.

 

[Macintosh]

I'm 6'2" and our countertops were built for somebody else.
Got to where I have to wear a back brace while standing in the
kitchen while processing. Makes a big difference.

Im no butcher so Im not the one to take advice from, but two points.

^^this is real. My lower back is what slows me down. Maybe if I had higher counter tops I could do it longer, but I find doing a few shorter sessions easier than one longer one, even if its less efficient cleaning up multiple times, etc.

The other is that steaks vs grind is not the only choice you have. Some of my favorite preparations are slow cooks and braises where I especially prefer the meat that has a bit more sinew and fat in it—neck, front shoulder, shanks, etc. I’ll leave these pieces whole with the sinew and fat inside, and I’ll label them as slow cook only so I can see what they are through butcher paper. This is not only faster than trimming everything, but I think gives me more variety in the food I make, so I enjoy both the butchering and the eating better.

 

[LookinforDirt]

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 think this is a good tutorial on how to debone and clean up a deer. Curious what you think about his process/technique compared to yours and the amount of trimming he does compared to you. You can fast forward to “preparing the saddle”and “preparing the legs” to see how he does it. Looks pretty good to me but I’m not experienced.

How To Butcher A Deer