Do you process your own deer?

[Turtle]

Do you work at Dan's now? I know I have heard simular stories before.

No, it has been a while.

 

[ItemB]

Here is a pretty good videos series of cleaning a deer, I rarely gut a deer anymore so don't get this detailed but the concepts and cuts are pretty much the same no matter what gutted or gutless method. We do all our own have been doing it for years kind of a family tradition now, make summer sausage, sausage, pepper sticks, and have been making venison bacon the last few years. So need a good amount of meat so not many roasts get kept. Always keep the backstraps, had some from an older buck the other day that were marinated and they were still tasty thought they would be tough but I think the marinate helped break them down.

 

[LBrandt]

Cutting up my buck today. Back strap and fried taters with white onions out of my own garden. Don't get no better. P.S. creamed white sweetcorn too.

Supper was wonderful. Started skinning at 10:30 was done and cleaned up by 3:30 little rusty but still have most of my fingers.

 

[drayweb]

Had some jerky that I made from the back straps of the mulie that I shot on opening day yesterday. Gave me the runs and I felt like I was going to throw up last night. Not sure if it was the jerky or what.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I've been butchering my own deer since high school. My folks said if I wanted to shoot deer, I either needed to fork over the processing fees or do it myself. So I found a VHS tape at Gander Mountain, watched it a dozen times, and did it myself.

I take a lot of pride in getting as much meat off a carcass as possible, and it's made even better by the fact that my kiddos (4 and 1) can't seem to get enough wild game. I'm a firm believer in you get out what you put in, and the more time and care you take in butchering, the better the end result.

 

[Holmsvc]

A big group of us used to do our own processing back in the day of everyone getting a few ND tags. It was fun, but a lot of time and work. It was also a pain to get a weekend that worked for everyone.

Now I shoot a deer or two a year and cut them up myself. I vacuum seal the meat in packages to drop off in the off season when I am running low on sausage or jerky. I have it done and John and Wayne's in West Fargo. Where you are supposed to get your own deer back when it's done in the off season.

 

[Allen]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was illegal for processors to commingle meat from different customers?

 

[DirtyMike]

Ate damn near half a back strap on saturday night, after I skinned my deer. Reminded me why I deer hunt. Now to bone it out before friday.

 

[guywhofishes]

I hate trimming but I know it pays later. I remove every speck of fat - but I’m never really sure if I beed to remove as much silverskin as I do.

How militant are you guys about silverskin? Hard to describe without pics I suppose.

 

[Kurtr]

At the begining really then by the 3rd or 4th deer not as much.

 

[espringers]

i leave it on my backstraps and any other cuts that i don't plan to grind into sausage and then trim it off when i take it out of the freezer before cooking. its sort of my way of having another protector against freezer burn i guess rather than possibly having to trim good meat off when it comes out of the freezer. ain't sure if it helps or not.

as far as the trimmings that are going to the butcher, i only take the really heavy/thick silverskin and/or fat off. i used to take every bit of it off. but, after years of doing our own meat and hundreds of taste tests, i am not sure it matters much when you are mixing it with pork and seasoning. if you are just grinding it for deer burger, i am sure it might be more noticeable.

on the question of doing our own. used to. but, now we all have busy lives and only shoot a deer each per year. so, its become harder to justify the time. especially to the wives. to grind, stuff, smoke and package multiple deer inevitably takes at least a day. usually two. time is worth a lot of money to me these days. when you add in the cost of pork, seasoning, casings and the vacuum packaging, i just have trouble justifying it anymore. and i honestly figure i am getting my meat back. if the locker has it for months before you get it back, i would be a bit worried. but, the few places we take ours have pretty good turn around time and i have a pretty high confidence we are getting our meat back.

don't get me wrong though. i really enjoyed doing our own. it tasted a little better most of the time and it was a great time. oh to turn back the clock...

 

[Allen]

I hate trimming but I know it pays later. I remove every speck of fat - but I’m never really sure if I beed to remove as much silverskin as I do.

How militant are you guys about silverskin? Hard to describe without pics I suppose.

Bordering on Nazi-like. Hate that crap in the grinding process.

 

[Rowdie]

I hate trimming but I know it pays later. I remove every speck of fat - but I’m never really sure if I beed to remove as much silverskin as I do.

How militant are you guys about silverskin? Hard to describe without pics I suppose.

I use a SHARP fillet knife and get all that I can off.

 

[ndbwhunter]

So while we're at it, can anyone post up some good recipes?

We've done it ourselves for years, but as families grew and kids got older we starting having trouble finding the time to do it. I'd like to get back to it this year and make it a family event again.

We usually do country style sausage and bulk, summer sausage, natural cut jerky and sticks which are always taken in to the butcher. I'd like to try some different sausage recipes and maybe make up a breakfast blend. Any other recommendations are welcomed!

 

[Bowhunter_24]

I hate trimming but I know it pays later. I remove every speck of fat - but I’m never really sure if I beed to remove as much silverskin as I do.

How militant are you guys about silverskin? Hard to describe without pics I suppose.

I take it all off. I take off way more than I probably need to but when u are making your own it's nice to know what u are eating

and yes the process sucks.

 

[guywhofishes]

I take it all off. I take off way more than I probably need to but when u are making your own it's nice to know what u are eating

and yes the process sucks.

sorta like crochet/knitting... women's work - ba ha ha

 

[Duckslayer100]

I was so anal about removing fat silver skin when I first started butchering that, combined with my inexperience, it would take me all damn day to do a single deer. TO the point that I still had grinding and packaging to do the next day.

Fast forward, and I've become much more lenient. I get as much fat off as I can, but I've also found that corn-fed doe fat is actually damn tasty. Rutting buck, not so much. Still, fat is removed as much as possible.

I'm with others in that I'll leave the silver skin for later. It doesn't take much to remove it on the day I'm cooking it, but when butchering it can add a ton of time. I get the thick stuff of the grindings so that it doesn't bog down the grinder, but most of it will get caught on the grinding plate and won't make it into the final product.

 

[Lungdeflator]

Speaking of processing, where do you guys get your burger bags and is there a trick to it?

- - - Updated - - -

Yah. Maybe you’re right. With game laws as they are though, I’m not sure why they’d cut corners. Maybe trading isn’t considered selling.

I use a vaccuum sealer. I mash the meat flat in the bag and then seal it. Stacks really nice in the freezer.

 

[Rowdie]

What I can't cut into steak I slice thin for Jerky. I chuck some up for stir-fry. I love using deer/antelope in Asian Stir-fry ummmmmm... I don't make sausage

 

[Turtle]

I was so anal about removing fat silver skin when I first started butchering that, combined with my inexperience, it would take me all damn day to do a single deer. TO the point that I still had grinding and packaging to do the next day.

Fast forward, and I've become much more lenient. I get as much fat off as I can, but I've also found that corn-fed doe fat is actually damn tasty. Rutting buck, not so much. Still, fat is removed as much as possible.

I'm with others in that I'll leave the silver skin for later. It doesn't take much to remove it on the day I'm cooking it, but when butchering it can add a ton of time. I get the thick stuff of the grindings so that it doesn't bog down the grinder, but most of it will get caught on the grinding plate and won't make it into the final product.

You are right on, most silver skin gets caught in the grinder. I add as much of the deer fat as possible, venison needs juice.