I'd make a Lousy Butcher

[Boyscout]

I think I would make a lousy butcher. I probably have over 15 actual hours involved in processing the deer I took last weekend.

After a couple of really bad experiences with "professionals" about 15 years ago, I started doing my own. One would think I would get better after 30 deer but it seems to get harder every year. The quality of my work is excellent but my production really stinks.

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[Beagle333]

Better'n me! I'm lucky that I got a local processor who is excellent. Otherwise, mine would just get quartered and we'd have big meals!

[xdmalder]

I've done it for about five years now. I do round roasts, rump roasts, and neck roasts. Round steaks, tenderloins, and back strap medallions. Rest goes to burger. Running low on canned deer so did some of that a couple days ago. Next year gonna try some deer bacon if I get one fat enough. Tried summer sausage and pepperoni but need to find some better recipes. Takes me about 30 minutes to skin out. 30 minutes to an hour to bone out depending on size of deer. And 30 min to an hour to process and package. Getting her down pretty good these days.

[Boyscout]

I spend a lot time picking the carcass clean for burger and a lot of time making sure it has now sinew, tallow or silver skin. When I do get sausage made, I usually get complimented on the cleanliness of the meat. I feel it dishonors the animal not to make the most use of it.

[03fatboy]

I know where your coming from, decided to do everything this year.
I definitely didn't miss my calling as a butcher.
My wife still needs to fill her tag, when/if she gets hers,I'm sure that one will go smoother.

[Sweetpea]

I've never paid to have anything butchered, and hope I never have to.

Last year, we butchered two large cow elk in one very long day.

Granted, they were already quartered and hanging.

This was my wife, my 12 year old boy, and myself.

A nephew was along also, but he mostly trimmed meat to be ground.

My last deer to butcher was easy. The wife wanted more burger, so I cut up the tenderloins and backstraps, and everything else got ground.

[xdmalder]

I know where your coming from, decided to do everything this year.
I definitely didn't miss my calling as a butcher.
My wife still needs to fill her tag, when/if she gets hers,I'm sure that one will go smoother.

Where in Nebraska are you?

[MaryB]

Last time I processed a deer a friend accused me of not leaving anything for the vultures! Bones were clean! To do it right is time consuming, no way around it unless you do it every day! We also used to get 4 families together to process beef. 4 sides got processed in a 2 day period. He converted his 3 stall garage into the butcher shop. We had a saw, grinder, big walk in freezer to flash freeze things. Day one we got all the steaks and roasts done and all the hamburger trim into tubs. Those who wanted sausage would divide out some hamburger trim into a smaller tub and season it. Everything went into the walk in cooler over night if it was warm or just left out if it was below freezing(garage stayed about 38 if it was 25 outside). Day 2 all the burger was ground and went straight into bags off the grinder for coarse and double ground for patties. Wrapping stations, trimming stations, breakdown table where we used a cordless sawzall to break the sides down into manageable pieces. I learned a lot about butchering and got pretty good at it!

[Fishman]

That looks like excellent work there. I am terrible with packaging so we use a vacuum sealer which speeds up things. The wife, boy and I have done as many as 3 deer in one day and that's getting to be work. I bit the bullet and purchased the mid-size cabelas grinder several years ago and it's a monster. Easy to grind 3 deers worth of meat, minus steaks etc. in 10 minutes. We do 3-5 deer a year and often a hog or two, so paying to have it done isn't a good option.

Tip: Take the shank meat on the forelegs and lower back legs and grind with the plate that has big holes to make "chili meat". Cook it low and slow and all of the connective tissue will turn into collagen which makes stews and chili delicious. Saves a bunch of time and is the best use of that tough meat.

[MaryB]

Best thing we ever did for burger was buy the bags that go right over a large stuffer tube on the grinder. 2 people, one running the grinder, one bagging with clean hands. Fill, stop the grinder, push into the bag taper, repeat.

[Fishman]

Oh another unsolicited tip. A 4" rapala filet knife is the tool for deboning a deer. I haven't found anything better.

We started using the meat bags a couple years ago when my parents bought us some and the tape dispenser. They work really well and keep almost as well as the vacuum sealed stuff for a much cheaper cost.

[SSGOldfart]

I've done it for 50+years,really that is the hunt to me,I've helped many do it. I still cut the old fashion way with chops, my cuts might not look the best,but I've never had any summer sausage returned or breakfast sausage,turned down
Now if I could only make mama's biscuits,my wife does a excellent biscuit,just not mama's

[smoked turkey]

Congratulations boyscout on a nice one for the freezer and for doing it yourself. I also am very slow. I try to clean up the meat just like you said. The thing I notice about me is that the first meat I do for the first couple of hours is really nice. But I get weary and don't do as good as the time goes on. I still think mine is pretty good but as you say there is a lot of time invested in it. I do enjoy it and believe that it should be part of the process from field to freezer. I do like to save the $85-$90 they charge around here to work one up.

[Boyscout]

I got most of my education on butchering from an old Fur, Fish and Game article and a video called Deer Cutting Made Easy by Eldon Cutlip. The only place I use a saw is on the legs and to remove the head. I use boning knives and a fillet knife for everything else. I wrap everything in stretch wrap before wrapping it in coated freezer paper. Freezer burn is not an issue.

One thing I have noticed is that the job is much easier with two people. There is too much stop and go if one is constantly cleaning up to move to another job. Having someone clean the trim really helps too and it is a job that can be given to someone not experienced.

I also found meat is much easier to work with when it is kept cool but not frozen.

[03fatboy]

Where in Nebraska are you?

Alittle north of Grand Island

[richhodg66]

I findmyself doing most of mine nowadays too and I really need to get a lot faster at it. I make steaks out of the back straps and a few more from other parts, but most of what we eat is ground or stew meat (I firmly believe a good venison stew is about as good as food gets).

A couple of years ago, next door neighbor sold me a Waring grinder he wasn't using, nice little device. Prior to that, I was using an old antique hand cranked one I got at a yard sale and it works pretty well too.

As to cost savings, a processor is probably cheaper when I look at the time involved, but I like what I gt better when I do it.

[white eagle]

I think I would make a lousy butcher. I probably have over 15 actual hours involved in processing the deer I took last weekend.

After a couple of really bad experiences with "professionals" about 15 years ago, I started doing my own. One would think I would get better after 30 deer but it seems to get harder every year. The quality of my work is excellent but my production really stinks.

153743153744

I think you hit the nail on the head its not a race it's quality cut for the family
been cutting my own for so many years I forget how long its been

[bedbugbilly]

Hey . . I admire you just for undertaking that task! One well known processing market not far from where we are had something like 512 deer come in (IIRC) on opening day. Even with a good crew, i can't even imagine processing that many . . . especially with the warmer weather we had during the first couple of days of the season. Just remember the work you put in to it will be worth it during the next year when you're enjoying all that venison!

[farmerjim]

A processor is not an option for me. The cost of processing around here is more than buying prime beef. I got one yesterday, it is hanging in a cooler now and will turn it into hamburger and steaks tomorrow.

[EMC45]

Nothing wrong with doing it yourself. Nothing I kill goes to the processor. Slice, grind and freeze. Done.

[nekshot]

when I was a kid a worked a couple years in a butcher shop so to me its easy. I simply skin and debone the meat and leave the bone structure all together. The head and hide and a leg or two goes in one garbage bag and the rest in another bag and to the land fill goes the carcass . I might try doing one with out gutting it sometime, with my normal neckshot that would be easy to debone. I then really pick the meat apart and try get all sinew and fat off meat, bag the choice cuts and grind the rest!

[Mk42gunner]

For me the main reason to butcher deer myself is that way I know the deer I am eating is the one I shot, and it didn't lay around for a day or two before being taken care of.

I normally do backstraps, tenderloin, a few deboned steaks with the rest either stew meat or burger.

Robert

[Blammer]

Here is where I keep my favorite butchering videos.

this guy is really a 'butcher', professional, you can learn a LOT from him. I cut at least an hour or so off of my processing and got better cuts of meat too.

http://blammersboard.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=73&sid=5bf06accbbd59914c2b0d6d5e86ec2f8

yes, it's a link to another board where the videos are on.

you should still be able to get to the videos even if you're not registered.

[Boyscout]

I don't mind the extra work. Why else would I cast my own bullets, spend hours in inclement weather hunting deer or multiple trips to the range to work up loads? If I just wanted to kill something, it would be a lot easier just to pay a farmer to shoot a cow. Everything I do to is part of it and adds to the memories. Butchering is another part of it.

[03fatboy]

A processor is not an option for me. The cost of processing around here is more than buying prime beef. I got one yesterday, it is hanging in a cooler now and will turn it into hamburger and steaks tomorrow.

That's exactly why I did it myself this year.

[Murphy]

Boyscout,

Hang in there fella, you'll finally get to a point you're happy with your harvest and how you process it.

One very handy item (if you don't already have one) is a meat grinder. If a cut fails (ham steak, neck roast, etc), grind it up into hamburger meat. Those smaller chunks you're not sure what to do with can be used in a stew (or made into hamburger).

I butchered many of my own, or thought so until I married my 2nd wife. She spent 5-6 years living up in the 'hills' of Oklahoma pretty much doing what they now call 'off the grid'. When she's done with a carcass, buzzards aren't happy about it...they're ain't nothing left except bones!

Murphy

[Lance Boyle]

Ha, so much of this rings true!

Reasons to do it yourself;

-too expensive to pay for it done
-control; don't want someone else's gun shot meat or hung too long in the sun deer mixed in

I too mostly use a fillet knife for boning, mine is fiskars and 7".
I wrap the heck out of my meat to avoid the burn. First 2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of freezer wrap paper, then slide that into zip lock freezer bags. That's good for 2 years if need be. Doesn't last that long before being eaten but it will last.

I also need to pick up a chest freezer for the new spread. I want one that you have to manually defrost that keeps it from losing moisture and freezer burning.

I have canned venison but personally don't like the flavor it gives. Too much like factory canning with all the salt and the fact that the meat is cooked to death in the long processing in the pressure canner.

[Boyscout]

I have the meat grinder; got it for a Christmas present about 10 years ago. I found a meat hook is also very helpful when my fingers are numb and the meat is slippery. The biggest problem I ran into on this deer was keeping the meat cold and firm. After I deboned it, I put in a cooler with a large bag of ice, protected it from getting wet, and left it overnight to cool further.

[43PU]

I hope this gentleman doesn't mind me posting this video but I watched his video and my processi time went from 5-6 hours to right around 2 from skinning to freezer, my wife and I don't like ground meat so I have never even made a single pound of hamburger. I also kill 4 deer a year for the freezer. My wife and I have never bought a pound of beef from the store ever. I normally get 6-7 roast (2 necks 2 shoulder and 2 hip roast). Then I steak out the back strap and hind legs turn part of the leg into jerky/ stirfry strips and chunk up one shoulder for canned beef stew or for just stew meat. Watch his video seriously it cut my time in half!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PoawhsmKIEY

[Mk42gunner]

On the cold fingers problem: I have found that wearing a pair of clean cotton gloves works wonders. If you have two or three pair ready, you can change to a new one when the first gets too cold/ slippery/ full of blood or fat to allow a good grip.

Not my idea, my best friends dad showed me one cold November day when he and I skinned and cut up three or four deer.

Robert