Processing a de-boned deer

[Axle]

I can not stand dirt and hair on my meat

Gee wiz 45 - I thought you were a real man!

[CHUCK S]

I can't beleive many of you who grind up the whole deer?  When I butcher I debone the animal at home and place all the roast in muscle groups in white trash bags and let them sit in the fridge for about 5 days.  This bleeds them out and that's when I start to butcher the meat.  I'll clean off everybit of fat and tendoin and wrap all the muscles as roast in freezer paper.  All the smaller scraps and neck and brisket meat goes to the "Smoke House" in Black Diamond.  He does awesome pepperonni.  Once I have all the roast in paper I can always cut steaks when I take them out.  How do you not use the meat for Steaks, Roast, Chili, Stew, Stroaganoff, Stirfry, French Dip, and the many other uses?  Grind it all?  If you bleed it out and hang it properly then there is no game taste........  Totally understand if you have to debone it in the field but you can still prep it the same once back. 

[Axle]

I can't beleive many of you who grind up the whole deer?

A tasty grilled venison burger is one of the best things you can eat. I've grilled many-a-burger for men and women who say it was the best burger they had ever had. Venison eaters have also said they have never had deer that tasted so good.
Tips? Bone it out on the spot asap. Get it in the freezer asap (there is no need to age it). Add 10 to 15 percent fat but only if you grille it (I use beef fat). Season it with Spice Islands garlic salt and cracked pepper. Grille it to perfection and you are set!

I usually save a few loin steaks too and they are great, but the grilled burger can't be beat! The only use I have for a roast is to 'corn' the roast (like corned beef) and then cook it. Oh so good!

[packmule]

I see a lot of people commenting about adding pork or beef to wild game burger to help keep burger patties from falling apart when cooking.  You can thaw a pack of burger slowly in the refrigerator and allow the blood to drain out with a collander. . . once the blood has drained the burger patties stick together much better without having to add pork or beef.  If you like the flavor of the pork or beef, have at it, but if it's just for keeping the burger together give the above trick a try and you can avoid the extra expense of the pork and beef + maintain the lean qualities of the ground game burger.

[Kingpuck]

So glad this question got asked. One thing that has bewildered me is aging the meat vs. deboning, sitting in fridge for a few days, then packing into freezer? Would it be best to debone, keep in cooler with ice, get home and clean it and straight into the freezer?

It seems too hot to age in the garage. Really worried that after all this it will taste gamey.

[fish vacuum]

It IS possible to ruin a whole animal by hanging it to age in the wrong conditions.
It IS NOT possible to ruin a whole animal by processing it quickly and getting it in the freezer quickly. I've been shooting deer for 20 years. Never aged any of them and never felt a need to.

I'd love to get a nice grinder but they are expensive and hard to justify when I only butcher one or two deer a year. If I lived somewhere where I could shoot multiple deer, or if I was getting elk and/or moose, then I'd spend the coin on a good grinder. A hand grinder isn't that expensive and works as well or better than some cheap electrics.

Any mistakes made while cutting just become stew meat or burger. Venison burger is a good utility meat for making all sorts of meals. I love venison meat loaf.

[luckyman]

I bone mine out as soon as possible and keep it in an cooler on ice.  I'll have it cut and wrapped with in 2-3 days after that.