Processing Game

[Buckmark]

All good info so far, i will add a few helpfull hints and opinions.
1) No "need" to hang it, if you have the place and time try it if you want, but like said you can cut,wrap, freeze the day of the kill.
2) Do you have a Tap plastics near you? If so you can get a good sized cutting board from them for really cheap.
3) Knives you like and are sharp, like said a good fillet knife can do it all.
4) Clean area, with tubs/pans/bowls etc set out for specific cuts, ie: burger bowl, steaks, timings , dog cuts etc...helps alot
5) You really wont screw it up, watch a vid or two to see the different "meats" you are looking at, take the animal apart in sections, work on those sections and you will be fine. If you do screw it up grind it all.
6) Speaking of ground, just grind it itself, that way you can use and or add to the individual packages as you use them, example i use ground venision and hot ground pork for spagetti sauce, i use ground venison and ground bacon with spices for breakfast sausage...think about how you will use it.
7) Comfortable place to work, have stool or chair to sit on while you do it.

[Blacktail Sniper]

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE:

When cutting steaks.   ALWAYS CUT ACROSS THE GRAIN!!!!!!   If you cut with the grain you will have very very tough steaks....

DUH!!! YEAH...very important!  Unless you like eating your boot!!  Can't believe I forgot to mention that!!!   

[Bob33]

For those who may wonder: this scientific taste test confirms it.

VENISON VERSUS BEEF - THE TASTE CONTROVERSY ENDS

Controversy has long raged about the relative quality and taste of venison and beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison is tough, with a strong "wild" taste. Others insist that venison's flavor is delicate. An independent food research group was retained by the Smith County Extension Program Council to conduct a taste test to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions once and for all.

First a Grade A Choice steer was chased into a swamp a mile and a half from a road and shot several times. After some of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged back over rocks and logs, and through mud and dust to the road. It was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and driven through 97 degree heat for 200 miles before being hung out in the sun for a day.

After that it was lugged into a garage, where it was skinned and rolled around on the floor for a while. Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the test, within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs and cats were allowed to sniff and lick the steer carcass, but were chased away when they attempted to bite chunks out of it.

Next a sheet of plywood left from last year's butchering was set up in the basement on two saw horses. The pieces of dried blood, hair and fat left from last year were scraped off with a wire brush last used to clean out the grass stuck under the lawn mower. However, no attempts were made to remove the diesel and motor oil that had accumulated, for fear of contaminating the plywood with foreign tastes.

The skinned carcass was then dragged down the steps into the basement where a half dozen inexperienced, but enthusiastic and intoxicated, men worked on it with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushel baskets of meat scraps, and a couple of steaks that were an eighth of an inch thick on one edge and an inch and a half thick on the other.

The steaks were seared on a glowing red hot cast iron skillet to lock in the flavor. When the smoke cleared, rancid bacon grease was added along with three pounds of onions, and the whole conglomeration was fried for two hours.

The meat was gently teased from the frying pan and served to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers. Every one of the members of the panel thought it was venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had eaten in hunting camps for the past 27 years. The results of this scientific test show conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of beef and venison.

[Fishhunt223]

For those who may wonder: this scientific taste test confirms it.

VENISON VERSUS BEEF - THE TASTE CONTROVERSY ENDS

Controversy has long raged about the relative quality and taste of venison and beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison is tough, with a strong "wild" taste. Others insist that venison's flavor is delicate. An independent food research group was retained by the Smith County Extension Program Council to conduct a taste test to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions once and for all.

First a Grade A Choice steer was chased into a swamp a mile and a half from a road and shot several times. After some of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged back over rocks and logs, and through mud and dust to the road. It was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and driven through 97 degree heat for 200 miles before being hung out in the sun for a day.

After that it was lugged into a garage, where it was skinned and rolled around on the floor for a while. Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the test, within the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs and cats were allowed to sniff and lick the steer carcass, but were chased away when they attempted to bite chunks out of it.

Next a sheet of plywood left from last year's butchering was set up in the basement on two saw horses. The pieces of dried blood, hair and fat left from last year were scraped off with a wire brush last used to clean out the grass stuck under the lawn mower. However, no attempts were made to remove the diesel and motor oil that had accumulated, for fear of contaminating the plywood with foreign tastes.

The skinned carcass was then dragged down the steps into the basement where a half dozen inexperienced, but enthusiastic and intoxicated, men worked on it with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushel baskets of meat scraps, and a couple of steaks that were an eighth of an inch thick on one edge and an inch and a half thick on the other.

The steaks were seared on a glowing red hot cast iron skillet to lock in the flavor. When the smoke cleared, rancid bacon grease was added along with three pounds of onions, and the whole conglomeration was fried for two hours.

The meat was gently teased from the frying pan and served to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers. Every one of the members of the panel thought it was venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had eaten in hunting camps for the past 27 years. The results of this scientific test show conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of beef and venison.

LMAO  Its so funny but so true.

[Kc_Kracker]

There is usually some initial cost involved with doing it yourself, biggest thing for me is a meat grinder. I need to just get one and be done with it.

hey man they are not the best around but will work and they are cheap cheap cheap at harbor frieght 

http://www.harborfreight.com/electric-meat-grinder-99598.html

[DoubleJ]

All good info so far, i will add a few helpfull hints and opinions.
1) No "need" to hang it, if you have the place and time try it if you want, but like said you can cut,wrap, freeze the day of the kill.
2) Do you have a Tap plastics near you? If so you can get a good sized cutting board from them for really cheap.
3) Knives you like and are sharp, like said a good fillet knife can do it all.
4) Clean area, with tubs/pans/bowls etc set out for specific cuts, ie: burger bowl, steaks, timings , dog cuts etc...helps alot
5) You really wont screw it up, watch a vid or two to see the different "meats" you are looking at, take the animal apart in sections, work on those sections and you will be fine. If you do screw it up grind it all.
6) Speaking of ground, just grind it itself, that way you can use and or add to the individual packages as you use them, example i use ground venision and hot ground pork for spagetti sauce, i use ground venison and ground bacon with spices for breakfast sausage...think about how you will use it.
7) Comfortable place to work, have stool or chair to sit on while you do it.

I've cut the day of the kill twice, before rigor mortis had let go.  Both times the meat came out tough as a tire.  After eating a few steaks, the rest got ground up since it wasn't any good for steaks.  These were the only 2 deer I have ever cut the day of the kill instead of waiting for at least 1 day, preferrably 2 and they are the only 2 deer I have ever had come out like that.  Was there a connection or was it coincidence?  I don't know but, I won't do it a third time.

[Buckmark]

All good info so far, i will add a few helpfull hints and opinions.
1) No "need" to hang it, if you have the place and time try it if you want, but like said you can cut,wrap, freeze the day of the kill.
2) Do you have a Tap plastics near you? If so you can get a good sized cutting board from them for really cheap.
3) Knives you like and are sharp, like said a good fillet knife can do it all.
4) Clean area, with tubs/pans/bowls etc set out for specific cuts, ie: burger bowl, steaks, timings , dog cuts etc...helps alot
5) You really wont screw it up, watch a vid or two to see the different "meats" you are looking at, take the animal apart in sections, work on those sections and you will be fine. If you do screw it up grind it all.
6) Speaking of ground, just grind it itself, that way you can use and or add to the individual packages as you use them, example i use ground venision and hot ground pork for spagetti sauce, i use ground venison and ground bacon with spices for breakfast sausage...think about how you will use it.
7) Comfortable place to work, have stool or chair to sit on while you do it.

I've cut the day of the kill twice, before rigor mortis had let go.  Both times the meat came out tough as a tire.  After eating a few steaks, the rest got ground up since it wasn't any good for steaks.  These were the only 2 deer I have ever cut the day of the kill instead of waiting for at least 1 day, preferrably 2 and they are the only 2 deer I have ever had come out like that.  Was there a connection or was it coincidence?  I don't know but, I won't do it a third time.

Nah, you just hunt "Tough" deer  , on the eastside we like the tender alfalfa feed deer.....

[724wd]

use a TALL table!  bending over for a couple hours at counter height (it's not much, but you're bending) can kill your back.  our butchering setup is at belly button height or a touch higher. 

keep the area CLEAN!  kick the dog outside and wipe the cutting surface off with bleach.  rinse with clean water. 

If you wouldn't want to eat it, cut it off!  fat, veins, silver, bloodshot... none of it's good. 

go slow.  it's not a race.  my little buck this year took 3 experienced cutters 4 hours to cut.  man, that meat is CLEAN!   

when grinding, dribble a little water on the meat.  makes it less sticky and runs through the grinder better.

if your wife/significant other has a kitchenaid mixer, the grinder attachment DOES work, but it's slow and small.  bigger is better for grinders!  don't smoke the motor on your wife's kitchenaid mixer!  men had been killed for less...

leave the stuff you want for steaks in chunk form, not cut into steaks.  when you thaw it, you can slice it thin, thick, stew, whatever, depending on your mood.  if you cut it all 1 inch thick when processing, you're stuck with 1 inch steaks all year!  maybe you want to thin slice some for stir fry one night... tough to re-cut 1 inch steaks thinner, but starting with a whole muscle piece is easy!

look for a vintage paper dispenser (see pic).  we use one for paper, one for plastic.  you'll want to put a serrated blade on the one used for the plastic. 

use good food wrapping plastic.  it doesnt stick together like saran wrap, doesnt get embedded in the hamburger when wrapping, making it tough to unwrap before fully thawed... it's spendy, but a roll will last for years.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Commercial-Food-Wrap-Film-Foodservice-Plastic-Film-18-x-5280-Roll-w-Cutter-/200753332870?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebdd4c286

[DoubleJ]

All good info so far, i will add a few helpfull hints and opinions.
1) No "need" to hang it, if you have the place and time try it if you want, but like said you can cut,wrap, freeze the day of the kill.
2) Do you have a Tap plastics near you? If so you can get a good sized cutting board from them for really cheap.
3) Knives you like and are sharp, like said a good fillet knife can do it all.
4) Clean area, with tubs/pans/bowls etc set out for specific cuts, ie: burger bowl, steaks, timings , dog cuts etc...helps alot
5) You really wont screw it up, watch a vid or two to see the different "meats" you are looking at, take the animal apart in sections, work on those sections and you will be fine. If you do screw it up grind it all.
6) Speaking of ground, just grind it itself, that way you can use and or add to the individual packages as you use them, example i use ground venision and hot ground pork for spagetti sauce, i use ground venison and ground bacon with spices for breakfast sausage...think about how you will use it.
7) Comfortable place to work, have stool or chair to sit on while you do it.

I've cut the day of the kill twice, before rigor mortis had let go.  Both times the meat came out tough as a tire.  After eating a few steaks, the rest got ground up since it wasn't any good for steaks.  These were the only 2 deer I have ever cut the day of the kill instead of waiting for at least 1 day, preferrably 2 and they are the only 2 deer I have ever had come out like that.  Was there a connection or was it coincidence?  I don't know but, I won't do it a third time.

Nah, you just hunt "Tough" deer  , on the eastside we like the tender alfalfa feed deer.....

  That must be it.

[DoubleJ]

use a TALL table!  bending over for a couple hours at counter height (it's not much, but you're bending) can kill your back.  our butchering setup is at belly button height or a touch higher. 

And on a tarp on the garage floor is worse than a low table.  Done that a time or two.  Hopefully never again

[Doublelunger]

I believe that the most important step by far in processing your own game is to keep it as clean as possible when gutting/skinning it.keep as much hair off the meat as possible while u gut/ skin it, and when your done skinning/ gutting pick every hair u can off the meat. The longer u leave that stuff on the more gamy your meat will taste. That is a fact.  After that I cut everything I can into steak, stuff that's to small for steak gets made into jerky, the rest gets made into sausage/pepperoni.

[Optimusprime]

Ok, only a few more questions I prommise:)

1) I have been told a buck's scent glands are in it's hind quarters and that I want to cut those out ASAP. How important is it to do this and how long do I have before the meat gets bad?
2) Is it fine to spray down the carcass with water in order to get the hair and dirt off?
3) I will have to cut the deer apart and skin it outside since there is no way my wife will let me do it in the garage, so is there going to be a problem with flies landing on the carcass and if so, is there a trick to get rid of them?

[h20hunter]

Okay........I have to chime in here and call something out. Your man card may be at risk.

You said: "there is no way my wife will let me do it in the garage"

WHAT!

The garage is your domain. Not the bedroom, not the bathroom with the matching rugs and towells you can't use......the GARAGE. Buck up (pun intended) man! Stand your ground and maintain the sanctity of the garage. This is where we are supposed to skin animals, drink beer, load ammo, scratch ourselves, throw darts, and do all that is hunting and fishing related.


Oh....also, all good questions. The better prepared you are the better your end results are. I've sprayed down a skinned carcass with no issues. Just don't let the meat sit in standing cold water for a period of time.

[Doublelunger]

The scent glands are in the hind legs right on or above its...knee/elbow/leg joint thing. I usually gut my deer in the woods, then bring it home and hang it in the garage where I then skin it(remove scent glands). if you can, get someone who knows what they're doing to help u out. Their is a lot to learn.

[Blacktail Sniper]

Ok, only a few more questions I prommise:)

1) I have been told a buck's scent glands are in it's hind quarters and that I want to cut those out ASAP. How important is it to do this and how long do I have before the meat gets bad?
2) Is it fine to spray down the carcass with water in order to get the hair and dirt off?
3) I will have to cut the deer apart and skin it outside since there is no way my wife will let me do it in the garage, so is there going to be a problem with flies landing on the carcass and if so, is there a trick to get rid of them?

Hope this doesn't offend you but.....welcome to HuntWA!!!!