Meat Processing

[JH]

Now that people have had time to get their meat processed I have a few questions.

Where did everyone take theirs?
What did you have made?
What did you pay?
Are you happy with it?

Thought it would be interesting to see some reviews on different shops and how it turned out.

-JH

[trophyelk6x6]

I live in Belfair and used Port Orchard's Farmer George. I guess they were ok at the time but the last 10 years I have used Stewarts, and NW Sausage and Deli Dicks Brewery down in Centralia. I am really happy with them for the quality. They only take clean well taken care of boned out meat. I pay around 2-3 bucks per pound for custom smoked stuff and 99 cents for grind and wrap. I have heard of some other awesome shops but havent tried them.

[Coastal_native]

I agree with trophyellk about NW Sausage and Stewarts.  I also like that place down in Lebam outside of Raymond.  I took about 57 lbs of elk meat down to them and paid about $180 for summer sausage and pepperoni.  I was really pleased with the quality as well.

[gasman]

I Live in Tacoma, and took our meat to my garage for proccessing 

Spent $40 on seaoning and supplys. Made 25lbs of SS, 30lbs of Pep, 20lbs of Brats. Got another 15lbs of SS made this week, and 20lbs of meat to make more pep or any thing else i feel like making in the freezer (thinking about making Lanjager  )

 

[Coastal_native]

gasman,

So...do you have a price list for us?  Are you still taking orders?

[chester]

I agree with trophyellk about NW Sausage and Stewarts.  I also like that place down in Lebam outside of Raymond.  I took about 57 lbs of elk meat down to them and paid about $180 for summer sausage and pepperoni.  I was really pleased with the quality as well.

You  mean Frances Meats?

[Coastal_native]

Yeah thats what I meant,

Frances Meats...you probably know that place huh?  I think they do a good job, although I've heard they get backed up pretty good during the hunting seasons.

[chester]

Yea they stay pretty busy. the owners like to get out and hunt ducks so that cuts into time a little bit. i usually dont take them anything til after christmas. Never got anything back from them that i didnt like. and i usually keep a pretty good supply of their pepperoni around. 

[Lightning_Rider]

Yea they stay pretty busy. the owners like to get out and hunt ducks so that cuts into time a little bit. i usually dont take them anything til after christmas. Never got anything back from them that i didnt like. and i usually keep a pretty good supply of their pepperoni around. 

If you take your meat there after april (i think its april) then its alot cheaper because they like to have business year round if they can.

[Fletch]

We do our own too...the only way to go.  steaks,jerky burger, breakfast sausage, pepperoni, ss..its all good, you get your meat the way you like it and not eating somebody elses hair,bloodshot, and leaves...we have two elk and 5 deer to grind this weekend after cutting the steaks etc out now that is one big patty!  Had one cut by somebody else one time due to lack of time and never again! its worth the effort.

[1buckdown]

I Live in Tacoma, and took our meat to my garage for proccessing 

Spent $40 on seaoning and supplys. Made 25lbs of SS, 30lbs of Pep, 20lbs of Brats. Got another 15lbs of SS made this week, and 20lbs of meat to make more pep or any thing else i feel like making in the freezer (thinking about making Lanjager  )

 

Where can I buy 1/2 pepperoni casings?

[gasman]

for th ecost of using a butcher, you can start getting the suooplys needed to be your own butcher. All you need is a gringer to start with. I started with a 400 watt grinder i picked up for $80 abd built on it over the years.

As for seasoning and cassings, you can buy them at you local butcher and many sporting goods stores. or online.

Hi Mountain Seasonings sells kits with seasonong and casings. Just add meat of choice.



Some butchers will even grind you meat for you. Bring in the meat and fat (or see it the butcher will sell you the fat needed) and ask them to just grind. I was getting my seasonings one time and a guy walked in with 25lbs of meat to grind up and they charged him $3 for grinding it.

[JimmyHoffa]

One of the guys I have hunted with uses Sunrise Meats in Port Angeles.  They had all kinds of options for steaks, sausages, etc.  They got all the non-sausage meat back to him within a week.

[Blacktail Sniper]

I used Matt's Meats in Kelso.   Took in 45 pounds of boned out deer, had made into steaks & burger, vacuumed sealed, all for change back from $32.00.

[CHUCK S]

I butcher my deer myself.  Right in the driveway in front of the garage.  I hang them for about 5 days with hide on and thenskin and debone them.  I'll then take all the bulk meat and place in garbage bags and put them in the fridge for another 5-7 days and let the meat bleed out.  Then I clean ALL the meat of any tendons and fat.  Once done I cut and wrap everything except front lower shoulder muscles, neck meat and some around the rib cage.  All that meat goes to my new favorite butcher "The Smoke Shop" in Black Diamond. He's a little expensive but does great peperoni and jerky.  After butchering 3 deer this past year I was in no mood to continue making the processed stuff myself.  Like I've always heard the work starts after you pull the trigger.  By butchering it myself and the way I do it I find it takes almost every bit of game taste out of the meat. 

[CastleRocker]

We've always done it ourselves.  I won't let anyone else touch my meat.

[Bob33]

I won't let anyone else touch my meat.

I've always followed that principle as well.

[SFD2015]

I have taken 2 animals to Farmer George and will never do it again. Besides the batch processing, I was charged $200 for my BT Deer. When I took my Elk to Mt. View Meats I got out of there with a $380 tab.

My fellow hunters and I are going to start processing our own meat (as the Bat put it, "why the hell are we going to pay someone else to do it? It looks simple enough". Hopefully that means next year we have a few deer to experiment on before we each kill an elk 

[gasman]

I would recomend to start buying now for next year and experiment with beef and pork to learn what you are going to like or dislike 

Huntlakewood did his experimenting with chicken, and if you watch sales, you can get roasts for cheap to experiment with. Practice with beef jerkey also.

Wholesale sports sells lots of supplys for butchering, and making different things with your meat and there is one close to almost all of us now a days.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

We in Buckley Town hang our meat out back and cut, grind and season all our own meat. For folks that dont do it themselves should learn. IT IS NOT HARD!! Just well spent time with the family and friends!!

[SkookumHntr]

-I had Uncle Jims Smokehouse out of Adna pretty much do my entire elk exept for the Backstraps and TL's into Pepperoni sticks, summer sausage, beerdogs and breakfast sausage. Turned out Killer! They have a website! I highly recommend them!

[thomasmx]

I went to Linds Custom Meats in Kent, Wa and those guys really took care of me!

[AKBowman]

I'd like to do it on my own and will eventually when I have the space. For now I take mine to B&E Meats in Des Moines, WA. They make excellent pepperoni and other specialties (SS, BS, Brats etc) They charge .99 lb for grinds BS and burger.

[thomasmx]

For sure doing it myself next year!

[Prime Time]

-I had Uncle Jims Smokehouse out of Adna pretty much do my entire elk exept for the Backstraps and TL's into Pepperoni sticks, summer sausage, beerdogs and breakfast sausage. Turned out Killer! They have a website! I highly recommend them!

Jim does good work that's for sure.

[Blsum]

I've always butchered my own meat. It really is quite simple. For you guy's who haven't ever done it. I would suggest you find someone who knows what they are doing and have them show you a time or two. I usually make a few roasts and jerky out of the rump. Steaks out of the B.S. and tenderloins. Then the front shoulders, neck and rib meat, plus any other trimmings will go into the burger. I've found we don't eat a lot of pepperoni so I usually just have burger done. This last deer I took to Home meats in Shelton. They only charge .75 to grind or 1.00 to grind wrap and freeze.