Butchering to save hunting time

[petemi]

We have a "meat room" in the barn where we process our deer and other critters. We hang a deer on a gambrel, skin it while it is warm and then start at the hind legs and remove the meat by muscle groups working toward the head until only a skeleton is left. We used to sit and remove silverskin and trim and cut and vacuum seal for hours...days. I don't any more. I cut the muscle groups into useable pieces and vacuum seal them. I trim them when I take each piece out of the freezer. I can't find any difference in taste or any wild taste at all. Doing this gets us back hunting before the season runs out and isn't so labor intensive because it is spread out over a long peiod of time. Now, we can shoot a deer at 5p.m. and be done with it and cleaned up by nine that evening, taking time out for supper. (backstrap)!!

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

I agree, I have the video from field to freezer and the video says to cut your meat in as big of chunks as you can. (family size chunks) When meat is cut into chops and steak to soon they will get freezer burn faster and will lose moisture + Taste. Unless you plan on eating it soon after it is processed. :wink:

 

[reddogge]

I prefer my deer to hang overnight or a day at least to chill and firm up a little before butchering. I don't like to cut up warm deer meat.

 

[petemi]

Around here, we have the opposite problem, got to get them cut before they freeze. We get the hide off as soon as we get the deer home. We generally leave it alone after that for an hour or two, and then it is firmed up enough to work easily with.

Also, the vacuum sealing really reduces freezer burn. I think it is worth the extra dollars.

 

[Wefarmasmidgen]

Yep! Love my "sucky bag" machine. Makes a huge diference in how long things can be kept in the freezer. They're spendy (getting hard to find first born children to sell so I can buy more bags :wink, but well worth it in the long run.

 

[petemi]

Yeah, I don't know why those bags are costly. I'm almost 67 and I ran out of first born a while ago!!

Patty has venison stew going for tonight. Smells good!!!

 

[buttonbuck]

I find If I do not remove the silver skin and membranes from the deer right off when I butcher I have small meat scraps that would have made fine burger. I used to not take the silver skin off out of ignorance now that I do co workers beg for deer meat.

 

[Bearfoot]

I do exactly the same. Vacume bagging is the best. Larger cuts are more versatile too. I find the silverskin separates easier after the freeze thaw cycle. :wink: