Lots of work

[August West]

I killed a pretty big doe monday morning, except for about 10 pounds of ground meat for sausage I just got the last piece cut up vaccuum sealed and in the feezer. I let it hang in the cooler till this morning. Me and my wife love deer, really all wild game, but good lord it is a lot of work, kinda makes me chuckle when non hunters talk about hunting for the free meat, if you add up my equipment and time, I bet my deer meat is about 10 dollars an ounce. LOL Chris

 

[gsday]

Money well spent say I.

And Congratulations!

 

[August West]

Oh don't worry I'm not planning on giving it up anytime soon, HAHA.

Thanks, I had a real good hunt and visit with my parents, saw lots of game and the weather was perfect. Chris

 

[BrownBear]

...I bet my deer meat is about 10 dollars an ounce.

Dang, that IS cheap! I don't think many guys, myself included, can do it for any less. :rotf:

 

[Swede50]

I have done all my deer & my Dads for years.
Bought all the equipment I figure it will be cheaper in the long run but like you said it is a lot of work.

Did you cook up some of the back-strap to celebrate the harvest?

 

[August West]

Oh yeah, there was a frying pan on the stove as I was cutting. I don't know who was happiest with this deer, my wife or my dogs. We had the last sausage from last year about a month ago and my wife has been on me about making more and the dogs know that they get the trimmings.

I have a nice grinder and wanted a cuber, till I priced them. I will just keep using the spiked mallet when I want country fried steak. LOL Chris

 

[Swede50]

I bought my Grinder from Cabelas and a Jerky slicer.
The Jerky slicer works great but is one PITA to clean.
I found out I had to use the xtra long matches to get all the dried on deer pieces off the razor sharp blades.
Even though they were cleaned the best I could and run through the dishwasher.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I pay the $80 (plus hide) to get mine skinned, boned, processed and wrapped. We used to do the job but it's a lot of work.

And I love the kielbasa he makes with the scraps.

 

[Bill Hall]

I do all my own butchering. I just consider it part of the hunt. I really do enjoy it, and it gets easier the more you do it. Kind of a family affair any more. And it gets much easier if you invite someone else with experience to help. You get to have a beer with somone to talk about your hunt, and hear other hunting stories, and before you know it, the animal is all wrapped up.

An industrial meat grinder really speeds things up also. :grin: Bill

 

[gsday]

You guys would get a kick out of our grinder. We inherited it from the butchering supplies when my great uncle sold off the farm.

It's a grinder body attached to an oak frame, driven by an electric motor through the transmission from a 34 or 37 chevy. The transmission has the bell housing cut off. It's a 3 speed gear box (plus Reverse!).

We grind the first time through with a course plate in 1st gear. The second pass goes trough a "venison" plate in 2nd gear!

Hillbilly engineering at it's finest!

I'll bet we've ground a ton deer burger in the last 35 years we've had it.

Early seasons it's usually just me and my dad, but buck season always gets a crew on the first Sunday to process the first week's kill.

Dads, kids, uncles all show up.

 

[hoochiepapa]

We used to do that, butchering an elk is a major undertaking. All of the hunters in the family would congregate at my dad's house, and he had a butcher block countertop. We did everything by hand, no power equipment. Used my grand dad's hand meat saw, and the men butchered, the women wrapped. We took turns with a hand-crank grinder. I still have it. It would take most of the day for one elk, we hung them in my dad's shed, and spent entire weekends butchering. :surrender:

 

[August West]

Just got the sausage made and fried some up and JEEZ LOUISE it's good. I make breakfast sausage and add pork fat so there is enough grease for it to fry itself. Lots of red pepper and sage and just a dash of nutmeg, think I am going to try to talk the wife into sausage gravy and biscuits for supper. :grin:

Stumpkiller,
I used to pay the processor too but it is too dang expensive and I don't trust them to give me back everything I give them. Soon as the price went over 60 dollars a deer I started doing it myself. Chris

 

[jamesthomas]

I butcher mine too. I've always wondered if its even MY deer the processor is giving me and if what they give me is all of it. :idunno: .

 

[twoblood]

gregory,

You just HAVE to post a picture of this contraption!...sounds amazing.

I'm sure everyone would love to see this feat of (not so) modern engineering.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I butcher mine too. I've always wondered if its even MY deer the processor is giving me and if what they give me is all of it. :idunno: .

Same here. I would tell the butcher, "no fat in the burger!", and when I'd pick it up, there'd be fat in the burger. "Well we do that to all the
wild game." Not mine you don't!! I had too many pounds of burger ruined that way. But I found a butcher that does what I tell him. It's more expensive than doing it yourself, but not near as much work.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I used to butcher my own, but the last few years have been paying to have it done. Butchering used to take me the better part of a day to do, and spare time is scarce for me anymore. I`d rather use my time for hunting.
I am fortunate enough to know a butcher that I trust will give me back my own deer and all of the meat.

 

[Browning_68]

My wife would like to start cutting up our own, it's a pain waiting a month or so after you turn your meat in and the cost of an elk is hard to swallow. Getting started what kind of equipment should we be looking for? I know cabelas sells a ton of everything, and they are no help most the time since they are wanting to sell everything. Any pointers for a newbie? Growing up we always spent a weekend out in my old pops garage cutting, but it's been quite awhile since them good old days. Any help would be great.

 

[August West]

Cory,
I have never cut up an elk but lots of deer and pigs. For what I do the only equipment you HAVE to have are a few good knives, russell makes some good plastic handled butcher knives, and a meat saw. I have 3 meat saws, including my grandfathers, but my current favorite is made by lem products and I bought it at Academy sports.

"Nice to have things," include a table that can be sanitized to work on, I use a white plastic one from wally world that gets bleached down afterwords. It is not the best but does the job and didn't cost an arm and a leg. A grinder is really nice to have as well, mine came from gander mtn. and is about 10 years old and going strong. That is all I use, I don't get real fancy with butterfly chops and stuff like that but I do get the critter from the hoof to my belly. LOL There are some pretty good vids online to get you started butchering. Chris

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Hey there swede50, I use one of those hand held steamers to clean my equipment. Its was fairly cheap. Its the ones you see advertised to clead tubs, grout, and auto rims. It has all sorts of attachments to get into hard to reach areas. The super heated steam cuts the sticky grease and what not easily. As a bonus for ordering now, it sanitizes while you clean. :haha:

 

[George]

That is all I use, I don't get real fancy with butterfly chops and stuff like that but I do get the critter from the hoof to my belly. LOL

One of the irritating things about getting old is that it becomes a PITA to handle a deer by yourself. I ran across that problem a few years back and made a change in my plan of attack. I bought one of those little game hoists and began to debone my deer on the spot. I hoist them, skin them and take all the meat, leave everything else in the woods. When I get home all I need is a sharp knife, the grinding attachment for my standing mixer, a small scale and the vacuum packer. I don't make sausage, grind for chili, instead, and I don't make many of the traditional cuts. Seems to taste the same, anyway. You gotta watch old people, they'll cheat.

Spence