Something a little Different

[Rock Home Isle]

The meat lockers here charge $100 to just grind a deer into hamburger. It is more if you want any beef or pork tallow ground into your hamburger. Things like deer sticks, sausage, hot dogs, jerky, brats etc. add around $3.50 to $5.00 more per pound.

One of my fellow educators, puts a refrigerated trailer in his yard, during hunting season. Hunters hang their game at $50.00 per day…while they wait their turn at the butcher’s shop.

I was shocked how much he made last season…

 

[bluemule66]

We can in pint jars. about a pound of clean venison per jar. 1Tbs veg oil and 1tsp. salt. pressure cook as the book says. no need for bouillon cubes or onion-garlic. makes a very rich flavored tender meat, good for almost anything. you can add spices or onion and garlic as needed to the dish you make with it.

 

[appalichian hunter]

It is just the wife and me at home now as she will not eat it, I will kill 2 a year, do my own butchering, if it is warm out I have a processor who is reasonable for the processing, or I can have him hang it in his cooler a few days for a couple dollars and the hide. I make all my own jerky and bolonga. Also give a lot away to friends and family members.

 

[sturmkatze]

Lately I've been doing mine on my pellet grill/smoker. I much prefer it to the stuff from the dehydrator...grandkids seem to eat it either way, lol.

Any tricks to using the wood pellet grill? I have a Traeger and have been wanting to try jerky out.

 

[30coupe]

I use pretty much this recipe:

https://heygrillhey.com/ground-beef-jerky
I didn't have coriander for the first batch, so I left it out. I tried it the next time and really couldn't see any improvement. I do put in the red pepper flakes and also a touch of cayenne pepper because I like a little kick. I use sea salt because that's what we usually have rather than the kosher salt she uses.

There is no curing salt in it, so the shelf life is short, but if my grandkids are around, that's a non issue. I plan to try it with a curing salt at some point, but haven't yet.

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Surprisingly enough, even here in UK, I'm less than an hour's drive from a decent-sized flock of bison. However, if I shot one, I suspect that the safari park owner would be really

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Surprisingly enough, even here in UK, I'm less than an hour's drive from a decent-sized flock of bison. However, if I shot one, I suspect that the safari park owner would be really peeved.

We have a herds of European Bison and Red Deer at the farm about 1/4 mile down the lane. Interesting to watch and film.They also come in nice pre-packs at the farm shop. Saves me the Expesive trips to Scotland, though I do save hard occasionally still. All young beast so we know their history. They are always taken out in there pasture. No stress. We have the tiny Muntjac all over the place. About the size a of light weight Labrador. Better eating than Labrdor .LOL.. O.D..

 

[hanshi]

Back in my native Georgia I had many friends who loved venison but didn't hunt. I knew the local processor personally. I would take orders from friends, kill deer, field dress them and transport them to my friend the processor. I relayed how my "client" wanted it processed and they picked them up when they were frozen and ready. I killed lots of deer, as many as 9 a season and kept one for us.

 

[DuncNZ]

Back in my native Georgia I had many friends who loved venison but didn't hunt. I knew the local processor personally. I would take orders from friends, kill deer, field dress them and transport them to my friend the processor. I relayed how my "client" wanted it processed and they picked them up when they were frozen and ready. I killed lots of deer, as many as 9 a season and kept one for us.

I once gave some lovely fillet steaks , I think you call them tenderloins , to my neighbor , who didn't know or ask how to cook them so he fed them to the cat . I question any one I give venison to , to make sure they know how to cook it .

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I once gave some lovely fillet steaks , I think you call them tenderloins , to my neighbor , who didn't know or ask how to cook them so he fed them to the cat . I question any one I give venison to , to make sure they know how to cook it .

Wild game is a precious resource. I do the same…

 

[Bad Karma]

We have a herds of European Bison and Red Deer at the farm about 1/4 mile down the lane. Interesting to watch and film.They also come in nice pre-packs at the farm shop. Saves me the Expesive trips to Scotland, though I do save hard occasionally still. All young beast so we know their history. They are always taken out in there pasture. No stress. We have the tiny Muntjac all over the place. About the size a of light weight Labrador. Better eating than Labrdor .LOL.. O.D..

I don’t know about that. Or, as my old friend Iktomi always said, “There’s nothing like a fat puppy…”

 

[Eric Krewson]

Times have changed, back when my son was a teenager, we ate 3 or 4 deer a year, he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. After he left for the Air Force 2 deer was enough for my wife and I, I cut some of them up but mostly took them to a processor with mixed results.

After my wife died, one deer a year was all I needed, I always killed or begged one from a friend to give to my sister-in-law as well.

I once had the best hunting ground on the earth, over time most of it sold, changed hands or was closed down for hunting. I have plenty of walk-in public land I can hunt but at almost 75 with failing body parts (back fusion, poorly replaced hip) getting a deer out would be impossible for me.

I have 4 acres next to my house that is a deer corridor between the fields, there were 5 deer in my woods close to the house yesterday, I can hunt my neighbors 50 acres as well which is mostly fields. with some hardwood edges and tons of deer.

For me now, one deer is enough, I have started skinning and quartering them up then wet aging the meat in a huge ice chest for 10 days or so. I have found deer aged this way are as good as it gets. After ten days I take the meat to a processor who cuts one deer at a time and gives you back all of your deer, I have him grind burger and sausage as well as make me some minutes steaks. Here the processors call the meat a cooler deer and only charge $40 for cutting and packaging this meat opposed to deer that come in on the hoof for which they charge $75-$100 to process, added fat to the burger and spices for the sausage is a few dollars more.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Times have changed, back when my son was a teenager, we ate 3 or 4 deer a year, he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. After he left for the Air Force 2 deer was enough for my wife and I, I cut some of them up but mostly took them to a processor with mixed results.

After my wife died, one deer a year was all I needed, I always killed or begged one from a friend to give to my sister-in-law as well.

I once had the best hunting ground on the earth, over time most of it sold, changed hands or was closed down for hunting. I have plenty of walk-in public land I can hunt but at almost 75 with failing body parts (back fusion, poorly replaced hip) getting a deer out would be impossible for me.

I have 4 acres next to my house that is a deer corridor between the fields, there were 5 deer in my woods close to the house yesterday, I can hunt my neighbors 50 acres as well which is mostly fields. with some hardwood edges and tons of deer.

For me now, one deer is enough, I have started skinning and quartering them up then wet aging the meat in a huge ice chest for 10 days or so. I have found deer aged this way are as good as it gets. After ten days I take the meat to a processor who cuts one deer at a time and gives you back all of your deer, I have him grind burger and sausage as well as make me some minutes steaks. Here the processors call the meat a cooler deer and only charge $40 for cutting and packaging this meat opposed to deer that come in on the hoof for which they charge $75-$100 to process, added fat to the burger and spices for the sausage is a few dollars more.

I have never heard of “Wet Aging” meat before…WOW.

 

[hanshi]

Times have changed, back when my son was a teenager, we ate 3 or 4 deer a year, he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. After he left for the Air Force 2 deer was enough for my wife and I, I cut some of them up but mostly took them to a processor with mixed results.

After my wife died, one deer a year was all I needed, I always killed or begged one from a friend to give to my sister-in-law as well.

I once had the best hunting ground on the earth, over time most of it sold, changed hands or was closed down for hunting. I have plenty of walk-in public land I can hunt but at almost 75 with failing body parts (back fusion, poorly replaced hip) getting a deer out would be impossible for me.

I have 4 acres next to my house that is a deer corridor between the fields, there were 5 deer in my woods close to the house yesterday, I can hunt my neighbors 50 acres as well which is mostly fields. with some hardwood edges and tons of deer.

For me now, one deer is enough, I have started skinning and quartering them up then wet aging the meat in a huge ice chest for 10 days or so. I have found deer aged this way are as good as it gets. After ten days I take the meat to a processor who cuts one deer at a time and gives you back all of your deer, I have him grind burger and sausage as well as make me some minutes steaks. Here the processors call the meat a cooler deer and only charge $40 for cutting and packaging this meat opposed to deer that come in on the hoof for which they charge $75-$100 to process, added fat to the burger and spices for the sausage is a few dollars more.

Eric, I feel your pain, literally, and have similar complaints. I haven't hunted in going on 6 years and have no plans to get out from now on. A friend has kindly gifted tenderloin to us from one of his deer for the last two years. It may not even be safe for me to go out alone. I'm about to turn 76, and while my health is good my joints are ready to be trashed, but I can't do that obviously. We're paddling in canoes that leak.

 

[Ninering62]

Let's try this topic out, Beings it's 100 degrees out. How many DEER do you use in a year? Do you do your own buthering? What do you do with the carcass.......I'll bet we get some INTERESTING responses.,,,,,,,,,,,,Myself, I need 2-3 deer to get through the year. Nebraska allows 2 bucks by any method(1 to permit) Then along the River systems you can buy Antlerless only permits (2 to a permit) That gives me the meat that I need.( REPLACES BEEF) I don't hunt horns.I'll shoot any Large bodied buck. and I leave the short noses alone ( young of the year) I hunt for a large dry Doe. If I find one I'm done.I won't fill my last permit ,unless I come up short W/ the other 2. I bone them out and GRIND it all to course hamb. We use it better that way. I take the bones and trimmings back to where I hunt to feed the critters. Hides go to the Fur Buyer. He trades a very nice pair of deer skin gioves lined with Thinsolate for each hide. ...........BE SAFE>>>>>>>>WALLY

Great idea for a thread & great post. Thanks.
I'm strictly a meat hunter too. I put 3-5 in the freezer per yr. 5 this past yr.
I make at least 40lbs of deer BBQ & at least 40-50 lbs of deer/bacon burger. Plus lots of grilled chops, roasts & stews & hearts cooked in red wine, onions & fresh mushrooms with some chopped bacon. Back when I was younger, I made a good 40lbs or more of killer deer jerky too, man do I miss that. I try to put 2-4 turkeys in the freezer too per yr. We are allowed 2 Osceolas per spring & fall seasons. Plus some rabbits too. I do all my own butchering & processing & packaging - everything including making the burger & breakfast sausage & BBQ. I give the carcasses back to nature & let them eat. I think thats the right thing to do. We have 20 acres here thats 450yds fence to fence.
I have shot numerous deer & turkey right out the fam room door. I don't have to leave the house lol but I use a Summit Viper mini self climber & hunt out of it at 60yrs old.

 

[dhaverstick]

We will usually go through 2 so I try to put 3 in the freezer just to be sure. As a Missouri landowner, I get a handful of tags so any extra deer I happen to take I will donate to the Share the Harvest program. I hunt with both longbow and black powder so I have a long season. I prefer does but will take bucks if the situation warrants. I do all my own butchering. I bone everything out and keep the back straps, tenderloins, and most the meat off the hams as frying meat. The scrap meat and meat from the shoulders I will grind to make summer sausage and breakfast sausage. I hope to have all my deer killed by Christmas because I generally do all my sausage making between Christmas and New Year's.

Darren

 

[Jim K]

We will usually go through 2 so I try to put 3 in the freezer just to be sure. As a Missouri landowner, I get a handful of tags so any extra deer I happen to take I will donate to the Share the Harvest program. I hunt with both longbow and black powder so I have a long season. I prefer does but will take bucks if the situation warrants. I do all my own butchering. I bone everything out and keep the back straps, tenderloins, and most the meat off the hams as frying meat. The scrap meat and meat from the shoulders I will grind to make summer sausage and breakfast sausage. I hope to have all my deer killed by Christmas because I generally do all my sausage making between Christmas and New Year's.

Darren

Darren, I read your article in Fur-Fish-and Game on making sausage. I enjoyed it. Jim

 

[Shorthanded]

We cube the deer meat into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes removing as much fat and sinew as possible. We use a pressure cooker following the standard instructions for canning meat included with the pressure cooker. When filling the quart jars prior to pressure cooking we add 3 beef bullion cubes to the jar. We also put a wedge of 1/4 of a medium sized yellow onion on top of the meat in the jar prior to putting them in the cooker. We find the beef bullion cubes and the onion add a lot of flavor to the deer meat. I have never served it to anyone that can tell it is deer meat, everyone thinks it is canned beef. If you "love" the taste of deer meat you could omit the beef bullion cubes and the onion and I suppose it would have a much more venison like flavor. Very simple to do, and it needs no refrigeration and we have eaten it two years after canning and it still tastes great.

Could you give more info on cooler ageing?

 

[DuncNZ]

Excuse my Sothern Hemisphere ignorance but what are summer sausage and breakfast sausage ?
Aging meat allows the energy stored in the muscles to dissipate , it also allows enzyme action to break down and tenderize the muscle , Doing it in a cool environment allows these natural processes to take place without decay setting in . This is the best way to tenderize big old rutting males , which can be a bit tough when first killed . This is also the way to tenderize adrenaline filled meat from animals which have been alarmed or wounded before being killed .
When I was a kid, and we didn't have chillers, if the animal was running or even alarmed or wounded the meat went to the dogs , home meat was from deer which were peacefully browsing or standing and were killed instantly..

 

[dhaverstick]

Darren, I read your article in Fur-Fish-and Game on making sausage. I enjoyed it. Jim

Thank you for the kind words, Jim!

Excuse my Sothern Hemisphere ignorance but what are summer sausage and breakfast sausage ?

Summer sausage is a sausage that is either cooked, cured, or a combination of both, and can be stored at room temperature for a reasonable amount of time. It looks something like this.

Breakfast sausage is stored raw and might be stored in bags or in edible sausage casings. I use mine in chili or for biscuits and gravy.

Darren