Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation How to get your deer butchered

I just seen that book mentioned on bladeforums.com, one of the makers there had one of his knives pictured for that book.

I save the shanks for chili, the connective tissue produces gelatin when it cooks which gives a nice texture, and I think a fuller flavor, to the chili. I cut into thumb-sized pieces, about half shank and half trimmings/stew meat. Using all shank yields too much gelatin.

I was thinking about this post when I was cutting up 4 deer on Thursday. There are 2 in the cooler waiting for me today. At the club I belong to, I'll cut up a deer for anyone who asks. Well, I've been showing people how for 4 years now hoping they will get the idea and start cutting up their own. A few have but some folks just don't want to do it. They'd rather pay a hundred bucks to have a butcher do it. I've been told there used to be a guy at the club who charged fifty bucks and he got a lot of business. I'd have made over a thousand bucks last year! Even 20 bucks say, for beer money. It would pay for all my Christmas shopping or whatever. It's so hard to ask for money though.

Do it. They can and should pay for the service, IMHO.

I tend to agree..Doing one or two as a favor is one thing, but once it gets regular, I would charge. Plus it will encourage people to do it themselves...

Go for the beer money. Volunteer to help those who are learning, but make them do most of the work.....

It is quicker sometimes to do it youself, but once someone gets the ides, they usually don't bug you agsin

Randy

As to the original poster question, I'm convinced it's worth every penny to get the equipment to do it all yourself. A decent grinder, jerkey gun and vacuum sealer will pay for itself in short order if you take many deer. You just need an extra fridge/freezer to store some of the meat while your waiting to work with it. Just finished making 25lbs of summer sausage that turned out very good. No body elses bloodshot meat got mixed in with mine and very little silver skin, venison fat, or lymph glands get ground up when you do it yourself. My processer wants 100$ for a basic butcher job with a little breakfast sausage included along with steaks, roasts, stewmeat and cubed steak. Add summer sausage (which his is terrible..looks like a meatloaf log) or jerky to the order and cost goes up significantly.
Math: 2 deer per season- $200-minimum, x 3 years = $600 (atleast)
Do it yourself: Grinder-Cabella's 3/4 hp ($349), Cabella's jerkey blaster (large)-49$, Vacuum sealer $89, Dehydrator $49 = $536...The satisfaction of doing it yourself---"Priceless". Then you come out way ahead for years to come.

For all you using vacuum sealers--

I bought one, have used it, but not quite happy with it. It pulls the vacuum, seals, the seal is waterproof, no leaks, no sucking air. But after freezing, it seems I'm losing my seal somehow. I know to be careful, don't poke holes in, etc, but it still seems like I'm breaking the seal somehow. Any tips?

We just wrap in a saran type wrap to cover all meat, then roll up in freezer type butcher paper, making sure to get at least two layers of paper on each face of meat. Meat seems to keep just fine, and I don't have to worry about the seals/bags leaking.

All steak. This old ranch kid bones them out and cuts the meat 1/2 inch thick, no fat or grissel left on the meat..I don't hang it except maybe overnight..freeze it...Thaw in hot water until the meat bleeds out. double dip it in egg and flour and fry..Put a dollop of pico de Gallo (chile sauce) on it, Have pinto beans, white gravy, biscuits and mashed potatoes..A basic ranch meal. It just doesn't get any better....ground deer meat is akin to a road kill IMO...steak and chili meat is the only way to go and do it yourself, those damn butchers run a saw through bone and ruin the meat. Deer marrow and fat are rancid by nature.

Cheezy -- Some Vacuum Sealer bag material seems to be cheaper than others. I have used two different ones and have noticed the same problem with the cheaper one. Even the better product one will have leaks but far and few apart.--Web