Been hunting for 20 plus years now but grew up in a family that always took our deer to the processor. I kill 3 whitetails a year now on average and need to start doing my own. I don't like relying on the processor being open, and I know I can do a better job. That said I wanted to get some opinions and advice before buying equipment. I don't mind spending for good stuff but would like to avoid having more crap lying around that I don't really need. Starting from scratch really so any ideas welcome. I will be needing a grinder for sure, never used one, do the good electric jobs save a lot of time over a manual crank model? What kind of knives would be helpful? I have my buck 110, and a good santoku and paring knife on hand. Also any good youtube or other video suggestions would be great. Thanks for the help.
I have been using one of the cheap Northern Tool, $120 grinder for about 30 years and it is still going strong.Elk, antelope,deer each year. I understand the newer ones have plastic gears though.Years ago I rigged up a hand crank grinder by adding a pulley and driving it with an electric motor. I sure would not be spending $400 on a grinder for what you intend to do.
Fillet knife Long thin deep blade for cutting steaks Sharpening steel & stones A heavier knife with about a 7-8" blade for working around bones that won't break. Cutting board ( good size) Couple bigger containers to let the grind fall into Table Bleach.When done clean and disinfect everything with water/ bleach Freezer paper, tape, plastic wrap if you want to wrap meat first before freezer paper. I have never used vacuum pack,some swear by it.
You don't need top of the line knives,but don't go cheap.Check out Goodwill, ARC, and Salvation Army. A lot of times when grandma and grandpa passes on the kids just take all their stuff to such outlets and you can find some old good tools. I wouldn't bother with the Buck
Last edited by saddlesore; 06/28/20.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
About 12 years ago I bought some Victornox boning knives. Cheap and easy to sharpen. They have served their purpose. I bought a good electric grinder From LEM on sale. I think its a 1 or 1.5 hp. Grinds faster than I can load it. I also bought a stuffer but I didnt buy a big enough one. Next one I buy will be at lease 30 lb one. I consider my grinder the backbone of the equipment. I use it for more than just wild game as I make different pork sausages using pork butt when I can buy them on sale. You can do a lot of processing with some boning knives , sharpener and a grinder. I also purchsed a vac packer.
We cut ours into meal sized pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap. Then we put several meals in a gallon zip lock. They'll keep a couple years like that as long as you squeeze out the air every time you take out a meal and reclose it. Don't use just the zip lock. They won't prevent freezer burn. You need the plastic wrap inside. For the best air removal, use a soda straw. Zip the bag right up to the straw and suck on it to pull out the air. To finish, just pull out the straw while still sucking and snap it shut.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I have been using one of the cheap Northern Tool, $120 grinder for about 30 years and it is still going strong.Elk, antelope,deer each year. I understand the newer ones have plastic gears though.Years ago I rigged up a hand crank grinder by adding a pulley and driving it with an electric motor. I sure would not be spending $400 on a grinder for what you intend to do.
Fillet knife Long thin deep blade for cutting steaks Sharpening steel & stones A heavier knife with about a 7-8" blade for working around bones that won't break. Cutting board ( good size) Couple bigger containers to let the grind fall into Table Bleach.When done clean and disinfect everything with water/ bleach Freezer paper, tape, plastic wrap if you want to wrap meat first before freezer paper. I have never used vacuum pack,some swear by it.
You don't need top of the line knives,but don't go cheap.Check out Goodwill, ARC, and Salvation Army. A lot of times when grandma and grandpa passes on the kids just take all their stuff to such outlets and you can find some old good tools. I wouldn't bother with the Buck
Used plastic wrap for years, then about 10 years ago started using the produce bags from the grocery store. I have found most stores will sell you a full roll or 2 out of the back if you go ask someone in the produce department. I find the bags are quicker and easier to use than plastic wrap, and achieve the same goal.
Used plastic wrap for years, then about 10 years ago started using the produce bags from the grocery store. I have found most stores will sell you a full roll or 2 out of the back if you go ask someone in the produce department. I find the bags are quicker and easier to use than plastic wrap, and achieve the same goal.
You can get produce bags from Amazon or Ebay. Just search for 'plastic produce bags'. None of them seem to tell you what mil they are, though.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Get the grinder. Depending on how much meat you do at a time is the size. My big one has a tray that is 4' x 18". 3hr 220volt. 3-4 elk go down the 4" throat almost as quick as you can feed it. I bought the large Cabella's Carnivor for the smaller times. Collect some knives Fillet. paring, and a big one for slicing steaks. I like the BUBA BLADE none slip handles Get a good sharpener. Found a slicer from a business that was closing down. Real handy. Jerky Steaks... Keep the meat at almost frozen for slicing. Flimsy meat don't slice well. We wrap in plastic, then in paper. No freezer burn.
Last edited by wyowinchester; 06/28/20.
If you hunt with your kids. You should not have to hunt for your kids.
A nice sized piece of high density polyethylene . You may even want it cut to the size of your kitchen counter or the table you plan to work on. It's really an advantage to be able to place a larger cut in a place you feel comfortable working to make your other cuts and trim work. It sounds like it's not a necessity but once you start working on your own game you'll understand
A nice sized piece of high density polyethylene . You may even want it cut to the size of your kitchen counter or the table you plan to work on. It's really an advantage to be able to place a larger cut in a place you feel comfortable working to make your other cuts and trim work. It sounds like it's not a necessity but once you start working on your own game you'll understand
^^^^ This is probably the single best improvement in my butchering operation I have ever made.
Along with the big sheet of 1” plastic cutting board I use a 10” filet knife, an 8” Henkel kitchen knife, an antique Berkel slicer, and the grinder attachment for my wife’s Kitchenaid mixer.
Take it slow and do a good job, then you get to enjoy the product of your time for the rest of the year.
I agree with what the other guys have said. If you're going to wrap your meat instead of vacuum packing, then make sure to use freezer paper (poly lined) not butcher paper. When wrapped in freezer paper (no plastic wrap needed, as the poly lining on the paper serves a similar purpose) the meat in my chest freezers lasts 8+ years without freezer burn when the odd package gets lost in the cracks. The key is to get all the air out and wrap tight. I believe in maximizing value versus cost even if that means "buy once, cry once", and would recommend the following equipment:
- Victorinox boning knife, I like 6" curved semi-stiff: Link
- Victorinox 10" breaking knife or scimitar knife (either works): Link
I was gonna reccomend a video by the bearded butchers. That guy really has a knack for explaining how he works. I really enjoy watching his videos and they are very informative
After noon pals, I agree with everyone above, maybe a small band saw later, some guys have a reciprocating saw they use strictly for meat. A battery operated one comes in pretty handy when bull winkle hits the ground, or when ya get him back to camp. I've tried the chain saw with cooking oil but it's to messy. It resembles the butt plug thing some use on game, just not for me anyway. Lots of videos on it to, just google it!!! Good luck, Bill out. 🐾👣🇨🇦
Used plastic wrap for years, then about 10 years ago started using the produce bags from the grocery store. I have found most stores will sell you a full roll or 2 out of the back if you go ask someone in the produce department. I find the bags are quicker and easier to use than plastic wrap, and achieve the same goal.
Great idea. I will use it on my elk this coming year.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
First off you will probably enjoy it and the more animals you process the better at it and the quicker it will be... My wife and I have been doing it for probably 12 years when I finally got tired of not knowing exactly what was happening to my deer at the processor or even if I got back "my" deer....
Get a bigger grinder than you think you will need... it makes a ton of difference... Victorinox makes some great knives for butchering and are a great deal.
LEM sells a lot of supplies... I buy their bags for ground and it works great... I did splurge and get the taping device... everything else besides ground I vacuum pack and it stays good and freezer burn free for years....
biggest piece of advice... do not worry about making some mistakes... you will learn and will have a far better product than from a processor... and you know exactly you have your animal and everything done to it
The worst thing ever to happen to cops is the personal video recorder... Now people can see the truth
Used plastic wrap for years, then about 10 years ago started using the produce bags from the grocery store. I have found most stores will sell you a full roll or 2 out of the back if you go ask someone in the produce department. I find the bags are quicker and easier to use than plastic wrap, and achieve the same goal.
Great idea. I will use it on my elk this coming year.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
Used plastic wrap for years, then about 10 years ago started using the produce bags from the grocery store. I have found most stores will sell you a full roll or 2 out of the back if you go ask someone in the produce department. I find the bags are quicker and easier to use than plastic wrap, and achieve the same goal.
Great idea. I will use it on my elk this coming year.
It is well worth it, me and plastic wrap don't get along
dont know were you live but a meat cooler is nice to have .i made one from a refrigerator that works real well .if some body wants to know how pm me and i will explain it to you
1. Freeze all the stuff you want to grind and do your grinding after the season is over. It's also much nicer grinding when the meat is slightly on the frozen side.
2. Don't worry about removing all the fat/silver skin when your cutting up your deer. I leave it on and it gives an extra layer of protection and it's also much easier to remove when the meat is again slightly frozen.
dont know were you live but a meat cooler is nice to have .i made one from a refrigerator that works real well .if some body wants to know how pm me and i will explain it to you
I'd love to hear what kind of rig you built. I'm sure everyone else interested would too.
One thing not mentioned yet, a quick way to sharpen knifes! YOu will need to resharpen a few times on a deer sized animal. If not you will start tearing rather than trimming meat!
You want two sets of knives, one for deboning and around joints, one for filet and cutting into steaks.
Wife and I team up on it, nothing fancy, we have a friend who remodels kitchens, he got us a 6 foot counter top to use, we put it on saw horses in the garage. We upgraded from a "crank" grinder to an electric one - night and day! We also switched to vacuum sealer, works great.
as we go. I typically take the meat apart from the quarters (or while animal depending how we got it out of the field). I create the above piles. Wife starts working on them. when I am done taking things apart, I help with the piles.
Everything packaged in 1 lb packs (got a little scale for a present, makes it easy).
We can do a deer or pronghorn start to all cleaned up in about 90 minutes.
One thing not mentioned yet, a quick way to sharpen knifes! YOu will need to resharpen a few times on a deer sized animal. If not you will start tearing rather than trimming meat!
That’s what the honing steel is for. If you need to grind a new edge on your knives a few times while butchering a single deer, your knives are either made out of tin, or your giving them a swipe on the concrete each time you remove a major muscle group from the carcass.
When in doubt, package your meat in the form of whole muscle roasts. It’s faster and more versatile. You can always cut a roast into steaks or grind it later but not vice versa.
This thread has pretty much covered it, except for one thing. Jordan mentioned using freezer paper, but that works best (great in fact) in non-frost-free freezers.
If you have a frost-free freezer, the reason it's frost free is it periodically melts the surface of frozen packages, then expels the moisture from the freezer. This dehydrates the surface of the meat, which is exactly what freezer-burn is.
The major reason to use plastic-wrap (or whatever kind) or a vacuum sealer is when the meat's going into a frost-free freezer. If not, then freezer paper will keep it in fine shape for years--as Jordan noted. Which is why all three of our 15-cubic foot freezers are non-frost-free. We defrost them once a year, just before the fall hunting season when we reorganize the packages, and meat wrapped in freezer paper keeps several years without freezer burn.
Freezer paper can be bought in 1000+ foot rolls for around $35 at Costco, but can also be ordered on-line for somewhat varying prices. We usually process 3-5 animals a year, not just deer-sized game but an elk or moose every couple years. Wrapping in freezer paper is a LOT cheaper, and in our experience quicker than using plastic, though we do use a vacuum sealer for odd-shaped packages, usually game birds.
I might also suggest buying a copy of my wife's field-to-table big game "cookbook," SLICE OF THE WILD, which not only contains around 100 recipes but the science of field care and meat aging, along with photos of how to butcher animals in various ways for your particular needs. You can order it through www.riflesandrecipes.com. It's been in print now for over a decade, and many Campfire members have ordered copies, often more than one.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Grinder and stuffer: I have a 3/4 hp Cabelas, so does bro in law. Dad has a 1 hp. They can all grind as fast as we feed them. I used to use mine for sausage stuffing and hamburger bag filling. They work, but nowhere near as well as the stuffer I bought later. I bought a Weston 11 lb, wishing I’d bought a 20+Lb. LEM gets good reviews for both as well.
Burger bags and the tape dispenser used for taping them off. Not a must have. But a nice to have.
Plastic coated freezer paper outside of Plastic wrap (and the produce bags mentioned above sound like a winner) to wrap the meat in. Get all air out. Freezer tape. I dislike vacuum packing. Maybe I’ve just used poor bags, or had a bad seal, but they always seem to develop leaks in time. Maybe we are just rough in how we handle stuff in the freezer. I don’t know, but plastic wrapped meat wrapped in freezer paper has never failed me.
Butcher knives. A flexible boning knife from Victorinox would be a good “only” knife to have. Then buy 15 others to go with it for specialties.
Can’t have too many plastic meat lugs. I also have an assortment of stainless pans, the kind often used on buffets. Short ones. Deep ones. Half length ones. Keeps the wife happy that I’m not using her pans, plus they get used a ton with garden produce and big cooks on my smoker.
5 gallon bucket for bones/fat/bloodshot mess/silver skin.
I agree with freezing the whole “roasts”. Then it can be cooked as a roast. Sliced for steaks. Sliced thinner for jerky. Ground for whatever. I typically only grind the trimmings from cleaning up the roasts plus I grind the shoulders.
I’ll put a plug in for Walton’s. They have every supply needed. Hardware. Materials. Seasonings. Good service.
Just about everything covered, we have had a few butchering parties doing 2-3 elk with hunting group & spouses. I love elk burger & venison sausage so we keep the grinder going. I’ll use a little beef suet some years to up the fat content on the sausage. The bigger grinder is a great tip. We bought a small commercial grinder from a deli on Craigslist and it is very effective.
Meat containers, sharp knives, grinder we have had good results with vacuum sealer - I’m going to use the produce wrap this year as well.
When in doubt, package your meat in the form of whole muscle roasts. It’s faster and more versatile. You can always cut a roast into steaks or grind it later but not vice versa.
Doing that is more than just faster. It also exposes less meat surface to the air which reduces oxidation and freezer burn. Meat frozen in large chunks will keep longer.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Dont forget to make sure your meat is very cold and firm before grinding it. I put mine in a tub after I cut it to the size to go into the grinder . Then into the freezer for a short period to firm it up.
nathen if you can post pics. pm me and i will send one to you .what i did was took a old frig. gutted it even the part that seprates the freezer from the frig. took a piece of sheet metal and pop rivet it to both doors on the out side then filled in the space between them on the in side with spray foam . after foam drys grind down flush with the doors then add a piece sheet metal like on the out side . then in the center of the inside drop down 4 inc and use a hole saw the size of the tubing that you are using as a cross bar . size dont matter .i used 1 inc. ss pipe & 1/4 rod for the meat hooks . i used 5200 marine sealant to keep the cross bar in place. the only thing that matters is the meat hooks fit the cross bar. i made mine just to see if it would work out of a old frig. that you had to keep a bungee cord on the door to keep it closed . you will half to play with the temp. control to find out what works for you . mine works on low great in Fla i have had 4 100 lb hogs & 2 100 lb deer in mine at one time in a standerd size frig. i split the animals in haft with a sawzall . i think the only thing that really matters is useing ss for the cross bar & the meat hooks .i work in a machine & welding shop so i have stuff to work with .i think that if you had the frig. you mite have 100 $ in it . i hope this helps the campfire brothers . i hate typing
We also use the grinder attachment on a commercial model of Kitchen Aide mixer and it works well for medium duty use. Eventually you will want a sausage stuffier as the grinder is not that good for this. See if you can find a used one of 10 gallons or more.
Knives I like Victorinox or Dexter-Russel you will want a boning knife, a filet knife and a butcher or scimitar knife for cutting steaks. Get a good honing steel too. A vacuum sealer is nice but the cling wrap & butcher paper seems to last longer. My biggest issue is in aging meat. Now I mostly do this in ice chests but I think I will either make a cold room or get an old refrigerator for this. The cost for good equipment is a fraction of the cost for processing multiple deer.
"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli
It's always an option to take trim from all the steaks and roasts cut, plus neck meat and such down to a butcher to let them do all the grinding...burger is generally dirt cheap to have made. Some butchers have a minimum poundage of trim to be "guaranteed" your own meat back, so keep that in mind. I don't mind cutting steaks and such but grinding, mixing fat, stuffing into tubes and packaging it all gets real old for me.
It'll save a lot of $ by not having to buy a grinder, stuffers, etc. while taking care of the bulk of the animal yourself.
The suggestion above that your equipment will be paid for in a few deer is a good one. When I was growing up the local locker would cut and wrap any size deer for $40, I think elk were $75 or maybe $100. I heard last fall from the guys at work that a deer is $125 now at the same locker and they won’t even do elk. The locker that will take elk is $275. We can shoot about 7-8 deer and a couple elk a year here, plus we hunt out of state every fall. Wouldn’t take but one good season of tag filling to pay for a good setup if you can find the time.
The suggestion above that your equipment will be paid for in a few deer is a good one. When I was growing up the local locker would cut and wrap any size deer for $40, I think elk were $75 or maybe $100. I heard last fall from the guys at work that a deer is $125 now at the same locker and they won’t even do elk. The locker that will take elk is $275. We can shoot about 7-8 deer and a couple elk a year here, plus we hunt out of state every fall. Wouldn’t take but one good season of tag filling to pay for a good setup if you can find the time.
Been processing my own meat for many decades and the equipment is long amortized. I cannot imagine handing the job over to someone else and walking away...
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
Dont forget to make sure your meat is very cold and firm before grinding it. I put mine in a tub after I cut it to the size to go into the grinder . Then into the freezer for a short period to firm it up.
Again, grind AFTER the season is over.
Pull everything that you want to grind out of the freezer and partially thaw to grind. I don't want to pull out the grinder every time I kill a deer. It's better to do it all at once.
The suggestion above that your equipment will be paid for in a few deer is a good one. When I was growing up the local locker would cut and wrap any size deer for $40, I think elk were $75 or maybe $100. I heard last fall from the guys at work that a deer is $125 now at the same locker and they won’t even do elk. The locker that will take elk is $275. We can shoot about 7-8 deer and a couple elk a year here, plus we hunt out of state every fall. Wouldn’t take but one good season of tag filling to pay for a good setup if you can find the time.
Been processing my own meat for many decades and the equipment is long amortized. I cannot imagine handing the job over to someone else and walking away...
100% agree.....
I know the deer I shoot have been handled properly in the field and in the processing department when I do the work. "Mass grinding" at a deer processing facility doesn't excite me, nor does plastic wrapped meat set in a Styrofoam tray.
Get some really good knives like the pros use.They are made for the work and will hold a good edge.I like Forschner,F Dick and Dexter.They can be expensive but I have bought quite a few used ones on Ebay that were either new,like new or barely used.A good grinder is a must have too.Buy a good electric one and you will be happy.I personally like the #12 size.A big cutting board is good to have too.I use those big plastic lugs.They hold about 25lbs or so of meat.They are really handy if your making sausage too.And if you plan on making sausage,a stuffer is the way to go.Packaging the meat for storage,a vacuum sealer is the best method.Another method I like and will keep meat from burn for years is,put the meat in one gallon twist tie bags,then into Freezer bags.I used to use plastic wrap,but I like the bags better.I've found that when grinding meat for storage,I can slip one of those bags right over the head of my grinder and it really saves time as well as the mess of packaging later.I prefer chest freezer for storing the meat.They use very little electricity and seem to keep meat better too.Having the right tools for the jobs will make your like easier.There are a lot of books and videos that can help you get started.I feel you become a complete hunter when you can take an animal from the field to the freezer and eventually to the table.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~ As Bob Hagel would say"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."Good words of wisdom...............
Mule Deer; Top of the morning to you sir, I hope that this eve of the Fourth of July finds you and Eileen well.
This has been a particularly good thread in my view, which does happen from time to time and is why I like to drop by!
As you and most of the older posters know, we've been cutting our own game as well as helping friends out since '89 and if I had to guess I'd want to say we're somewhere around 175 deer, bear, sheep sized animals with 2 or 3 moose thrown in over those years.
This isn't a paid promotion by any stretch, but I've lost count how many times I've recommended "Slice of the Wild" to folks taking up hunting and/or meat cutting and in fact have given at least one - maybe more actually.... to deserving candidates! Even though we'd been doing it for years when the book came out, I learned a fair bit from the book. It's worth every penny - which coming from a Canuck running a $1.40 exchange rate is saying something, eh?
For us, Jordan Smith's equipment list is pretty complete, though I will say that I built a tape dispenser that clamps to the table and allows one handed tape grabbing which is the proverbial "bee's knees" in my opinion. It allows one to wrap the slab of meat, hold the wrapped slab "just so" like we like to and then grab the chunk of tape with the other free hand. Much, much easier/quicker.
That said John, my goodness is it tough to get decent tape up here anymore. It doesn't seem to last more than a few months and then it's either not wanting to come off the roll or has lost it's stick..... Just the last few years I've seen that - must be either a cost saving measure or who knows what.... boo hiss.
Anyways sir, Happy Fourth of July to you and Eileen and thanks all for the contributions to a good constructive thread.
baldhunter i agree i like to be self sufficient in every thing i do .i don't want to depend on nobody for nothing .if i kill or catch it i am going to clean it
I process all of my own game. I use 2 knifes, one with a really flexible blade for boning, and a grinder and then have a vacuum packer. That is all you need to process game.
You get out of life what you are willing to accept. If you ain't happy, do something about it!
2 Victorinox boning knives, 1 modestly priced but effective vacuum seeler, and a 1/2 horse power grinder is all you need. You can cut steaks from the back straps and legs, stew meat from the shoulders and shanks, and grind the rest. I do believe in the vacuum sealer, the meat stays fresh for years. It’s incredible. I used a 1/4 horsepower for years and it was effective as well, but 3 deer might make a larger one more desirable.
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