I am looking for an article, video, instruction manual etc to learn how to butcher a big game animal.

Thanks,
Curly

there are a surprising number of publications available from large Ag schools in cattle states. many of them online.

Curly,
try youtube...its free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yam0-0io4f8

if this don't work go to askthemeatman.com

Yes, look up a county extension office and they should be able to dredge up a bulletin or two. I put in a little time in a commerical shop as a kid. Now though, I rarely use a saw, and just bone out my larger critters by individually removing the major muscles with a knife. Except for the loin, all the front end stuff goes into burger.

For storage longevity, get a good tight plastic wrap and a similarly tight drugstore wrap with the butcher paper. The vacum seal deals are good for storage, but not as efficient space wise due to odd shaped, slippery packages, that don't stack well.

Good luck, 1Minute

I asked this a while ago with particular attention paid to the knives I would need. I butchered 2 elk and a deer this year. These are the knives I bought. The ones on the left are fairly high-quality knives from a knife shop; boning knives. The white handled one was a real surprise to me; I really liked that swept back blade. The one on the right is a rubber-handled, flexible blade knife that is like 5 bucks at Wal-Mart. They make a longer-blade version too. A guy could do worse.

Butchering isn't rocket science... I'll never pay a butcher to do an animal again. I liked the control it gave me over what I ended up with.

Some good stones and a smooth steel, and you'll be in business. I suggest though that one acquire 2 or 3 spares if he finds a truly good knife. Also, leave the culls in the household drawer, and hold the good ones in reserve for dedicated tasks. Some wives and kids can ruin an edge faster than Clinton can moisten a cigar. Knives last a long time, but not forever. I had to eventually retire a couple of boning knives, because they looked more like ice-picks, but I still have 4 identical ones in reserve.

When it comes to butchering, DIY is the best deal by far. One knows exactly what is in each package. A friend hired out cut/wrap on a bison last year, and not a single aspect of his highly detailed instructions were followed. Pretty much a waste of almost $350.

One more quick suggestion.. Do not slice ones stakes before packaging. Chunking the meat up into roast sized pieces and slicing just before cooking will minimize surface exposure and potential freezer burn or oxidation.

Boning knives are kind of hard (for me) to sharpen due to the length and flexibility of the blade. They won't work on my Lansky and are hard for me to hold a consistant angle on a stone. A steel works. I've been considering an electric sharpener of some kind. The steel I got, does OK as far as putting a nice rough gritty QUICK edge on them, which actually works great for cuttin' meat...

My wife's 8th game cookbook will be out in a couple months. It's all about big game, and how to do everything from in-the-field to butchering to recipes. It has photos of the whole process, and not just ONE way to do it, but choices for each part of an animal. There are photographs of all the various techniques, taken of actual big game from pronghorn to moose, not a sheep or cow.

Look online. I've seen a lot of "free" video posts on butchering game.

i just use a steel for sharpening butchering knives.....no need for a Lansky type setup or that kinda thing but we do the butchering in our kitchen so having to touch up a blade every so often with a steel isnt a big deal cause its right there....not looking to keep a perfectly sharp edge for as long as possible, a short term razor edge works fine, when it dulls a bit swipe it with the steel a couple times and get back to cutting......

was never really taught how to butcher one......cut steaks out of the quarters where the muscles are big enough.....roasts out of the upper part of the rear hams....can usually get a large chunk of meat in one piece from the neck that makes for a decent roast.....the lil piece wind up as burger or stew meat....backstraps either cut in half into two lil roasts or leave the tendon that runs their length intact and cut them into butter fly steaks(my girls' favorite)

Buy Eileen's book, but I think Colorado Fish and Game has a DVD on their web-site. I'd post a link if i weren't so cyber-challenged.

I did three Whitetails this year, was amazed at how much more meat I got. Of course then the wife and I had the time it takes to real get the most from the game. A good book or a DVD will explain the fine points that can be missed. I think Outdoor Edge has series on butchering. Used an old Buck 119 for the quartering and 3 older Rapala 4" filet knifes for the fine work. These are the easiest ones I've found for deer. Easy to handle and sharpen quickly with a normal steel. Now that I have done the whole process myself I will not send game out again.

Good deal. People tend to get hung up on "the way" to do something like butchering, and don't recognize that there are any number of ways to reach the objective. I tell people to remember that gutting is about removing all the parts you don't want to eat without getting any of it on the parts you do want to eat; and butchering is about turning the big parts you want to eat into smaller portions you want to cook.

The rest of it is just technique, and the more techniques you know and can apply, the better.

Eileen's new book sounds like a welcome addition to many people's libraries.

Dennis

Since it is taboo to use a saw to cut up much of a big game animal, some of the cuts of meat we can get are different than what a butcher packages. What are pork chops or T bone steaks in the store, we use the long loin or backstrap and usually butterfly it.
I consider butchering an important part of the hunt.

I figure the butcher is trying to maximise profit from a carcass, while I am trying to maximise my own convenience and ability to use the meat to cook the way I want to.

Dennis

If you haven't done it, buy a rapala filet knife or two, a cutting board, a vacuum sealer, a grinder and get learning. We saved over $500 again this year by cutting up our own animals and when we make sausage, we actually get our own animals which I like.

I've been my own butcher shop since 1975... .

Dennis

Just a "be advised" the butchering charts you will see are usually just a beef chart or hog with the name changed. They really don't apply to deer or wild pigs as you can not get the cuts you will see advertised. Well, you can but they will be so small they will be like stew meat.

As many others have said just chunk out the meat from the bones and then cut it up in the size pieces you want when you get ready to cook it. Steaks, roasts, stew meat, etc etc.

BCR

Dennis,

Thats very much an over simplification. With gutting for instance, if you just "have at it" with no real knowlegde you risk contaminating the meat you and your family are about to eat with gut contents, excrement, or urine all of which can be a haven for nasty bateria like E.Coli ect..

Its the same with butchering to a degree...If everything is going to be burger, sausage or stew meat, you can't really go wrong as long as your working hygenically. But if you want proper steaks and roasts ect, you do need little bit of knowledge...

For any one wanting to buthcer their own, I can recommend the DVD "whitetailed deer processing" from http://www.gamebutcher.com

Its very good and shows you have to butcher with the minimum of facilities and equipment...

Curly

Try this site. Pretty helpful and explains the main cuts and such. It has been a great reminder for me and best of all. it free

http://www.eckrich.org/

Good luck and have fun!!!

Cheers

SS

Sorry for the delay in getting back to all who responded.

I was out of the office doing the more mundane tasks of life.

I will definately take a look at the web sites, and possibly order the DVD.

A definate yes for Eileen's book for both the butchering and because I dont have a game cook book.

Maybe there is a chance for an autographed copy? That way I can tell everybody I am friends with the author!

Tool wise, I have a good fillet knife used for boning fish as I live on the coast and do a lot of fishing in the summer months. I will look for a boning knife at the local retailers.

Also,it was suggested that I get a grinder. I have a KitchenAid mixer, and was told the grinder attachement for that would work okay, maybe not permanently, but for a start.

Some of you recommend a sealer. Will Zip lock bags work? That way I can label them and see the cuts. Or should I use a product like Saranwrap, and then label the wax paper.

Thanks,

Curly

Save some $$$ for a good grinder--they are worth it. The grinder covereth a host of sins.

Some cheap ones will drive you crazy as they feed terribly--poor engineering of the screw and throat. Good boat anchors, though.

I use a tabletop with a common size 32 head so I can get replacement plates and knives easily.

Curly,

You can use ordinary freezer bags to get started, just squeeze most of the air out before tying it off...Lable and they should be good for 6 to 8 months in a decent freezer.

Once you've butchered an animal or two, and if you think you'll carry on, thens the time to get a the vac-packer and possibly an electric meat grinder..

Besides a stiff bladed boning knife (5" to 6" blade ideal) the other important thing is somewhere clean to work...

Regards,

Peter

It actually is a very simple process, as long as you keep everything clean and uncontaminated, and turn the edible meat into the kind of portions and products you want to eat. People make it a lot more complicated than it really needs to be. I think it is important to learn different ways to go at it, and become skilled at them -- but it's really not that complicated. I have butchered quite a bit of game without ever gutting it, for example, so there was never an opportunity for all those nasty waste materials to come in contact with the meat. I call it "fileting" game, because in essence I'm boning it on the carcass. I don't open the body cavity until everything edible is off the carcass and laid aside, then the tenderloins come out and the ribs get cut off or stripped out. Pretty tough to get it contaminated that way. and it makes for a lot easier pack out.

Like I said...there are lots of techniques, and many of them work just fine.

Dennis

Absolutely. That is what I use to grind my deer. A very efficient tool, and quite fast. I do one or two deer a year, maybe three, and it works great. If I was doing more than three, I might think about getting a dedicated driver.

i dont know, if someone can handle dealing with raw supermarket chicken in their kitchen without anyone getting sick than i think they can handle butchering a critter in the same kitchen without anyone getting sick.......i figured out how to field dress and butcher a critter with minimal help......granted my steaks dont always look to pretty but they cook up just fine.....

that said, i do believe ill be adding Eileen's new book to my library aswell

I did it for a living from 1978 to 2002. Now I do it for fun.

I worked in a sm. shop this fall for one day. We cut 12 moose that day, but the shop had well over 50 to do total.


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Butcher knives


I freely admit to being a snob about knives. When it comes down to butcher knives, I just don't know of better than these. I've even come to the point of carrying them in my hunting pack. I use one of the round long shaped diamond embedded steels with me. It's nice to be able to stand up straight and touch up the blade and give the old back a break. I don't pack bone home so the majority of my meat comes home with the work 90% done.

Curly: As to wrapping.... The cheapest is to go to a warehouse store and buy a bulk roll of at least 18 inch wide saran wrap, a similar roll of butcher paper, masking tape, and a magic marker. A rack for unrolling and tearing the paper, and tape dispenser are real time savers too, but not mandated.

Adequate dimension wrap and paper make the wrapping job much much easier, and oversize saran wrap does well at eliminating freezer burn if tightly applied. The butcher paper really just protects one's saran wrap from punctures. Label everything with a short but easily rememebered codes listing both the species and cut therein. With time and success, one can end up with a real mix in the chest freezer.

Out of necessity, I had the meat done commercially on our last Alaska trips. The cuts are labeled, but seperating moose from caribou is a challenge. When company comes, one needs to know whether it's Venison, Elk, Pronghorn, Bighorn, Caribou, Moose, plain Beef, Lamb, or Skunk that's in the package.

The top notch in packaging is the vacuum sealers. I go that route with fish, but when I have 200 to 400 lbs of meat to wrap, they are a time consuming and extravagant ($$) process. The rolls are not cheap by any means, and it's hard to handle large dimension cuts. With saran wrap and butcher paper, one can pretty well shape his packages into space efficient components. With the vacuum sealers, one has little if any control of shape, and he ends up with space comsuming corners and slick packages that will not efficiently stack or stay on upright freezer shelves. Another issue is getting large cuts into the vacuum bags without wetting the sealing surfaces. If contaminated, they must be cleaned and dry before sealing. That in itself is almost a two person job.

One thing that offers up the most time savings is a patient and conscientious helper. A second party will reduce your butchering time commitment by about 80% if they can tackle the wrapping/labeling as you cut.

Last, the purchase of a good 3/4 or 1 horse grinder is an expensive proposition. Might not be justifiable. I've finally done it, but went years without. One hears rumors of commercial outfits simply weighing in a ton of venison and eventually grinding from a mega tub and parceling the meat back out. May or may not be true, and one may or may not get Bambi back. Most commercial outfits that run year round process inspected beef and pork from 8 to 5 and do the game runs at the end of the day. Reason being the grinders/saws/benches must be broken down and cleaned before going back into beef/pork processing if any game comes through. That being game is done at the end of the day. When I want my burger ground, I call, find out when they plan to shut down, and let them know I will show up just before cleanup Takes them about 6 minutes to grind 70 or 80 lbs of meat, and I know I got my own stuff back cause I watched them do it.

To some, butchering is simply a job that must be done. Our family views it as part of the hunt, and takes great joy in generating a quality product.

Good luck and hope you need to buy a second freezer, 1Minute

+1 I forget who it was here (perhaps 3sixbits?) that about a year ago posted about these Victorinox Fibrox knives. on their recommendation, I bought a Fibrox Chef's knife, and have been surprised at how well it retains an edge. The handle never gets slippery either.

Anyway, thanks to whomever convinced me to buy one about a year ago!

John

Here's my pile of stuff .....

X2 on this wrapping recommendation! It works very well, is easy to do, and easy on the pocket book as well.


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Agree, and I often leave my venison in large pieces then grind it when I decide I need some ground.

Rattler,

If you look at some the pictures people post of how they gut and butcher deer, or some of the videos on Youtube, I find it surprising there aren't more cases of food poisoning.

However that doesn't mean there isn't a risk, especially if you're dealing with a carcass thats been contaminated with facees or gut material.

Cooking of course goes along way to neutralise the risk, but I am tending to eat my venison more and more rare these days, so I am extra careful on the hygine side..

A couple of years back a butcher in South Wales was responsible for a food poisoning outbreak that killed a five-year-old boy and infected more than 100 other children..During the court case against him, it turns out he failed to follow even basic hygiene precautions.

Another butcher in Lancaster infected 30 people with E.Coli from contaminated meat, although luckily nobody died.

Neither of these examples involved venison, but these and other similar cases highlight the need for good hygiene: anything less is a gamble...

I would add a guy I stalked with got E.coli from a chicken he reheated and his description of the effects wasn't pretty...These days you don't have to preach to him about the dangers of chicken or reheating it..

The other reason we tend to be a bit more on the ball over hygiene during the gutting process over here is that we sell many of the carcasses into the commercial food chain and have a duty of care in law to which we maybe held liable.

Personally I like my food to be handled to the highest standard, whether bought in a shop or if produced by me...

But each to their own, and if people are happy with their standards/methods and get the results they want, and are pleased with, more power to them!

As Dennise said earlier there are many different techniques that work well so do what works for you and suits your circumstances.

Regards,

Peter

if i was worried about the absolute highest standard i wouldnt gut critters in the field.....would kill a critter and immediately ake it home to a "clean" environment to butcher.....would also require i toss all the meat from a gut shot animal that took me awhile to find away.......there are a whole lot of "ifs" out there due to gut shot animals(which is going to happen on occasion if you shoot enough animals even if you are careful) or animals shot on warm days and required a long pack out or just a wrong flip of a knife due to frozen hands while field dressing.....whole bunch of "what ifs" that would keep me from hunting, atleast ethically, if i demanded the absolute best procedures.....

Ditto on the Victorinox Fibrox knives...I started to make the switch last year and found the are very good quality and not terribly expensive either..I've posted this below, but here are the basics I use for butchering..



I also have a Swiss made Wenger boning knife with an orange plastic handle similar to the Fibrox. The are usually a bit cheaper than Victorinox but seem to be of similar quality. If pushed to split hair , I'd say perhaps the handle material isn't quite as none slip as the Fibrox...

Regards,

Peter

Agree we are not operating in a totally controlled environment, thats for sure.

Interestly, under the latest food hygiene regs we are not supposed to put carcasses with gross contamination (such as from being gut shot) into the commercial food chain, nor carcasses that have been left ungutted for too long a period in warm weather. We are still free to use them for personal consumption, just not for the market..

What I get from yourlast post is that half the battle is knowing the risks and then making an informed judgement and I wouldn't argue with that..

Regards,

Peter

Question For you guys, but in this day and age, why do you "wrap" meat?

Does it date back to when the only suitable wrapping material was butchers paper??

I ask because I don't ever recall seeing anybody wrap game meat for freezing here..Freezer bags are the most commonly used method, although vac-packers are becoming increasingly popular....

So what would the pros and cons be between between meat stored in a saran and butcher paper wrap ~V~ meat stored in the deep freeze using plain freezer bags?? Has anybody used both methods to compare?

Regards,

Pete

Or this: check out the zip lock vacumn bags

packaging

Will definately get Eileens new book as well. A grinder is a really nice thing to have if you do much sausage or hambuger. Used a table mount hand grinder that was a 40+ year old family hand down last year, actually worked quite well, but not for much more than 15 pounds or so. A decent powered one can be had for about $100 and will come with the sausage tube attachments. Had over 70 pounds this year in sausage and hamburger the powered grinder was really nice to have. After using both butcher wrap, freezer wrap, and meat that was vacuum sealed I bought a vacuum sealer. My vacuum sealed meat from the year before had no freezer burn after 1 year in the freezer, the butcher or freezer wrapped meat was hit or miss, some had freezer burn some did not. All of the vacuum packed meat was moist and after thawing basically looked the same as it did when sealed. Some of the butcher wrapped meat was drier and had a slight color change. To me the sealer was worth the money. It would depend on how long your meat would be frozen.

Pete....im thinking we do agree on most of the principles.....my initial post was basically if you understand basic kitchen cleanliness to the point you arent getting sick of the salmonella rich supermarket chicken you can pretty well handle the cleanliness required to butcher a critter without real worry.....

as to the wrapping.......easier to stack wrapped meat in the freezer versus vacuum sealed......aint going to argue tha vacuum sealing is a great thing, i do use it on occasion, but its more space friendly to wrap, atleast from what i have personally experienced....both can and do work well but where space is an issue wrapping tends to work better...

Curly,

When you order the book, there's a place to ask for whatever autograph you want. I am sure Eileen would be happy to inscribe it to "My friend Curly," or whatever you want!

There is a bunch of info on wrapping, vacuum packing, various knives, grinders, etc. too. She has tried about everything as many manufacturers send her stuff to test. She also keeps up on the latest in meat science, too.

rattler,

I was trying to compare wrapping in saran and or butcher paper to using plain jane freezer bags (a bit like ziplocs) rather than vac-pacing..I think butcher paper is avialble to the trade over here, I don't ever recall seeing it on sale for domestic use..

Freezer burn seems to be a concern for a lot of the guys who use saran/butchers paper, but I don't think I've come across a case using freezer bags..I'm not sure if thats luck or just me being unobservant...

Part of this question is down to convicing myself I will see a noticiable improvement if I buy a vac-packer and although the lure of a new toy is strong, the $150 cost (here in the UK) is making me think "freezer bags are ok" lol!

Regards,

Peter

You might want to check out a product found in some supermarkets. GLAD "press n seal" freezer wrap. I use that to wrap my meat, and find it better than butcher paper, and zip lok bags. Venison does not stay in my freezer for much more than a year, and I have not found a piece that was burned. Really good stuff-just make sure you get the "freezer" variety.

Pete, i can buy butcher paper at the grocery store here. i havent used the bags your talking about though i have seen them so i guess i cant comment on them.....i have always had satisfactory results with saran wrap and butcher paper if im careful and pay attention to what im doing.....opened up steaks that got over looked a year later and they have been fine with minimal to no freezer burn.....the more oddly shaped the object though the less likely it is to work but the roasts and such(least my roasts tend to be odd shaped) are generally eaten rather quickly so its of little concern....

corporal cleg,

Cheers for that and will look out for it...

How does it differ from ordinary saran wrap?

The most common stuff we get over here is "clingfilm" which I assume is the same as saran wrap?

Edited to add Wikipedia again springs to the rescue!

Types of plastic wraps

I also found a good explaination for Freezer Burn which is probably relevent to this thread..

Regards,

Peter

Pete, yeah cling wrap is the same as saran wrap.......

Which is easier on the gutting. After you get him open do you work from the windpipe down or from the tail up towards the head?

i work from the windpipe down when field dressing......things seem to come out easier.......

Pete E- It is different in that it does not "cling" like Saran wrap, but actually sticks together. Basically, you rip a piece out, put your food on top, fold it over the meat and push it together. Then you kind of use your hand like an iron against the wrap, which makes it seal together. It is really nice because you can rip off a piece and custom fit it to the size meat you are wrapping-unlike zip loc bags. Much less waste, and as I said earlier, does a great job keeping freezer burn at bay.

Pete E:

My justification is to prevent freezer burn (basically freeze drying as moisture moves from the meat to the sides of ones freezer). If my family could go through a carcass in 2 or 3 months, I wouldn't bother with wrapping either. I'd maybe just dip each cut in water and place them on cookie sheets to freeze.

There are infrequent times though were our family of 3 may score 3 deer, 2 elk, a pronghorn, 1 moose, and 1 caribou in a single 3 month window. Being selfish, we don't share out much of our booty. Hence the need for at least two 25 cu ft freezers. In those instances, well wrapped meat can endure storage for several years.

A similar cut wrapped solely in butcher paper would not go in front of company after more than 6 months storage.

Hmm. We generally put the same amount of meat into the freezer(s) every year. We have three 15-cubic footers, and wrap most of the meat in plain old butcher paper. Often we are eating 2-3 year old meat, and have almost never find any freezer burn on it. (This is big game meat, not birds or fish. We use a vacuum packer on those, or wrap in something like Saran beforehand.) We have found that if you double-layer tightly in good butcher paper (AND trim the fat) then wild game is good for 2-3 years at the minimum.

I only have one freezer, shared with game and other items. I think the fact that my freezer is opened and closed at least twice a day makes a difference. In the past we have had a dedicated "game" freezer that was only opened occasionally, and held only game and fish. Items seemed if memory serves not to freezer burn much at all. In the daily use freezer things do not seem to last as long. The vacuum packed meat did much better than the butcher wrap packed meat.

Pete- It does date back as you suggest.

I've never taken an animal in to be professionally processed in the last 40 years- and I've about 20 moose, maybe 50 caribou, a few black bears, sheep, goats, and assorted other game under my belt (literally). Not to mention I catch and process my own salmon, halibut and clams.

Vacuum packing is THE way to go. Use the heaviest grade plastic bagging you can get. If it shows any sign of leakage at all before freezing, double bag/seal it. Last night we had '07 caught sockeye salmon for dinner (about the last of it). Not as good as this year's, but still PDG - too good for the dogs, anyway! The taste was off a bit, but no freezer burn.

Before I got my vac-packer, I would use the "zip-lock" bags, and eliminate all air inside the bag by sealing them underwater, with as much of the extraneous water squeezed out as possible. I always freeze my fish skin side up, so any remaining water/juices help seal the raw flesh on the other side...

Third best way is to thouroughly wrap your meat in "Saran"-type wrap - several layers, then wrap in waxed butcher paper to protect the seal of the cling-film. Be sure to get rid of as much air inside the film as possible- oxygen and moisture leakage is what causes freezer burn..

I no longer "wrap" meat at all in paper- tho it would provide a bit more of "contact" protection for pieces already properly vac-packed. Not infrequently in the freezer, moving, banging around, etc will spring a leak in the frozen plastic cover - especially with any bone present, fish or meat.

Another tip- when vac-packing, fold a paper napkin or paper towel up and place it between the meat and the seal- this will soak up juices during the vaccum/seal process and ensure a good seal and way-slow down mess in the machine... Of course wipe the mouth of the bag clean and dry before sealing.

Some people I know freeze their salmon fillets first, before vac-packing to eliminate the "juice" problem - could be done with red meat also, I suppose.

Another thing- when processing a large amount, I layer the unfrozen stuff with frozen stuff to promote quicker freezing- I can sort it out later. Otherwise, several hundred pounds of product just stacked in the freezer may take several days to freeze all the way through.

Press N Seal has a weak adhesive on one side, about like Post It Notes. (Sticks to itself, not to the food.) It comes in two grades, regular and freezer which I assume is thicker. I've used it on meats for a couple of years. Venison gets wrapped in Press N Seal, squeezing all the air out, then over wrapped with standard plastic coated freezer paper. The primary purpose of the freezer paper is to keep irregular packages from sliding out of my upright freezer when I open the door. Plastics are too slippery.

Venison keeps at least a year so wrapped though it begins to loose quality after six months or so whatever you do. I found a three year old package that got lost in the back of the freezer last month, didn't eat it but no freezer burn or other visible damage.

------

On rereading posts, I will defer to Mule Deer (and Eileen) on the quality of frozen meat over time, but venison tastes better to me if it's frozen no more than a year.

Got that right on the slick plastic vs freezer wrap

First freezer manufacturer to put in front slide-out prevention barriers to their racks is gonna make a bundle!

I sometimes use plastic crates to better stack stuff - don't ask where I got them. Certain soft-drink mnfcters won't like it...

I should invest in Electrolux stock then! My Electrolux upright freezer (made here in Sweden) has flip-down wire bails that stops stuff from sliding out and they work great!

I used to live in both Canada and the US so I know the upright freezers that you speak of and how they effectively hold less than a chest freezer of the same volume. Well, this Electrolux with these hinged bails can be crammed 100% full and without worrying about a can of frozen orange juice sliding out to land on your toes!

When I came to Sweden and saw this feature on my upright freezer I just assumed that it was more modern than the ones I had in North America -- and that all new ones had this simple addition. Maybe Electrolux has a patent or something? Seems like it should be too simple an idea to patent!

John

A lot of great ideas.

I will look at the knives, and probably start with the Kitchen Aid attachment.

Then I can determine if I want to continue. I will also look at the press-n-seal, and my local Costco for the commercial size wraps, including paper.

Should be able to practice this spring and summer with fish.

One question, are the game meats wrapped in saran wrap, Ziplok, or some other comparable plastic wrap, then wrapped in paper?

Thanks again,

Curly

wrapped in saran to seal out the most air, than wrapped in paper so yah dont rip a hole in the saran......atleast thats what i do.....

I've lost quite a bit of meat by using only ziplock bags. For some reason, they allow the meat to dry out which is what freezer burn is. I can't get meat to keep more than a couple months in bags only. However, if I wrap the meat in plastic wrap and insert that in a ziplock, it will keep for several years. I put several meals, individually plastic wrapped, in a single ziplock. I take them out as needed. That seems to work very well, too, and saves bags and freezer space.

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