Venison

[viva]

Thanks very much for the help! I think I will avoid the shanks as I cannot see having the patience for all those tendons.

My last note of confusion... it looks like the terms backstrap = loin = tenderloin = fillet are all the same cut of meat, the pieces that run down the back of the deer?

[Recoil Rob]

I butcher my own deer every year, or at least every year I get one. Properly gutted and handled I treat it no different than good beef. I've seen guys drop ff a 125lb deer at the butchers and come back with 10 pounds of steak and 70 pounds of ground meet, just protein. A waste.

I usually take one whole hind quarter and have it custom smoked at Nodines Smokehouse, make a seriously good ham dinner. The other is roasted whole using bacon for a fat covering or I have BBQ'd whole hind quarters. It's an impressive piece of meat and it seems a waste to cut it into thin steaks.

I usually have cut the backstrap area into rack of venison and do it like rack of lamp. Alternately it can be done Florentine style, simply pan roasted and drizzled with EVOO and herbs.

As for the shanks, you can certainly make Osso Deero but I find just a slow braise and they are excellent. The tendons melt down and there's a reason to stay home and cook on a winters day.

BTW, although I have made my own sausage adding nothing but pork fat, most of the neck meat is chunked for chili's or stew, not ground.

The shoulders are boned out ad make some nice small steaks and rolled roasts.

Finally all major bones are browned for stock. Just be sure to degrease.

Edited September 4, 2008 by Recoil Rob (log)

[snowangel]

Although I usually break down my own vension (well, the venison that my FIL loving shoots for me), I've never skinned one. I've been instructed to report to their house on Friday to skin and quarter a deer. BTW, once it's quartered, I can make fast work of it.

But, I've never skinned one, and I have been asked to "bring knives."

Help!

[Peter the eater]

Although I usually break down my own vension (well, the venison that my FIL loving shoots for me), I've never skinned one.  I've been instructed to report to their house on Friday to skin and quarter a deer.  BTW, once it's quartered, I can make fast work of it.

But, I've never skinned one, and I have been asked to "bring knives."

Help!

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Susan, please take pictures for us. B&W or Sepia works. I've never shot or skinned a deer but I love to barter with my neighbors and heavily armed friends.

[Magictofu]

Although I never did butcher a whole animal, I find that Mettler's Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game is a very instructive book:

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Butchering-Liv...26547571&sr=8-1

Pictures and a short report would be very appreciated.

[Magictofu]

There are more than a few videos of the procedure on youtube, this one is short but you can also click on icons in the related videos for more choices.

[Hard H2O]

Here is my b-i-ls buck he got opening morning this year.

Here is the knife I used to field dress it for him.

It is the custom with the red micarta handle. The other is my Buck #103 skinner. Both of these work great for skinning and gutting deer.

We used to process ourselves. It is hard to get everyone together to do the job so we take them in to Jordan's in Woodbury now.

Skinning is easy. Once you get them started they pretty much slip out of the skin themselves. Some get it started and then tie a galf ball in for a knob and pull the skin off.

Here is a good thread from an outdoors site about the subject:

Butchering a deer

Here is another interesting link.

Notice he is using a Chicago Cutlery parer for skinning. Any sharp knife will work. It doesn't need to be big just sharp.

We always used a torch to burn off any stray hair.

Good luck.

[snowangel]

Well, the knives are out on the counter for my husband to sharpen tonight. I seriously need to clean out the deep freeze, because I have the meat from a 7 point buck coming home with me tomorrow. I'll get the meat cut off the quarters in the next coupla days, so I've bought some time.

But, just what do I do with the hide?

[Hard H2O]

Well, the knives are out on the counter for my husband to sharpen tonight.  I seriously need to clean out the deep freeze, because I have the meat from a 7 point buck coming home with me tomorrow.  I'll get the meat cut off the quarters in the next coupla days, so I've bought some time.

But, just what do I do with the hide?

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You can have it tanned and use it or what most of the hunter I know do is donate them. Look near your local sporting goods or big game registration stations. Someone will have a Hides for Habitat box. Sometimes they will give you gloves for your hide. I do not know if anyone is doing that any more.

Here is a link for the Hides for Habitat:

Hides for Habitat

[Smithy]

I second Hard H20's suggestion.

I've had a few hides tanned in order to make the deerskin leather vest and/or skirt I want someday. They're still sitting in my storage area, waiting for my "someday" to arrive. Every hide since then has gone to the "Hides for Habitat" box, whence said hide will be turned into something useful that earns money for its program. The boxes are all over the place up here. You can probably find them in your area pretty easily, as well.

eta: and yes, skinning is pretty easy. The best knife to use is something with a fairly sharp edge but not much of a point, to minimize the risk of poking a hole in the skin. The blade edge should be sharper than a butter knife, but again, not so sharp that it would readily slip through the connective tissue and slice the skin.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Smithy (log)

[Hard H2O]

The boxes are all over the place up here.  You can probably find them in your area pretty easily, as well.

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The link I included above has a locator for the drop off locations.

[Peter the eater]

But, just what do I do with the hide?

In Ontario, Canada there's a program in place that gets the hide to the First Nations Community -- maybe there's something like that in your neck of the woods.

[snowangel]

I'm sad to report that I forgot my camera today, but it was a big buck. 192 lbs. field dressed. In 3 hours, my FIL and I ad the thing skinned; backstraps, sirloins and neck roasts out, and got he fore and hind haunches off. Extraneous meat was removed, and we both have nice bags of tallow for the fird feeders. We've also each nailed up the ribs (in a rack) to trees for the wood peckers-- we did not remove the tallow from those!).

We were armed with an array of knives, and I really want a very short, and almost circular knife for next year's forray, and I do really think next year that I need some gun training and need to accompany my FIL on a hunting expedition.

I do have photos of just how much meat I have, and the mothly assortment of knives I have (but not the cuts on my hands!), and after the meat ages for a few more days (in a very cold garage), I will post photos of just what I have received. I think it's probably going to amount to 100 lbs. boned and tallow-removed.

It was an energizing day. We had fun, and I can't think of a more organic form or meat.

So, tomorrow, I clean and defrost and reorganize the deep-freeze. Should the family want beef, they can et it from elsewhere. I've got another two vension for the larder. One rather large, one weensy.

I must add that I can't say enough about the book called "Making the Most of Your Deer." Everything from butchering to taxidermidy to soap making, with absolutely wonderful diapgrams.

FIL is urging me to hunt with him next year.

[Magictofu]

FIL is urging me to hunt with him next year.

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You should jump on the occasion. I would love to learn how to hunt but my girlfriend thinks I would not be able to push the trigger.

[Recoil Rob]

Nice buck Hardwater. Where to you hunt, in NH?

I find that if you skin the deer when it's still warm it's much easier, I hardly ever even need a knife, just to start the cuts. I have a pair of welders clamp Vise Grips and I clamp that on and just pull, most of it come right off.

One other thing is deer fat will go rancid quicker than other fats so don't put a lot in that bird feeder, no more than a few days supply.

I was supposed to be hunting this morning, it's the NY opener but it's been pouring all day and too warm. I try Monday, less guys in the woods.

Rob

[snowangel]

Nice buck Hardwater. Where to you hunt, in NH?

I find that if you skin the deer when it's still warm it's much easier, I hardly ever even need a knife, just to start the cuts. I have a pair of welders clamp Vise Grips and I clamp that on and just pull, most of it come right off.

One other thing is deer fat will go rancid quicker than other fats so don't put a lot in that bird feeder, no more than a few days supply.

I was supposed to be hunting this morning, it's the NY opener but it's been pouring all day and too warm. I try Monday, less guys in the woods.

Rob

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I do believe that Hardwater is hunting more in my neck of the woods than yours! And, yes, skinning is easier when it is warmer.

Vise Grips are a good things are is just flat standing on the hide that's on the ground and some brute force. Hanging the deer from the rafters with a block and tackle is a very good thing. One can raise and lower The Beast with ease.

But, as to freezing the pieces. Assume that Food Saver is better than butcher paper? I don't have one of those food saver things, but my backdoor neighbor does, and I think just borrowing the machine and buying the bag roll thingee is a good thing, no? Can you write on the food saver bags with a sharpee?

[Recoil Rob]

I have a Foodsaver and I like it though the bags are expensive. To be honest, I used to just triple wrap in food saver film (read "plastic wrap") and then wrap in freezer paper. More work but just as good as Foodsaver bags. You do have to handle the Foodsaver bags carefully though. If you bump them around too much in the freezer you will cause a leak that won't be noticed until you pull a package out and notice the crystals inside. You can write on the bags, they even have a white strip for that.

Ever hear of the "golf ball method" of skinning a deer?

Rob

Nice buck Hardwater. Where to you hunt, in NH?

I find that if you skin the deer when it's still warm it's much easier, I hardly ever even need a knife, just to start the cuts. I have a pair of welders clamp Vise Grips and I clamp that on and just pull, most of it come right off.

One other thing is deer fat will go rancid quicker than other fats so don't put a lot in that bird feeder, no more than a few days supply.

I was supposed to be hunting this morning, it's the NY opener but it's been pouring all day and too warm. I try Monday, less guys in the woods.

Rob

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I do believe that Hardwater is hunting more in my neck of the woods than yours! And, yes, skinning is easier when it is warmer.

Vise Grips are a good things are is just flat standing on the hide that's on the ground and some brute force. Hanging the deer from the rafters with a block and tackle is a very good thing. One can raise and lower The Beast with ease.

But, as to freezing the pieces. Assume that Food Saver is better than butcher paper? I don't have one of those food saver things, but my backdoor neighbor does, and I think just borrowing the machine and buying the bag roll thingee is a good thing, no? Can you write on the food saver bags with a sharpee?

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[snowangel]

I have a Foodsaver and I like it though the bags are expensive. To be honest, I used to just triple wrap in food saver film (read "plastic wrap") and then wrap in freezer paper. More work but just as good as Foodsaver bags. You do have to handle the Foodsaver bags carefully though. If you bump them around too much in the freezer you will cause a leak that won't be noticed until you pull a package out and notice the crystals inside. You can write on the bags, they even have a white strip for that.

Ever hear of the "golf ball method" of skinning a deer?

Rob

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From what I understand, the golf ball (or tennis ball) method is best accomplished with three people. Think water skiing. The skiier (the person behind the wheel), someone to watch the deer, and someone to communicate with the person behind the wheel, since this method apparently can be prone to removing meat along with the hide. You also need a VERY sturdy rafter, or a very sturdy tree limb.

Nothing wrong with doing it my hand, with a knife, good company and a beer.

Oh, as to freezing my deer. I have moved it from the deck to the insulated garage, and will tackle it in the next day and two. Since I have the massive Costco roll of plastic wrap and discovered that I have three rolls of butcher paper, and the same number of rolls of freezer tape, I can't justify getting something that will cost a lot, and be somewhat flimsy as the family tosses and turns things in the freezer. The only thing on my list is some new Sharpee markers.

A venison Penang curry (with last year's vension) is braising as we speak. Oh, my, I have a lot of work to do in the next two or three days!

Last night, we had the last of last season's venison steaks (I freeze the roasts whole and then cut ala minute) along with hash browns (potatoes fried in fat are a very good thing) with some really beautiful green beans and a salad. Not photoed, but I just love my venison.

FIL has promised to give me some gun training and advocated starting with a 22. There is a shooting range fairly close. Let's just see if I can do the deed next year. I hate being cold, and I'm really scared of the field dressing process.

[Dana]

I thought I'd be grossed out by field dressing, but when it came down to it, I was facinated. All the organs, how they're 'hooked' together, it was really interesting.

The first animal I shot was an antelope in Wyoming. I was all in the way trying to watch my hubby dress it.

He uses the skin-it-with-a-knife method. We usually hang the carcass on an old swing set for easier skinning, but employeed the hang-in-the-garage method when we lived in a colder climate. Here in south Texas, we take it to the butcher immediatly.

[Recoil Rob]

Me and a buddy tried the golf ball method once. It worked but wasn't worth the trouble. I agree, hanging it by the hind legs and using a knif is the way to go.

That curry sounds great but I'm having striped bass for dinner. We got out on Friday before the weather hit and had a field day with 30+ bluefish and about 12-15 stripers. Only the one striper was legal so we kept it and one bluefish which is curing as we speak into Blox (bluefish lox)!

Maybe hunting tomorrow.

[Hard H2O]

I hunt near Finlayson, MN.

That is my brother-in-law's deer. It was the only one our party scored on. I will be getting a taste of it.

Between our party of six hunters we saw 6 deer. We should have had 4.

I missed on a doe and a buck. The doe was a clean miss. I am sure that I hit the buck. It was late in the day. He was fast walking behind me with his nose down on a mission. I took the shot. I watched him take off but lost him. I got down to look for blood but none was to be found. I looked around after dark for quite a while with flashlight in hand but couldn't find a trail. The next morning after sitting the stand I looked some more.

Our woods were quiet. Where we hunt it seems that if you do not connect opening weekend they make themselves scarce. That combined with the wind and they just do not move around a lot during daylight. I am done for the year. I hunted two weekends. We have a couple of members of the party heading up for the third and final weekend.

If you can get past the stink that sometimes arises from a deer carcass field dressing is the easy part. Getting a 150 to 200 pound dead weight out of the woods is the hard part.

I pack in field dressing gloves. I got done gutting that deer and took the gloves off and my left one was filled with blood. I never felt a cut. It turned out it was the deer's blood through a nick in the glove.

Did you get the heart or liver? I am partial to venison heart. The owner of the cabin we stay at was looking for hearts and livers for his neighbor. I am not a fan of the liver.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Hard H2O (log)

[Hard H2O]

You should jump on the occasion. I would love to learn how to hunt but my girlfriend thinks I would not be able to push the trigger.

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In essence you are pulling the trigger whenever you consume farm raised meat. Someone is killing the beef steer, chicken, hog...It might as well be you harvesting an animal that has spent its life running around wild rather than an animal that has spent its life relatively confined.

[snowangel]

Let's get back to skinning. One school of thought has you hang by the head/neck; the other by the feet.

Are there advantages/disadvantages to one method over the other?

[Recoil Rob]

I find it easier to hang head down. You can skin down to the Atlas joint and then cut through it and the head comes off with the skin. It seems to me the animal stretches out better. Once skinned you can take off the shoulders, the rib and loins and then split the hindquarters.

It's how I learned and seems natural to me. I've never hung it by the head and skinned.

FWIW the local processore, who does close to 1000 deer a season, skins head down. Takes him about 4-5 minutes to skin a deer.

[snowangel]

FWIW the local processore, who does close to 1000 deer a season, skins head down. Takes him about 4-5 minutes to skin a deer.

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Oh my, the local meat market guys are fast. It took my FIL and I a "bit" longer than 5 minutes to do this one.

I'm cutting and boning and packaging today. What should I do with the shanks?