Processing

[edmehlig]

MtnMky, i think all of us hill people come from proud heritages. I knew all my prior kin folks were poorer than heck. I cherished the times i got to sit with them and they would tell stories from yesteryear. They would eat any animal they could catch or kill. They et coons, possums, woodchucks, geese, squirrels, Pheasants, grouse, or any critter they could get. They were honest country folks that were poor. I have never seen that side of life and i am glad of it. The way this world is headed it could become the future again. Now aint that scary…

I believe you are right that we are headed that way. But I PRAY to GOD that I'm WRONG.

 

[Wilyote1]

We started doing our own deer when I reached hunting age. My dad worked two jobs to provide for us back then. I still don't know how he found time to hunt. We usually sat around a table and butchered with family members. Now in my 60s, I sit at my table with my sons and wife. My wife never butchered until she met me. She's probably better at boning and breaking down a deer than all of us. Who buys their spouse a custom boning knife? Recently I watched my youngest take charge of processing a whole deer for someone. He taught them just like he was taught. The guy he helped didn't have the $75 to take it to a processor. My youngest is adept at making sausage, pastrami, and cured sausage. I have taught my kids and nieces and nephews how to do sausage. It turns into quite a get together when they decide they want uncle to make them some sausage or jerky. I am glad to pass on what I learned from my aunt's and uncles.

 

[muzzyhans]

Being goofy for the wife

 

[Ninering62]

I do my own but met a guy who is a genius with his smoker and if I get any red meat it'll go to him. He's also made salmon sausage that was incredible!

A buddy gifted me some goose jerky and that was good too. I had no idea you could jerk goose but I guess you can jerk any meat

" I had no idea you could jerk goose but I guess you can jerk any meat "
Theres at least a few good jokes here, but unfortunately, it would be kicking the proverbial hornets nest for " going there " in open forum. Damn I hate cancel culture on BOTH sides of the extremely crappy spectrum.

 

[RobRed]

" I had no idea you could jerk goose but I guess you can jerk any meat "
Theres at least a few good jokes here, but unfortunately, it would be kicking the proverbial hornets nest for " going there " in open forum. Damn I hate cancel culture on BOTH sides of the extremely crappy spectrum.

I'm told there is very little jerkable meat on a goose compared to other wild game.

 

[RobRed]

" I had no idea you could jerk goose but I guess you can jerk any meat "
Theres at least a few good jokes here, but unfortunately, it would be kicking the proverbial hornets nest for " going there " in open forum. Damn I hate cancel culture on BOTH sides of the extremely crappy spectrum.

I've also been told all meat is jerkable if you are brave enough..

ok I'll stop

 

[scratcherky]

I process my own and butcher it just like you would a beef steer. I do not cut meat off bones except for lower legs. All my chops and roasts have bones intact. I do not understand why people butcher deer any different than a beef or hog.

 

[Mnt monkey]

I have never thought about butchering a deer that way but it does make sense

 

[RobRed]

I process my own and butcher it just like you would a beef steer. I do not cut meat off bones except for lower legs. All my chops and roasts have bones intact. I do not understand why people butcher deer any different than a beef or hog.

When doing the hind legs are you able to get rid of the gland that’s in between the cuts? That can ruin your meat

Also do you have a bandsaw to do this?

 

[CatamountRob]

I process my own and butcher it just like you would a beef steer. I do not cut meat off bones except for lower legs. All my chops and roasts have bones intact. I do not understand why people butcher deer any different than a beef or hog.

Because most people don’t have a bandsaw.

 

[Omidv]

I also process my own. I also like to eat the inner tenders right away. I made my own gambrels even.

 

[CatamountRob]

CWD is also a factor. I go to MD to hunt but can’t bring back anything but boneless meat to my home state. Most people that hunt in CWD counties probably also want their meat boneless.

 

[Whokalouie]

I have processed my own for over 60 years, too particular to rely on anyone else. But now being old, having compromised fingers/hand, geed up, and a couple burnt valves, my sweet wife does most of it., We leave all steak meat like a roast and slice at cooking time. Grind burger with beef kidney fat and a little ground pork.

A saw is only used to split hams while hanging, everything else is boned.

Learned skinning sheep pelts and leave no knife marks on hide or carcass back in the early 50's.

 

[rangerod]

I'm not surprised how many members do their own processing. I only shoot one deer per year. Guess I never thought it would be worth doing just for one deer.

 

[rangerod]

I also process my own. I also like to eat the inner tenders right away. I made my own gambrels even.

The back straps are the best most tender meet on a deer.

 

[rangerod]

View attachment 39632
Being goofy for the wife

And us now.

 

[bdog]

Do my own, never use a saw in the process, debone everything, separate the roasts from the hind quarters and freeze um whole, strip loins and tender loins kept whole, everything else is ground meat mixed with 10% beef tallow, used for sauces, chili, tacos, and any other dish similar to that with the ground meat

 

[Ninering62]

I'm told there is very little jerkable meat on a goose compared to other wild game.

Yes, unlike a chicken, where you can jerk the whole thing. On a goose, you can only jerk the breasts..... and, damnit, more openings for more jokes that I can't tell. Ooooh the cognitive dissonance is causing another Tourette's outburst.

 

[Ninering62]

I've also been told all meat is jerkable if you are brave enough..

ok I'll stop

Thanks for your sense of humor & dancing on a " thin line " with me. I appreciate it.

 

[Ninering62]

I have never thought about butchering a deer that way but it does make sense

I use to butcher my deer with the bones in, on the backstraps that go cut into chops, the hind quarters & would freeze whole then run them through a band saw & cut them into 1" thick steaks, & always left the bones in the front shoulders & necks. But I evolved in how I do both fish & game. I leave in the front shoulders in a few to use in your mothers Hash that I'm so fond of. But I debond the rest for burger BBQ & I debond the hind quarters & separate the sections into roasts or in the grinder for burgers. I debond the backstraps too & cut them into qt freezer bag lengths ( about 6-7" long ) mini roasts for the grill. I cut all the meat off of the ribs for burger too. On a big old Tom, I'll just breast it out, but on a younger bird, I'll pluck the whole thing & cook it whole or break it down like a chicken. I've evolved in how I skin out a deer too. I'm older & much slower these days, but I'm still considerably faster at skinning & butchering a deer than I was 40yrs ago bc I've learned better ways of doing things than I was orig tought. Fish, if they aren't big enough to filet or cut into steaks, I do not keep them.