Back in June, Double Lung posted a great video on processing your own deer while hanging: http://fw.ky.gov/video/deerfield.wmv?lid=1038&NavPath=C151C158.

What was neat about the video was that the deer can be reduced from skinned carcass to meat ready to trim and package (or grind) in no time at all, while the skeleton is left hanging on the gambrel. And, it doesn't take expensive tools, although a quality grinder does make the job easier.

Cut any added beef suet or pork fat into smaller chunks and chill it (and the blades, if you care to) before mixing that fat with the burger meat to make a better burger product - otherwise, the fat tends to soften and smear.

In terms of packaging, wrapping the venison in saran wrap first before wrapping it with freezerpaper and tape really keeps the air out, practicallyeliminatingfreezer burn, even wayward packages that turn up in the chest freezer next season. Weaving a width of saran wrap between stacks of butterflied loin to make it easier to seperate out the steaks when thawing them out later (actually, we tend to wrap the thick cut loin medallions in bacon, season, and simply vacuum pack them; they make great thank-up gifts to landowners or neighbors!).

Good luck to all this Fall!