jay im doing 1 myself. i can tell you from experience you need to boil it . i put mine on the grill and let it simmerbut it took like 8 hrs or more for the meat to come off then i didnt use anything to help me get the meat off . i just scraped it . to get the brains out easier just take a sawsall and cut about 2 inches behind the antlersthis left me a nice hole about 2 inches round .i also used a clothes hanger to go though the nasal cavitie. well hope this helps . keep me informed on your progress