Survey SAYS...?
10-28-2015, 11:21 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Penns Woods
Posts: 1,628
BP, I don't know how far you are from Elizabethtown PA but there is a butchershop called Groffs. They make some of the BEST sweet sticks I have ever tasted. I tried bribing old man Groff out of that recipe years ago. Close as I could get was him making them for me from my deer meat 
You make your jerky like I do mine, from slices. Never could get into ground jerky. Just didn't have the right texture for me. I have a small smokehouse out back I built when I moved here. Best thing in the world for my sausages and my jerky's. I'll even smoke a couple roasts occasionally just for giggles. I make several flavors such as white pepper, garlic, italian (really good one there), and vary the smoke for each one. With the italian I use cherry wood. With the white pepper I use hickory, with the garlic I use a combo of hickory, apple and cherry. Gives it a smoky yet a little sweet background. I have an outside box for cold smoking as well as a box inside the house for low heat smoking/shamming. Cost me around 140 bucks for materials and built it in a day with my son's help. Shoot me a pm with your email and I'll send you the plans. The one I built can hold around 200 pounds of meat spaced well. Materials would probably be around 250 nowadays figuring in 10 years.
You make your jerky like I do mine, from slices. Never could get into ground jerky. Just didn't have the right texture for me. I have a small smokehouse out back I built when I moved here. Best thing in the world for my sausages and my jerky's. I'll even smoke a couple roasts occasionally just for giggles. I make several flavors such as white pepper, garlic, italian (really good one there), and vary the smoke for each one. With the italian I use cherry wood. With the white pepper I use hickory, with the garlic I use a combo of hickory, apple and cherry. Gives it a smoky yet a little sweet background. I have an outside box for cold smoking as well as a box inside the house for low heat smoking/shamming. Cost me around 140 bucks for materials and built it in a day with my son's help. Shoot me a pm with your email and I'll send you the plans. The one I built can hold around 200 pounds of meat spaced well. Materials would probably be around 250 nowadays figuring in 10 years.
Groff's is a pretty good haul from my place, they're southeast of Harrisburg so probably over 3hrs. at least. There's a lot of good PA Dutch (German) butchers in that region. I have several smokers, a Brinkmann electric, a Masterbuilt analog electric that I bought at a yard sale for $5.00 because the guy couldn't find the electric controller for it and decided to get rid of it, and a new MES 30 digital that I bought last fall and have begun playing around with. I have a huge old upright freezer my Mother in law gave me some years back that I've been considering making into a smoker or a dry curing chamber. Thanks for the offer for plans to your home made smoker, I'll PM you some time for that info.
BPS
10-28-2015, 11:29 AM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Penns Woods
Posts: 1,628
I originally got started in the specialty meats through a company out of New York called "The Sausage Maker." They sold pre packaged spice recipes that made as much as 25 pounds of Venison with some ground pork. Excellent results. Then I purchased the man's book, spice in bulk and have been making my own for over 20 years. I really like Venison Salami, Venison Sticks, (I never was a Venison Sausage eater), and different brats and sausages.
BPS
10-29-2015, 01:46 AM
#13
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
Canning...We used to can pork tenderloin in the '60s when we had hog killings...I started canning venison about 15? years ago...
You can heat it, put it over rice or mashed potatoes, heat it, put it in a hot dog bun and put BBQ sauce over it, or my favorite way is use it for the base for your vegetable soup...
You can heat it, put it over rice or mashed potatoes, heat it, put it in a hot dog bun and put BBQ sauce over it, or my favorite way is use it for the base for your vegetable soup...
10-29-2015, 07:33 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Penns Woods
Posts: 1,628
Canning...We used to can pork tenderloin in the '60s when we had hog killings...I started canning venison about 15? years ago...
You can heat it, put it over rice or mashed potatoes, heat it, put it in a hot dog bun and put BBQ sauce over it, or my favorite way is use it for the base for your vegetable soup...
You can heat it, put it over rice or mashed potatoes, heat it, put it in a hot dog bun and put BBQ sauce over it, or my favorite way is use it for the base for your vegetable soup...
I grew up on canned venison. My Mom would usually can some each year as it was one of my Dad's favorites. I was talking to my Mrs. today about what we might do with the next deer either she or I get and she said, "I'd like to can some...we haven't done that in awhile". So that's kinda on the agenda for the next one if we're so blessed. I like to heat it then remove it from the broth and make a gravy then put it back in the gravy and serve it over noodles, rice, biscuits, toast, etc., etc. and it's also great for skillet chili or for burritos. It's a very versatile way to use venison and even the toughest cuts are so tender they melt in your mouth!
BPS
Last edited by Blackpowdersmoke; 10-29-2015 at 07:41 PM.
10-29-2015, 09:23 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
That be one way I have never done. Been meaning to try it one day but never got into the canning thing very much. I freeze my veggies and such fresh and my tomatoes never seem to make it to long from the vine. My maters seem to hit my plate or my sauces immediately or to my kids houses or my neighbors. Especially my Romas. Must be the Italian in me 
11-14-2015, 03:10 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Penns Woods
Posts: 1,628
Well fellas...
I know I didn't bother mentioning it because it wasn't BP related but I got my buck Halloween morning during the archery season. No monster, just a nice typical 8 point with a 14" spread that weighed 150 dressed. That said, here's what I did with my meat yield from him...
Both inner loins wrapped and frozen for a special meal later.
One back strap cleaned up and sliced into steaks, the other cut into three equal sections. I'll decide their fate at a later time.
I have 20 lbs. of nice lean cubed meat from the shoulders, neck and part of one hind qtr. that will be canned in the very near future.
I saved one round (football) roast from a hind qtr. I cleaned up and saved 10 lbs. of the leanest portion of both hind qrts. to have chipped (dried) venison made with.
I'm sending 10 lbs. of meat that I would use as ground venison off to have hot dogs made. You get double back so I'll have 10 lbs. of reg. and 10 lbs. of cheese dogs coming back.
I used the remaining 6.5 lbs. of meat for grind and added 3.5 of pork shoulder with it and made 10 lbs. of Lancaster Sweet Bologna in my MES smoker.
I'm happy!!
SMB
I know I didn't bother mentioning it because it wasn't BP related but I got my buck Halloween morning during the archery season. No monster, just a nice typical 8 point with a 14" spread that weighed 150 dressed. That said, here's what I did with my meat yield from him...
Both inner loins wrapped and frozen for a special meal later.
One back strap cleaned up and sliced into steaks, the other cut into three equal sections. I'll decide their fate at a later time.
I have 20 lbs. of nice lean cubed meat from the shoulders, neck and part of one hind qtr. that will be canned in the very near future.
I saved one round (football) roast from a hind qtr. I cleaned up and saved 10 lbs. of the leanest portion of both hind qrts. to have chipped (dried) venison made with.
I'm sending 10 lbs. of meat that I would use as ground venison off to have hot dogs made. You get double back so I'll have 10 lbs. of reg. and 10 lbs. of cheese dogs coming back.
I used the remaining 6.5 lbs. of meat for grind and added 3.5 of pork shoulder with it and made 10 lbs. of Lancaster Sweet Bologna in my MES smoker.
I'm happy!!
SMB
