Ok fellas...

Got the Lil' woman's doe cut up for the most part... Did the usual, both back straps cleaned up and sliced 1/2" thick and packaged. Both of the inner loins (tenderloin) cleaned up and packaged for a later meal. Cleaned up the heart (we eat the heart & liver) and had it for breakfast chopped and sautéed in with some bacon as a complement to our home fried spuds and eggs. We sent the liver home with her sister who was here visiting for the weekend because she said she hadn't had venison liver in a long time and wanted to try it again. I don't like saw cuts so I bone off all of the meat and take it from there.

I take every usable portion of meat off a deer's carcass that I can. Some of the meat that can't be made into cuts is ground and some is used for stew meat. My wife likes a roast or two, so I save the rounds for that. It's really the deer's a$$ cheeks and I call them "footballs" because after they're cleaned up, they're kind shaped like a football.

The hind qtrs. are separated into sections, cleaned up and packaged so we can use them later for jerky, breakfast steaks, corned venison, etc.... I have taken them to processors who make shaved (chipped) venison in the past but I have a 1hp slicer now so I'm thinking minute steaks.

I make a lot of different kinds of sausages, along with bologna, meatballs, etc... been considering making my own hot dogs because my friends and I usually send meat out for that each season but is there anything you fellas do that I don't and might like to try??? I'm all ears and thanks in advance!!

BPS

I make jerky with the less favorable cuts. I can't keep it though between my grandkids and my daughter. I got a grinder last year and should I get a deer this year I plan on trying my hand at making some kind of sausage and maybe some ring bologna. I may have to bend your ear via email to get some seasoning tips.

I'm with you BPS. I've yet to take a deer to a processor.

Here's what a 110 lb. doe looks like when I'm finished with it.

The backstraps (loins) and tenderloins. We all know what to do with these.



Boneless roasts from the hind quarters. Great on the pit or in the oven.



Chunks from the shoulder and some trimmings from the hind quarter. Great for stew, Daube, Shish Kabobs, etc.



Bone-in Neck. Makes a great pot roast or hearty soup.



Everything else is ground up for chili and Tacos.



Darn, now I'm hungry. I need to go pull the last roast from last year out of the freezer.

I did hot dogs years ago when the kids were little. They I feel are a royal pain in the kister to make Was very happy when the kids got older and wanted hamburgers instead of hot dogs.

I love venison burger so many things to do with it. I make a ton of summer sausage, and the like with different seasonings from most of the meat from one good sized deer.

Al

I like slicing up the loins or roasts into cutlets! Fry them about two minutes on each side, then put them in a pan cover them with tomato sauce and parmigiana cheese and cook until the cheese melts. Can you SAY YUM!!

I hardly ever slice up those roasts from the hind quarters.

I poke holes in them and stuff in cloves of garlic. Then dust them with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Chipotle chili powder. Coat liberally with olive oil and massage the seasonings in. And finally, dust the whole thing lightly with all purpose flour and let it sit at room temperature for a bit until the flour becomes fully wetted by the oil.

Put that on the pit over indirect heat and some Hickory chips on the coals and cook to an internal temperature of 125 degrees. That, my man, is GOOD stuff.

Bronko,

I prefer my jerky made from the better cuts because I like sliced jerky and I don't care to gnaw on gristle. The Mrs. bought me one of those jerky guns for Christmas some years back so I made some ground meat jerky and didn't like it. I gave the thing to my nephew because I just don't care for the texture of "faux jerky". Yea shoot me an email sometime and I'll tell ya some of my secret recipes. But, you'll have to swear a blood oath not to reveal them...LOL!!

You'll be happy you have a grinder... I wouldn't be without either of mine. I have a 1-1/2 hp. Hobart that can grind a lot of meat in no time at all.

BPS

Semi,

We like to use some of the large sections of the hind qtr. for corned venison. It's great for sandwiches, homemade hash, bread bowls, or just snacking on. I'll probably make a lot of minute steaks now that I have a slicer. I like it sliced really thin like shaved beef, then you melt a little butter in a skillet, throw in a handful and move it around with a fork for a couple minutes. When it's no longer pink slap it on a roll... it's Heaven on earth!!

You remind me of my Mom... she absolutely loved a neck roast! I would usually filet the meat off the neck into one large flat piece, trim it up a bit then roll it up and tie it for her.

BPS

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.

I eventually got so into it that I had grinders, stuffers, all the spices, casings, preservatives, smokers, etc. But be careful or you will end up having your friends wanting you to make their specialty meats or at least your stock of spices.

Its a lot of fun but if you ever purchase a grinder, get an electric. You will wear your arm off when you get a lot of venison. And the kids will make all your hard work disappear so fast it will really shock you.

I have butchered all kinds of animals for years. Once you learn how its not so bad. If a butcher is willing to teach you, pay attention they can make if so easy for the rest of your life.

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.