RE: self butchering
 

I started out about 25 years ago and it was a celebration event. We went all day butchering deer because mostly we didn't know the right way to go about it. We ate fresh deer burgers and drank a lot of beer. We progressed to a big table in the basement with a huge grinder machined to deer processing, we were all into the deer and did many at one time.

I then progressed to one or two deer. Deboned them as the meat came off. Saving the back straps in a few cookable dinners and the rest in whole pieces for jerky and hamburger as needed down the road. I would package them in 1-2 pound pacages and defrost them as needed then run them through my KitchenGrinder. It's quick and I believe way easier then a whole deer at a time.

Today, I donate the whole deer to a carnivore preserve. The whole deer and maybe this year I will take a tour. They rescue big cats around the US.

My last example in regards to cutting the back straps and then saving/freezing the big chunks in 1-2 pound bags was far easier then any other method when I ate deer.

RE: self butchering
 

"As a reading and writing teacher for 7th grade I see alot of posters who havealot of errors and don't say anything."

Dagnabbit, there's another one teach!:eek:

RE: self butchering
 

We take ours to the garage and do em up there, take the prime cuts like the backstraps then cut some steaks and roasts and grind the rest into ground meat, how can u go wrong with deer burger? im pretty sure it is impossible, doing ittakes about an hour or two top to bottom, 2 hrs well worth the 60-70 bucks u can save

RE: self butchering
 

He beat me to it...

RE: self butchering
 

Did that on purpose...[8D] That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :eek:

RE: self butchering
 

Yup, do it in the garage. Just don't let it hit the floor and have some pans handy. I bone mine while it hangs so no table is needed. I put it in pans, then the fridge, and a few days later cut the portions and vaccum pack it.

RE: self butchering
 

I agree. I'm a visual learner, so it is much easier for me to pick up something like this if I see it, rather than just read about it. We have a bunch of Game Processing/Butchering DVDs, and while I learned something from each of them, I got the most out of Deer Processing 101. (Brad is an award-winning professional meat cutter.) I love the way the Steel Stick chest spreader really opens up the chest cavity.

-- FLIX

RE: self butchering
 

we used to skin them in my buddys back yard, on a tree limb...now i have my own garage with a small pit. i have a gambrel, to hang it over the pit..and skin it then hose the blood down the drain, then cut out the backstraps and inner loyns..then quarter it, and put in the fridge in my garage.. then i go out and and cut it up for the freezer as i watch hunting shows on my tv in my garage, yep when i built my garage, i put a tv, phone, oil furnace, sink, hose, i even have a recliner out there...a lot of the time my wife thinks im working out there , when im just sitting there watching tv, (and having a cold one) LOL....i wouldnt pay someone to cut mine up, because im picky...

RE: self butchering
 

I've always paid to have my deer processed and packaged for me. But I've been thinking about learning how to do my own.

After reading this thread, I definitely will continue to pay to get my deer processed and packaged. It just looks like a big long messy pain in the A**. It would take me half a day to do it, and I'd have to spend a ton of money to get the right knives, a meat grinder, and a vacuum sealer. No thanks.

Kudos to you guys that do your own. I admire your work ethic. I'd rather work 2 hours of overtime and pay someone else to do it than spend 4 hours of my own time doing it. To each his own though...:)

RE: self butchering
 

I butcher mine in the garage. Hang the deer for a few extra days if it is warm outby backing off a fan about 10 feet away from the deer on medium or low, helps to dry the deer inside. I bought a video called From Field To Freezer by Jerry Chiapetta and narrated by Chef Milos Cihelka. Maybe you can find it online, it is very informative. Took a long time on my first deer, but now I can do it without the video. I'll never take it to a butcher again. The meat is incredible tasting. Just go forit and you'll be glad you did. Cambo1