Processing deer meat.
 

Is there a secret out there to remove the sinews that plaque most cuts of deer meat? The steaks and backstraps are great in that they lack the white sinewy material that hold together most other cuts of meat and make them tough. I've tried to filet them off, pull them off, but nothing works consistently or particularly well. Any tips on how to trim the less favorable cuts?

Fritz

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Seperate each piece into its own individual muscle Then with a sharp knife fillet or slice off the silver skin. You can always grind up anything that you find is less palatable.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

I've actually tried slicing off the white skin after separating the muscle groups, but I always seem to take more meat than white skin, especially with the thinner pieces. I can filet a sunfish in a second, but the sinew in the deer really holds onto that meat well. I was hoping there was a secret to doing this, maybe related to aging the meat or something along those lines.

Fritz

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Slow cooking will reuce silver skin to jelly , otherwise you'll have to remove it piecemeal with a VERY snarp knife before cooking .

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Hold the angle of the SHARP knife more toward the silver skin and less at the meat. More like skinning a fish rather than filletting one.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

There is no easy way. I just filet away with a sharp knife. I do not grind this stuff up, this is where all the bad taste and off flavors are. Get rid of it and you have gourmet meat and burger.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Very true, Big Guy. I grilled up some backstrap last night and it had NO gamey taste what-so-ever, except in one bite where there was some silver skin that I missed before cooking. Take the time to cut that stuff away before cooking and venison is delicious.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

I always remove before grinding, also I grind the shanks seperate and use for chilie, I find that when I grind the shanks a little less colder than the rest, that the sinew just collects near the grinding plate.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

VERY SHARP knife. It will come of much easier.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

I have always found that a slighty dull knife works better so that you don't cut through the sinew but the blade stays between the sinew and meat. I just fillet it off like you would skin from a fish

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

There is a secret. You can age the meat in the fridge by letting it thaw out slowly and leaving it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. When the blood starts leaching out, the enzymes have done their job on the cells of the meat ,making the meat more flavorful and tender. At the same time the silverskin also weakens and comes off the meat much more easily.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

great tips fellas!

using a SHARP knife makes a BIG difference!!

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Here's the big secret - Practice!

I got my brother a video on deer processing. Nothing new, but, you get to see how an experienced butcher uses a knife. Lots of tricks.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

I cut the hams into steaks and freeze them. When I'm ready to eat, I cut the sinew crap off while it is still froze with a filet knife.

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

Ditto to farmcntry.:) I believe it does no harm while frozen and if any, it prevents freezer burn to one less cut area of meat left exposed. After being frozen it seems you don't even need a knife to pull it off. (I use a boning knife myself to remove it .) You don't need much blade.:D

RE: Processing deer meat.
 

I lay mine out and use my fliet knife to cut it off.I use my fish board with the clamp on it to hold the strip and do it like a fish.
I have never had a problem since I started doinig it this way.I remove it all befor I vacume it.

I stopped by the meat prosesing store one time to get some fat and they were cutting into steaks and then trying to cut the silver skin off.I showed the lady the way I did it and she called the meat cutter and I showed him.they were in awe at how easy it was.

they gave me all the fat I needed after that.