Butchering Deer
 

Is there a trick to getting deer hair off of meat. We butchered our own deer for the first time and that was the hardest thing to do.

RE: Butchering Deer
 

Biggest trick is to make sure you have 99+% off before you start butchering. You can wipe the carcass down with damp paper towels, or if possible use a hose & cold water.

If you have loads of hair, just finish the butchering job and then either soak the meat for 24 hrs (which can also tenderize) or rinse lightly.

To be honest, I usually don't find too many hairs after skinning. The occassional hairs in my meat usually get wrapped with the product, as I always rinse/soak/marinate after thawing.

S&R

RE: Butchering Deer
 

Like Strut said the trick is to make sure the hair isn’t there in the first place...Try to eliminate that problem when gutting and skinning the deer and you will save your self allot of work.

RE: Butchering Deer
 

I have a Dan Fitzgerald video on processing and his suggestion is to use a torch, just lightly and quickly move it over the meat and it will remove the hair without thawing/cooking the meat.

Never tried it though..

If you are carefull during skinning you shouldn't get much/any hair on the meat.

--Bob

RE: Butchering Deer
 

Get a knife with a gut hook and use it on all cuts you can. Not cutting the hair will eliminate the loose hair.

RE: Butchering Deer
 

RE: Using a torch to burn off hair.

I heard about using a blow torch to burn off hair on pronghorn antelope from a taxidermist, so I bought one at Wal-Mart (brass fixture attaches to a propane bottle). This sort of worked, but I had to linger overly long to actually burn the hair off and decided that the blow torch might be more of a problem than the hair so I quit using it. Just my opinion.

RE: Butchering Deer
 

My regiment is always the same skin, rinse with cool water, let hang and if required I wipe down the carcass. I use wash cloth or old t shirts wipe down the carcass with vinegar/water solution. I change the water and cloth as often as required. It works the best of anything I have ever tried (that includes the blow torch method!!).

RE: Butchering Deer
 

blow torch. Dont use water!! WAter creates bacteria, and you may bring something more to the table other than a tasty meal

RE: Butchering Deer
 

I thank everyone for the replies. The second one we did didnt seem to have hardly any deer hair on it. With the tourch method what do you do just put the flame by the hair? Anyways 2 deer butvhered hopefully one more.

RE: Butchering Deer
 

I use latex gloves and change them often when butchering due to hair on them. I also wet the hair down before skinning. And thru careful skinning, hair should be a problem. I hang the deer up by the rear legs, slit the hide on the underside of the legs and work it off top to bottom.