Processing your own meat

[C.Killmaster]

A big cutting board and a good boning knife is essential too.

I have a 30" by 26" bamboo cutting board that's awesome, it was the cut out for my stove when I installed a bamboo island counter. It holds a whole deer ham and has room for the scrap pile and the save pile.

 

[jiminbogart]

I can't add much to what has already been said.

I have a $100 electric slicer(mini version of one of those lunch meat type deals from the sub place) and I like Dexter knives.

This is my favorite. $12 or so.

 

[Da Possum]

I use an old Hobart grinder and a cuber that my neighbor bought when a local meat market closed years ago. We cube the backstraps and most of the hams. Everything else we grind mixing in 87% ground beef at 1 part beef to 2 parts deer. We don't make sausage.

I'm curious.....why do you mix beef into your ground deer??? Do you not like the taste of deer meat?

 

[TIMBO1985]

I have a horse an a 1/2 adcraft with the cubber attachment it works great only complaint is I wish the meat hopper was bigger it will work you trying to keep it full , I don’t mix anything with mine, I just put mine in freezer bags it don’t stay in the freezer long enough to worry about vacuum sealing, I use the signs that you see on the side of the road around election time for cutting boards they work great

 

[antharper]

I do pretty much the same as others , I use a $75 grinder from academy . I save backstrap and best pieces of the ham for cube or grilled steak . And grind everything else .I do add beef fat to my ground and my family eats a lot of ground . I may save a neck for a roast or grind it . I’ll also add age your meat in a cooler with ice for several days , I usually leave it on ice about a week , no water and plenty of ice . Good luck , I really enjoy the processing part and usually get my daughter involved . I use a vacuum sealer also , or double bag in freezer ziplocks

 

[antharper]

I also bust a couple hams into sections and freeze until I’m ready to use it and make my family’s favorite, jerky .

 

[rugerfan]

I bought a hand crank grinder from harbor fright tools. It worked ok, not setting any speed records but it works as needed. If and when I do my own ground venison, if I can find pig fat, I do as others have said 3 to 4 to 1 ration. I have also used bacon grease that I save up. If I do not have either I just do without.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Ditto what everyone said. Buy a quality grinder once. Unless you think you'll stop hunting in the next few years, lol.

I only add fat to grind if I'm making sausage, other than that, I like it clean. I don't remove a whole lot of fat on cuts I know I'll grind and that helps

 

[deermaster13]

All good responses. I got me anew one 3 seasons ago my Toledo scales grinder is so hard to find parts for. I went with the cabela one horse. I actually bought the 50lb mixer that attaches to it yesterday. Pork day I've been buying from a local slaughter house.

 

[oops1]

I grind the whole deer..add nothing. Also, if you want to save time..skip the vacuum sealer..just shove it in ziplocks and be done with it. Quarter after the kill and ice down and drain. I then switch to frozen 2 liter bottles so the meats not so wet during deboning. I usually chill them in a cooler for 5 to 7 days prior to grinding.

 

[fatback]

I will agree with what everybody else says. The only thing I see that I see that I do differently is that I ice my quarters for 3-5 days depending on what else I have going on. I will then debone/ cut up all the meat. During this process, I remove all silver skin, fat and any other non-desirable stuff. I then place all of this meat into a large container that has holes drilled in the bottom and this goes into an even larger container and is allowed to drain for another 2-3 days before grinding and packaging. I save the leg bones and make bone broth/stock. For a long time I wrapped in plastic wrap then freezer paper and that worked great. Last 2 years I’ve been using a Weston 2300 vacuum sealer and that seems to work great as well and is a bit quicker than the other way. I do between 4-8 deer a season for myself and a few buddies. I really enjoy the processing part.

 

[Goatman70]

My buddy used to operate a deer processin place, so we got a full scale butcher shop. Stand up commercial grinder, walk in cooler, sausage stuffer, commercial vac sealer, electric cuber, etc. We can process a deer from skin on to packaged in about 30 mins. Use to use the smaller recreational versions of things when we first started. The hand crank cuber works well, small grinders do the job (just takes longer). The real keys to processing deer is aging the meat and trimming all the trash off. I like to hang my deer two to 3 weeks. Add a little water when you're mixing your sausage and it will shoot a little easier.

 

[bany]

Keep everything cold. Spend a few extra bucks on a 1/2 hp or higher grinder.
we prefer NO domestic meat or fat with wild meat. Pork belly or wild hog with venison isnt a bad thing. A pound of bacon in 10 lbs of venison works well but you’ll smell and taste bacon.
we got away from legs, not saying their not good. Rebel,Adkins, and Con Yeager have good stuff too.
We try to avoid msg and the pink salt as much as possible.

 

[notnksnemor]

I use an Oster counter top grinder my wife got at a yard sale 30 years ago.
It's had thousands of pounds of various meats run through it.
Local grocery store will put Boston Butts on sale for .99 cents. I'll buy 10 to 15 of them and grind pan sausage.

When you're skinning, always cut from the inside of the hide out. Knife edge will last longer.

 

[SGADawg]

We like deer fine. That's why we cube all we can. Using ground beef instead of just beef fat does improve the taste of hamburger to us. Your mileage may vary.

I'm curious.....why do you mix beef into your ground deer??? Do you not like the taste of deer meat?

 

[charlieman]

Lem products are top quality

 

[fatback]

When you get comfortable processing your own venison, you are rewarded with meals like this.

 

[hawkeye123]

Good thread, lot of good tips here, I have a 1/2 hp LEM grinder also, grind on smallest plate, do my burger with no fat, sausage 20% pork fat , get from Ingles butcher, Legos seasoning, sage, cayenne pepper a dab of good maple syrup or brown sugar, black pepper, couple of teaspoons gravy master, basil, grind it up, get some casings from Academy, real hog casings & stuff, they sell a brat seasoning that's really good , usually make Italian sausage also, just add basil , garlic & oregano also do jalapeño, cheddar with garlic, also make jerky, soak it in teriyaki, pineapple juice, A1 & Buffalo wing sauce

 

[willie1971]

I like to get some of my deer cubed since I don't have one. Any ideas on an inexpensive set-up?

 

[Ugahunter2013]

I have a LEM Big Bite #12 which is 3/4 hp. It grinds as fast as you can feed the meat in there. I would highly recommend it. Get you a bunch of the bags to put ground in, a big roll of freezer paper, and a good Victornox knife.