Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: koger on November 24, 2011, 09:49:00 AM
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I saw this mentioned on recent post, wife and I try to put 4-6 deer up every year, dont buy beef, or even kill our own as we raise cattle on our small farm operation.This is the way we store and utilize our venison. We process all our deer ourselves, have a small electric $99 grinder available from Northern Tool, recommended by you folks, great item. If anyone wants recipes, canning instructions etc. Pm me, will be glad to share.
1. Ground venision- frozen in 2# poly rolls, wont freezer burn, even after multiple years.
Makes great chili, lasagna, spagehtti, and I use it for summer sausage also, several guys on here have tried it and love it.
2. Canned venison-- super easy, will still be good in 4-5 years, dont have to worry about a power failure thawing your freezer. Another plus is it is quick and easy to come in from work and fix stirfry, fajitas, beef and noodles, in about 20 minutes, wife loves it. A few guys on here have tried it and love it.
3. Frozen--I keep selected cuts from grinding occasionally, backstraps, cut up stew meat, and roasts and steaks out instead of grinding. I put in a quality zip lock bag, cover with water and zip and freeze after squeezing all the air out. Will not freezer burn, good for a year or so.
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Nice thread and very appropriate. Last night I just processed the two deer I shot last week. I agree with all of the above. Personally I DOUBLE cling wrap my good cuts, and wrap THEN wrap in freezer paper. Sounds like overkill, but I have had cuts last in the deep freeze multiple years. Like mentioned above... removing as much air in the first cling wrap step is very key.
With an elk, antelope, and multiple whitetails we also don't buy red meat.
Also, we save the trimmings, dirty meat, and fat and feed as treats to my hunting dogs.
Jeff
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Back quarters and large shoulders make roasts and steaks. Backstraps are steaks. Every other piece goes to burger or sausage. Rib meat, neck meat, and other high fat stuff goes into sausage.
I single wrap with freezer paper and write the year on steaks and such. It all gets eaten before the next season. Never lost anything to freezer burn.
Burger and sausage meat gets cut into grindable pieces and frozen in ziplocs to be ground as needed in 10 pound increments. I have an electric grinder and it makes a world of difference.
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Tenderloins the night I get him, straight up on the grill. Loins cut for steaks. Everything else boned out and made into jerky in the smoker except for the trimmings. I have a local processor make summer sausage and brats out of the trim.
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I use it all till it's gone.........when you shoot 1 deer every 8 or 9 years that's real easy. I like every cut/grind and use it to make everything from sloppy joes to a nice roast. Wish I could get one more often,let alone 2 or 3 a year!
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I freeze tenderloins whole, cut straight steaks out of the sirloin tips, and butterfly steaks out of the backstraps and all four rounds. Depending on where the deer was shot, I may make some roasts out of the front shoulders. Everything else goes into stew and ground meat.
I used to wrap steaks, roasts, and stew meat in cling wrap and butcher paper, but now I use poly food bags (making sure to remove all air) and butcher paper. I have a few packages of moose steaks still in the freezer from five years ago that have no freezer burn and taste as good as the day I cut them.
For ground meat I package it one pound per quart-sized Ziplock bag, squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and press it flat like a board. The freeze fast, stack easily in the freezer, and a couple minutes in a sink of hot water will unthaw them easily.
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Our local processor charges
$125 to make a whole deer into summer sausage. By boning out and grinding myself, and buying the seasoning/curing salt from an oline vendor, I can do a whole doe, about#30 grind, for$12 and a average buck#50 grind for $24. I dont use the casings, for looks only, and dont add pork/pork fat which gives a greasy taste. All you have to do is add the seasoning and curing agent, mix well, I mean really well, roll into rolls about 2"-2 1/2" in diameter and about 12 inches long, wrap in foil, and poke holes in the top. Bake at 300degrees for 90 minutes, drain and let cool, drop in ziplock bag and in fridge, done! The foil makes the roll compress, and wont crumble when eating it. Big Jim usally gets a roll or two every year, asked me once how much would I make for a bow! Pm me if I can give recipes.
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do all my deer myself everything goes into food saver vacume pack it is great keeps every thing fresh.buy it in rolls and make your own size bags.
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I have always done my own butching it's as much apart of the hunt as the hunting to me. I spent all day yesterday on the butcher block with an elk. I do just about every type of cut depending on the mood my family and I are in. Most of my prime cuts go to steaks,roasts, stew/fajita meat ect.. I make burger,lots of jerky,and all types of sausages(mostly country sausage). I like to bottle meat in a raw pack method that makes "shredded beef" I use in chilli,tamales burritos,ect... The problem is if you take pride in the quality of butching all your buddies will what you to thiers next.
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I try to use as much as posibble when I have time to process my own.
When I do my own I vaccum pack. I cut the straps into butterfly steaks and bacon wrap just like a filet. Wow! those are awesome I keep a few good roast for one or two in the crock pot and jerky.
The rest I grind and either make summer sausage or breakfast sausage and keep some for burger.
Always keep my hides for making leather or rawhide and always keep back strap sinew and leg sinew. sometimes I will save some bones for making primitive tools.
When I take it to the processor I still get my hide and sinew. If I kill a buck I use the horn for buttons and tools and such unless it is a dandy then he goes on the wall. :D
Stiks
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I have my deer processed but most of it goes to cubed steakes and hamburger. About once a year I will have a batch of jerky (5#) made and summer sausage (15#). About once efvery other year I have a batch of link sausage made. I would say 90% goes to steaks and hamburger. The steaks are vacuum sealed and last a LONG time. The burger is in little 1 1/2# plastic tubes that also last a LONG time.
Bisch
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I way I can really. I try to use as much of the critter as possible. As far as meat Steaks, roasts and burger. Then I make what ever from them....ie jerky, sausage and what not.
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separate the muscles in the hindquarters . Cut steaks from the bottom round and run thru a cuber ........... outstanding !!!! ......... steaks from the loin ...... the rest ground and made into burger ,brats, salami and sticks
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typically on a good year in MT, and with good draw results or surplus tags, we get 2 antelope and 7+ deer. we split it between steaks, stew meat, burger, and we want to try makeing sausage and jerky etc.
now that we moved to AK, if we get a Moose then it will probly go the same way,
I dont put anything in the freezer without vacuum sealing it.
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Alot of great things and ideas here. Between my sons,
Father and myself, we try to harvest deer every year. Now being the program director at a Culinary school I have access to alot of tools, grinders, smokers and even a band saw. I usually take the loin and the rack and hit than on the saw and cut Nice venison t- bone and porterhouse. Also cutting nice rack of venison. Front legs, neck and flank usually for sausage, and anything else we would use ground meat for. Back legs get seamed out and packaged toasts get used for a variety of things, BBQ, tacos, enchilada, gyros, and stir fry.
As far as packaging, I've had great success with double plastic wrap and butcher paper. Then I bought a food saver and now I plastic wrap then into a vacuum sealed bag.
Bottom line, everybody has their own favorites and traditions. It's all good and always Keep an open mind to new things. Just remember you can never go wrong with pizza and tacos!
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I usually grab the tloins out and grind the rest. No additives just straight. Then when we use it we can have burger or we can add sausage seasoning and have any type of sausage we want.
Normally we have italian, chirizo, hot link and others in hand.
Mike
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We buy no beef. I do all my own processing. I bone and separate into whole muscle groups. Loins butterfly stake. Some round steak from best hole muscle. Then round for hole muscle jerky. Clean out all the fat and connection tissue for grind after I cut the shoulders and less tender back quarter for stew. My grind is very lean and high quality with very low fat content and top taste. It goes in all kinds of stuff with some for the smoker for summer sausage. I smoke all my own stuff including fish.
My grind goes in zip locks, air out and flattened. This makes them stack nice, have zero freezer burn, and thaw in sink or fry pan very quickly.
The one thing I don't do and really want to start doing is canning it. I hope to start doing that very soon.
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For me Deer is turned into Jerky and peperonie to be eaten while we are duck hunting. Elk is steak and ground. plus we make brat"s and hot dogs from it as well. I also just turned a bunch of ducks into jerky. gotta make room for my upcomming goose hunt :goldtooth:
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I try to take 3 deer a year. The first one is ground into burger. The second goes to tenderized minute steaks and burger. The third is used for breakfast and summer sausage.
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Jerky, sausage, roast, ribs, caned, steaks, ground, keep the hart to roast, the tongue to pikkeled.
Freeze a lot of it in ziplock back toped with butcher paper, never had problems.
If leaver is good I keep part of it, but I don't freeze it, I eat all I can fresh...
Keep the bones(some of it) for soupe broth.
I don't hunt deer(yet), but that is what we do with Moose and Caribou.
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1. Summer Sausage
2. Ground into Burger 1# packages
3. I butcher sirlon tips and back straps off myself and vaccume seal.
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I bone mine, to steaks and burger.
Two years ago I started a Jerky for the Troops project, and put all my deer into that - thinking I would get at least one more deer for myself. The word spread and 2 years ago collected 900 pounds of venison, and last year 2400 pounds. A locker plant in North Central Nebraska makes it in to jerky for a VERY reasonable price. I then ship it to our Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. This season so far I probably have close to 1,000 pounds collected - and have yet to shoot a deer.
I always tell people that if they have someone process their deer, to have 20 pounds or so made in to jerky and send it to a Soldier they know that is serving in harm's way. Every little bit helps and it's very much appreciated.
Craig
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Also, to my last post: If you don't know anyone serving just contact your local National Guard or Military Recruiter and they will be happy to provide you with some names.
Craig
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I've butchered my own deer for years. I dont usually make much jerky etc, as we don't buy much beef and prefer venison for our meat.
I do like most, separate backstraps, usually cut them in half and package as such. I can then either grill them whole, or cut into chops if I want when I take 'em out of the freezer. Shoulders, neck, scraps are ground into burger.
Hind quarters- small deer ( we try to take one or 2 a yr) are wrapped and frozen whole. I grill these whole for special occasions-holidays, or and the end of early archery the night before firearm season opener, or do one in the summer at fishing camp. I have a great way of doing them, and they are the best! Did one for Thanksgiving yesterday, and even my squeemish sister tore right in to it.
For adult sized deer, I bone out the HQ, separate the large muscle groups and wrap/freeze as is. Then I can either do them as roasts, cut into steaks etc. Keeping them in larger pieces reduces the amount of vac sealer bags I use, and is less prone to freezer burn. This system works well, and keeps your options open as to what you want to make out of it for dinner. If I cut them all up, then later want a roast, Im outta luck.
I'd say I grill most of my meat, roasts, backstraps etc. Other than that I either make stews, crockppot roasts, or peppper steak.
But by far, the overwhelming family favorite is a whole grilled HQ. They are to die for.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/8b5b805b.jpg)
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But by far, the overwhelming family favorite is a whole grilled HQ. They are to die for.
Mighty fine lookin table there John... :thumbsup: I did that with the an early October deer this year, pinned strips of bacon on it for flavor and moisture.
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/TRR%20ven%20hanch%202.JPG)
Also did the ribs and they were laripin
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/TRR%20ribs%201.JPG)
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My brother processes our deer while I bag and label all the cuts using a vacuum packer. He'll usually cut the hams into roasts (we'll cut into steaks before cooking if desired) and front shoulders into stew meat. Everything else gets ground up. We've been doing things this way for a few years and it works out great. We haven't lost any meat to freezer burn in a long time and there is no wasted meat. TRW
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I'm a firm believer that band saws and venison are not a good combination . Band saws spread bone marrow ,bone chips and fat all over the steaks. I believe this gives the meat a much stronger flavor.
Do yourself a favor and bone out your deer before you cut steaks
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1st year so far without any venison. You guys are killin me!
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I've got a few PM's inquiring about how I do the grilled Leg of Venison. So heres the scoop. Its got flavor galore, and plenty moist.
I use a HQ off a small deer, yearling does are perfect, or a button buck if thats what you end up with. You can use bigger deer, but tehy take longer to cook and are harder to get done deep inside without overcooking the outer meat.
Trim off as much fat and silverskin off the quarter. I prefer charcoal over a gas grill. I also get a bag of chunks of hickory for smokers,soak a few handfuls in water for a couple hours or overnight so it smokes better.
Don't get your fire too hot, a single layer of coals, maybe 1/4 to 1/3 bag depending on the size of your grill should do it. You may need to add a little as it cooks. I get some more going on the side so I can add hot coals as needed.
USe a meat thermometer- get it in along close to the bone in the deepest part, but you may want to check it in a few spots such as the sirloin as well. I use an electronic digital one, and shoot for about 135-140. you can go more or less depending on how you like your meat cooked. I like it medium to medium rare.
The rub-
3# box of Kosher salt
2 oz garlic powder
1 oz onion powder
1 oz dried basil
1 oz dried marjoram
1 oz dried tyhyme
1 oz dried tarragon
1 oz dried coursely crushed rosemary
1TBS pepper
This is the orignal portions of the recipe I use. I weighed out ingredients with my grain scale, but have since modified it. I use 1 heaping TBS of each spice, and a couple cups of salt. There is a lot of salt in the rub, but most of it falls off during cooking. Apply rub fairly heavy, pat on to meat. You can add other spices to it if you like, or omit, but this rub is awesome.We use it on just about anything we grill.
Place HQ on center of grill, add hickory around edges of fire so if they burn they dont burn the meat. keep covered as much as possible while cooking. The hickory, along with the spices falling off into the fire will make a great smoked flavor. When it gets done, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
If you noticed, I leave the lower leg bone on the quarter. Even the shank meat on th lower leg is tender when to tear in to it.
This is by far my favorite way to prepare venison. Im making french dip sandwches with the leftovers,along with a batch of French Onion soup.
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Ron, I love your ironworks for campfire cookin. Thats a well thought out set. I love campfire cookin, and witha good spread to prepare, its a lot of fun putting together a great meal, using cast iron and hardwood coals.
One of my favorites is a big iron skillet full of walleye, beans simmering in one pot, another pan with my country fried potatoes,dutch ovens with jalapeno corn bread and a blueerry cobbler.
By the time chow is ready, the neighbors in the campground are starting to gather downwind .