Butchering? DIY or take it to the pro's?

PerrysGunShop

PerrysGunShop

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I certainly appreciate the ambition of people who do this in the garage, but have never yet taken on this part of going from hoof to plate. Have certainly considered it, but I think of the time investment and get concerned about how many _better_ cuts of meat the butchers can get out of it than I.

We take it in and watch a team of guys who do nothing but slice meat in the best way possible...I'm pretty sure it would take me 20 times as long and I'd end up with a lot of "Huh...well that looks like crap, throw it in the grinder."
 
Are you asking a question?

There is no doubt that I take more time as well as more care than any professional during the rush of hunting season.
 
I take pride in knowing I am able to process my own big game and still do it occasionally when my butchers cooler isn't running or is too full. Of course a good butcher can bring much more enjoyment from your kill with better cuts and the knowledge that only comes from experience.
 
It really is pretty easy. Yes a butcher will do a better job than your first few attempts, but you will get better with experience. It never hurts to know how to do something.

The best part of doing your own is you know the quality of the meat your eating. Your sausage isn't mixed in with the gut shot mule buck, that was covered in hair and drug through the dirt and crap to get it out. That thought alone is motivation enough for me to do my own.
 
do it yourself!

A butcher has to move fast to make money. So a lot of it goes on the band saw. This is good for doing a cow where the fat tastes good. For game animal it doesn't do.

Get a sharp knife. Get a grinder attachment for your mixer (preferably kitchenaid if you don't go professional meat grinder of some sort).

Cut all the meat off the bones and trim any fat and any thick silverskin (membrane surrounding muscle). If it is tender when you poke it, it is a chop or a roast. If it is not tender it is for grinding or stew meat. Generally the backstraps (either side along the spine) and most of the muscles on the upper part of the hind leg (deer) or all legs (moose) make up the bulk of the chops and roasts. Any bit that doesn't look and smell fresh enough to eat raw it is neither chop nor roast nor stew nor grind. That's about it.

RG

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hillbillyreefer said:
It really is pretty easy. Yes a butcher will do a better job than your first few attempts, but you will get better with experience. It never hurts to know how to do something.

The best part of doing your own is you know the quality of the meat your eating. Your sausage isn't mixed in with the gut shot mule buck, that was covered in hair and drug through the dirt and crap to get it out. That thought alone is motivation enough for me to do my own.
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Ha, good point. I don't eat sausage really, and am glad to be able to be on hand for the butchering.

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback. You've all convinced me; this year's the year to fill in this gap in my skillset. (Also; you can get an attachment for your mixer? I had no idea. I'll get a proper grinder tho, I'm pretty sure.)

-Jacob
 
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whether you make sausage or just burger you still want you meat to be clean so best way to assure that is do it yourself. It kind of rewarding and save tonns of money.
 
If you're getting sausage made from all of it, you're better off boning it out yourself, weighing the meat then take it in for processing. That way you know how much you should be getting back + what ever they add as well.
(100lbs. venison + 30lbs. pork = 130lbs. sausage) Some guys will short you if you don't do your calculations ahead of time.

As far as cuts go, it's your dime. I prefer to do my own because it's cheaper. Besides, in the middle or even end of hunting season, butchers are booked up solid. Book in advance with the prospect of bagging something.
You could also buy a cheap dehydrator for making jerky at home.........MMmmmmmm...deer jerky!!!!!!!!!!!
 
for me the answer is both...

my family are cow calf farmers - so if we slaughter a cow with the intent of making burger I shoot, skin, bone and grind, only keeping the tenderloin and rib eye steaks for myself...

if I want roasts and steaks we go to the butcher...

for game, if I want farmer sausage I buy a pig slaughter it and grind it and make my game sausage 60:40...

if I want smokies and well cut steaks and other such nummies I take it to a butcher that makes amazing sausages and smokie dogs...

it also depends on the time of year for me - if its too warm to do this outside for example we take it to the country butcher...

so many variables - in a nutshell it comes down to how I feel...
 
It's not flying the space shuttle and in the end you'll have a better product if you do it yourself.

The key: Debone the muscle groups, trim all fat/silverskin/connective tissue from the meat, and leave your roasts and steaks big and thick (you can always make a big cut smaller).

Get a vaccuum sealer and bags and use that to seal the meat - it will last a lot longer. package all meat in portion sized bags. It's easier to take out 3 portions than to thaw out 5lb of ground moose to use 3 portions and have 2 left over.

Advanced trick - keep the tenderloins whole and freeze them under vaccuum. Cut the back straps into manageable sized pieces (say 12" long for a deer, 9-10 for a moose) and seal the same way. Both are so much better when cooked on the BBQ whole and sliced into steaks for service. Sear each side on a hot BBQ and then roll it onto the next side to sear. Then baste teh freshly seared side with melted butter and repeat until all 3 sides (straps tend to make a nice trapezoid but tendies work too) are seared and basted, then turn it down to medium and cook to the desired doneness.

Damn, now I'm hungry!
 
BigUglyMan said:
It's not flying the space shuttle and in the end you'll have a better product if you do it yourself.
...
Damn, now I'm hungry!
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Me to! Damn tasteless corn fed stuff I get to eat over here. For a long time before moving over I ate nothing but wild-shot and home butchered!

RG

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I've been butchering all of mine for the last 6 years, and I've never regretted it. I started really enjoying venison after I started butchering it to my own specs.

I say this as I chew on a piece of sweet-n-spicy pepperoni I made from a mulie buck I shot last year, lol... making your own sausage is the way to go too, absolutely.

-M
 
We spend about a week at the hunt camp up north during deer season, and most of the time 8 out of 10 guys harvest a deer within the first 3 days, so it actually gives us time to stay back at the huntcamp, drink beer, and butcher for a couple of days all of the Venison. Its actually pretty fun, just hanging out drinking and butchering. Quite a bit of it goes through the grinder, but we prefer to use the ground Venison for chilli's and spaghettis, Lasagna, and Burgers. I would say about half of the meat is ground up, and the other half is nice premium cuts and roasts.

It does'nt take long before you have a pretty good idea of how to butcher it up. Just make sure you have a book or atleast good printout from the internet on the types of cuts that you are butchering, just so you know how to label it properly, once you package it up in wax paper so you know what your eating.
 
I have always done my own butchering. It isn't rocket science. Not hard to produce recognizable cuts. A set of good knives does help, have used the same ones for over 35 years. A hint - you want the meat cold. If it is soft and warm it is harder to do a good job.
 
Living in hunt camp world, the local butchers are absolutely overloaded during deer season - to the point that chain saws are used to expedite matters. We take our game down to the "big smoke", to a very high end butcher, and request specific cuts. And we get the satisfaction that its our deer meat that we get back!
At the other end of the scale, a lot of the local lads do their own butchering, presumably as a matter of economy. After spending 40K for the truck, 8K for the four wheeler, and another 5K for accessories, its hard to say...
From my perspective, I've stopped taking "gifts" of venison from these boys - they do injustice to the word "butchering".
 
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