Meat cuts or sausages?

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Rugdoc

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I was just talking to my buddy yesterday.

He went on a trip to B.C.'s interior last month with a mutual friend and they got two whitetail does.

He left the management of the meat to his partner who took both does to a butcher and had them processed into sausages. He was disappointed that he didn't get more actual cuts of meat but only ended up with a box of sausages.

I've also read on these pages and elsewhere where people take a whole deer or bear in for pepperoni. Do people really eat that much pepperoni? I can't remember when the last time was that I had a bite of pepperoni. It's not on my radar.

I'm such a fan of venison steaks, chops, stew, roast and burger that in my opinion it is a crime to ruin it by mixing it with pork and turning it into generic-tasting sausage.

I've rarely had any so-called game sausage that others have had prepared that is any good except once I had some nice elk salami. We got two moose on a shared trip once and my buddies asked for sausage from the butcher. I specified I wanted my share in ground meat, no sausage. They had a kind of garlic ring stuff made up. Tasted like Safeway garlic coil, what we used to call horse #### in the logging camp. I guess with such a large beast as an elk or a moose you can afford to have some put into sausage if you really like it but for a deer-sized critter I think it is a waste to ruin such nice meat like that.

How about you?
 
It's all personal preference. I haven't eaten any steaks in probably seven or eight months, but I've eaten quite a bit of pepperoni because it's easier to make sandwiches with.
 
I eat back straps and tenderloins as steaks. Everything else gets turned into hamburger for Chilli, sausage, brats, burgers etc.
 
kman300 said:
I eat back straps and tenderloins as steaks. Everything else gets turned into hamburger for Chilli, sausage, brats, burgers etc.
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The sirloin tip, bottom round, top round, and inside round are all excellent as steaks and/or roasts. The entire neck, deboned a tied with butcher's twine, also makes an excellent roast.

But as Steve said; personal preference.

I'm having some sausage made this year for the first time, but only about 10 pounds or so.

I'd be pretty disappointed if I shot a couple deer with someone and he/she had the works done as sausage. That's just nuts, IMO.
 
Mine gets into burger and one batch of farmers sausage that I make myself. The way I look at it is if I'm going to pay a butcher to cut my deer and make sausage I would be just as cheap to buy pre-made sausage in the store. Nothing like chili made with deer burger.
 
I cut out the best steaks and roasts and the rest gets ground up which I give most of to my cousin who really likes it. I got sick of wasting money on sausage years ago, some of which never got eaten and just freezer burned and fed to the dogs, now that's a waste. I have a system now where I know it all gets eaten. To each there own.
 
I always get a 30-40pd box of pepperoni sausage as well as some streaks, ground and a roast or two.
I get the sausage done at a local butcher and it is always popular when ever I take it somewhere.
 
I always take the tenderloins then the rest goes to burger. I've had venison sausage but I've never wanted to "sacrifice" the amount of meat I was told it takes to make sausage. I've always been partial to turkey sausage and with a local turkey farm right by my house, it's an easy decision.
 
I cut everything into 2-5lb roasts and then decide what to do with it once it's thawed - roast, steaks, burgers, stew. Around here if you ask a butcher to grind your deer you'd be lucky to get your own meat back.
 
My wife and I just spent the better part of two days cutting up a little buck. I counted 52 packages in the freezer this morning. There are about five of the bones, cut up and saved for soup, 10 packs of burger from the trimmings, and the rest roasts to be roasted or cut into steaks, packages of stew or goulash meat (better cuts than stew) and four packs of boneless chops from the back.

Wouldn't dream of having any turned into sausage.
 
No deer in NL, but moose I do Tenderloins whole, 2 lbs roast some of them bone in and all trimmings go to ground meat and sausage. Usually get Octoberfest, Tex Mex and Honey Garlic. Gave up on steaks as you got to baby them to not having to eat boot leather. I take some of the roast and re cut them if I want a stir-fry, jerky, soup or stew. Had leg bones cut for Ossu Bucco last year, never got around to cooking it and they got freezer burnt...
 
It really is personal preference.

I like steaks and roasts.
I also prefer to butcher myself if I have the time.
Typically I cut the tenderloins, loins, rounds, rump, sirloins, top loins and sirloin tips into steaks or roasts.
I am making a mean venison roast and like it. In my opinion making these cuts into sausage is a waste of good meat, but to each his own.

I may do some of the shoulder meat, neck, shanks as either stew meat or still some small steak in a big deer.

The scrap from cleaning the cuts, the legs and everything else goes into sausage.
Some times I process only the list of cuts above into steaks; everything else goes into sausage.
I currently have kolbassa, Italian and Bratwurst in the fridge and they are all pretty good. Did not do the Bratwurst myself, but I did do a mean Italian.

I recommend everybody to learn how to cut up a deer. I am much more careful with my meat than any butcher could ever afford to be.
I have a good butcher that I trust, but they just can't spend the time I take cutting and wrapping.
Still, shouldn't take more than 5 hours to do a sizeable deer.

If you are anywhere near central Alberta I'm happy to show you.
 
Do what ever you have to make sure it all gets eaten. I had my last bear made entirely into sausage. It cost me over $400 but it got eaten and the kids loved it. If if I'd had it cut into steaks and chops, it would still be in my freezer and I just can't have it wasted.
 
For a deer, the tenderloins are steaks (little ones LOL), the backstraps (striploins) are steaks or roasts, the rest is hamburger. You can never have too much burger in the freezer. Tacos, spaghetti, lasagne, meatballs, meatloaf... oh, and burgers! I like sausage too, but not a whole animal worth of it.

Moose and elk are another matter.
 
I like the backstraps for roasts and the rest half sausage and half jerky. Jerky is a bit expensive to make/get made but I love it and its a perfect gift too.
 
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