Thanks for confirming many if my thoughts on deer processing. I cut meat for 27 years, retired and now processing deer. Only cut one a day, freezer wrap and trim extremely well. Only open for a month and already having referrals. I want my customers to enjoy a good palatable piece of meat. Buddy
Agree with most of your reasons . We have fed our family with venison , burger , steaks , roasts for over 40 years . The quicker , and cleaner you prepare your deer , the better it will taste . Especially if it is a younger animal that was fed on orchard grass , clover , corn , beans ; compared to fescue and acorns . Be selective if possible . Antlers feed the ego . A young buck or a 2-3 year doe can make excellent table fare . Do you want to hang it on the wall , or stack it in your freezer ?
Meat in the Freezer is my goal. The only time I care about antlers is after I filled my freezer, and gave away an abundant amount of venison to family and friends - then and only then do I care about antlers. Obviously by that point the season is over 🤷🏽♂️
Just shot a buck a few weeks ago, the meat tastes the best it ever has for me, no gamey taste at all. What i did: Gutted it within 3 hours of shooting it (a storm came by and i had to wait), When i got it home, hosed out the cavity, removed the tenderloins, let it hang overnight (the temp outside was below 35 at night). Next day, it was getting into the 40s so i quartered it out and threw it in a cooler, dumped a bag of ice over it and let the quarters rest for a week in the cooler, every day or two, as the ice melted i drained the bloody water out of the cooler. i didnt need to replace ice as it stayed in the 40s the whole week so it didnt melt much, the internal temp of the cooler stayed in the low 30s the whole time. the night before cutting up the meat i filled the cooler with water, including the leftover ice, to get as much blood out as possible, the next morning i drained it all out and removed the ice. Ground up all the meat besides the backstrap, trimmed off all the fat and silver skin and separated it from the clean cuts and ground that up separately for dog food. (That way when you inevitably leave some meat on your silver skin you dont feel bad about throwing it away).
Absolutley great tips. I have been using these for the last 20 years. Previously was taking my game animals to butuchers that really didnt want to do them but wanted the money. Results were we got terrible tasting meat back. Only thing I would add is I use a seperate small knife and nitrile glove to cut out the hairy scent glands on the rear legs and throw them away before any gutting or skinnining. Dont use bandsaws to cut and leave bone in your cuts as the smeared marrow ruins the taste of the meat. If you want short ribs use a reciprocating saw with a 14TPI metal cutting blade and only after you have removed all other neck meat and shoulder meat.
My family has been butching and processing our venison for decades. Frankly, this is all great advice, but I have to add my 2 cents regarding trimming. Your belt knife "can do it all" but a fillet knife is by far the best trimming knife around. Silver skin and fat removal goes twice as fast, and it gives you a lot more control.
Same here I learned how to process my own deer at around 14-16 years old. Now I’m one month shy of 62 and just processed my deer three days ago with my 9 year old grandson by my side. Someday I hope he can pass it on to his grandson.😉
100% agree! Have my stable of 6” & 10” (bought at W**mart!) filet knives, my Sharpening steel, all I need- and yes I can dissect a whole deer with my 3” old Shrade Walden trapper, but filet knives are Best! And all those other reasons, UH HUH! -Cutting up deer since 1970s!
Another recipe tip: look for “old world” recipes from Europe. Most of them are from times when people are more game or when farm animals were closer in leanness to game meats. Goulash is one of my favorite examples.
We eat nothing but venison, with no added fat to the ground. To add some moisture for burger patties, you can add some mushrooms minced up super fine (4 oz. mushrooms per lb. of venison) with a few dashes of Worcestershire. Gives good moisture for thicker patties. Another way I have found that works really well is make 3 oz balls of ground, seasoned venison, and make Smashburger patties. Hot griddle, big spatula, place a piece of parchment paper on top, smash it super thin, you get wonderful crispy edges. Flip over, when almost done, add a slice of cheese. You can place 2 super thin patties on a bun. Yummy!
I’ve never had it and would like to give it a try. This older lady I know that makes the burgers adds a splash of milk she said it’s to add moister. I wouldn’t know. The mushrooms sound like a far better option though considering I love mushrooms.
Seasoned Venison ? that is gorse to eat rotten meats. I bet you like week or 2 week old road kills also. I've done guide work for other AK guided that let Moose hang for 2 or 3 months as the meat turned black and grew green slime over the meat and when the meat was ready to fall off the bones this is when these idiots called it good meats for eating
This is an interesting idea. I normally end up with wild mushroom in deer season and the Hens always have a big old root that is left and I few of those would make a great candidate to ground up with some venison
@@greglovelace246 yes, too greasy for us to add fat. With the meat being so lean, I was actually able to get off cholesterol medication. Much healthier than beef (I was using 97% lean beef before, but still had to take meds).
You have exactly the same ideas that I have used for years. Most folks who eat my venison are surprised with the good flavor. The stuff that goes to dog treats or the chicken pen seems like waste, but if it makes all your meat taste like a$$ then the whole animal is wasted. I learned this over the years on my own. I think it's wonderful that you are telling folks about it here!👍
Couple years back, I built a walk-in deer cooler for two reasons: To age my deer, and to be able to butcher it on my terms, not be held hostage by the outside temperature. It's 4 ft square and 8 ft high with 2" blue foam insulation. It's powered by an old air conditioner that I hacked to maintain 36F, and there's a pulley and cable system for the gambrel. First year I aged my deer, I noticed the meat had a strange mushy texture compared to previous years. It would "melt" in my mouth, and not in a good way. I didn't think much of it until the same result the following year. At first, I thought I was just losing interest in eating deer meat, as my interest in hunting had been slowly declining over several years. The following year, I got two deer, so I did an experiment. I aged one in the cooler (36F) for about a week before butchering. Other deer I butchered the next day. I discovered that the non-aged meat had a much better texture, and did not "melt" (more like disintegrate) in my mouth like the aged deer. No more aging deer for me. Further, I DO NOT remove the bladder from the pelvis when field dressing or butchering. There is no upside to such a difficult and risky operation. Just leave it in there. The entry and exit tubes will close and seal by themselves when the deer dies and begins to dry out. I've been doing this for years and have never had a leak. Get yourself a Butt Out tool for the anus, and you're set. IF you're concerned about getting urine on the meat, gently squeeze the bladder before cutting anything in that area and it'll empty on the outside of the deer as nature intended. Also, don't split the hams in the field! No matter how careful you are dragging it out, dirt will ALWAYS get stuck there and it's impossible to fully remove. Split the hams when you get it home and hung. By the way, I do not skin my deer before hanging. I don't want that dried crust on my meat; I don't like it on ham and I don't like it on venison either. Yes, it's more difficult to skin after the carcass has cooled, but it's worth not having all that dried out meat. My two cents... Shoot straight!
I wonder is using an AC had something to do with it? They dehumidify as well as cool. We've been aging our deer for years and it's 1000 times better than not aging it.
It all matters when it comes to putting up food, it all comes down to how it was killed, and taken care of. Prepared for storage, and cooked. Hunting might be fun on a primal level, but the work starts after the fun, I find it very satisfying to have a full freezer of edible food, but I feel the same way about a full wood shed, or a barn full of hay going into a long winter.
One key point I've learned over the years is that instead of steaks, I get much better results cooking whole roasts and slicing them similar to London Broil, pink in the center. Venison does dry out very quickly when overcooked and this is one way to avoid that. Another is to simply brine a roast in saltwater prior to cooking. This helps get rid of a lot of blood taste and preserve moisture.
I like to cook whole roasts on the smoker. Whole tenderloins, whole backstraps, whole neck roasts, round roasts, etc. Then for tenderloins and backstraps, slice them and eat them at medium rare to rare(in the center of the roast) or medium to medium rare in the center of the roasts. The other roasts get a nice crust started and get thrown into whatever dish I'm going to make. Pulled venison, stew, chili, etc.
For cooking I have found three things that make all the difference. 1 - Wet brine the meat in water that is about as salty as ocean water, for 6-24 hrs. 2 - bring it to at least room temp before cooking. This reduces the amount of overcooked meat on the outside, as you don't have to grill as long to bring the center up to final temp. I have the best results bringing it up to about 100deg in the brine water. 3 - using a meat thermometer, never go above 135 degrees, pull the meat off the grill and tent with foil for 10mins on a plate. Doing this, you only need to rub the meat with some olive oil, then a bit of salt and pepper, maybe some dry rub if you like. My brother and I grilled steaks that he killed a few weeks ago, and I have never had more flavorful and tender meat. These tips all came from the owner of a high end restaurant in SF. I asked how he made the pork chops so good and this was the answer. Good luck and enjoy!
I do every step you do and agree totally. I also do the same with my moose, wild turkey, and black bear. I can have people over and they have no clue what they’re eating. They just love it. An old butcher said if you want the wild taste out of game, debone it. It’s true. I also can some from time to time, when I’m running short on freezer space, and we love it that way too. I butcher all my own game and am very particular about it. The results are incredible. Remember good venison starts as soon as you squeeze the trigger.
When I was a child, my Dad would field dress the deer immediately. When he got it home, he would hang it up, and us children would do the skinning. As the oldest, I supervised the rest of them, so they wouldn't nick too much meat. Hunting for us was just getting dinner.
I will say this as a first year deer hunter at 44 (spent most of my life waterfowl hunting). I made the decision before I started that I was going to do the whole processing of every deer I killed. Now, so far I only have got 1 and I'm sure I left meat on that most would scold me for but I did the entire deer SOLO, now I have hams, ground, backstraps and loins in the freezer. Currently working on making some deer sticks, already made burgers which my family smashed like they hadn't been fed in weeks! I keep telling myself I will continue to do the whole thing myself, however the reality is if I have 2-3 deer in a trip, then odds are I will dropping at least 1 off to be processed. It is a bit of work for sure, but I gotta say well worth it in the end, not only in $$ saved but the feeling that you did it.
Similar position as you. Stumbled through my first. 2nd was a little better but its a ton of work if you're not completely set up for it, but its the only way I'll do it. Theres something special about field to table done by yourself. You also know everything about how it was handled, peace of mind eating
@@GoodVibesOnly1914it's not that much work. Go watch some videos. I took my time this season and harvested about 35-40lbs from a small buck. Took my time processing and vacuum sealing. Was like 3 hours. I enjoyed it
I was taught on my very first deer the best way to care for my harvest. Guts out, Hyde off immediately, meat off bone and packed and wrapped within 24 hrs. Process on my own, and only use a fillet knife.
Field dress soon as possible, clean without busting the bladder, rinse out body cavity soon as possible, if cold let hang 3 to 7 days. If warm skin asap. Quarter store in bags then cooler with ice under and on top. Drain plug open. Processing remove all fat and silver skin freeze after bagging. A good stiff 6 inch deboning works great.
You da man! Spot on with the video. It’s great to hear each step you talk about for keeping the meat clean which makes a better product to eat. I’ve done this for years and people can’t believe they’re eating venison. Thanks for taking the time to talk about this.
Okay you won me back 100% with the cellophane and freezer paper point. Absolutely the best way to wrap meat for longevity. It’s not that vacuum wrapping is bad, but it does let some light and air even (easier to compromise thin plastic than it is to compromise thick paper AND thin plastic) compared to a non-transparent wrapping.
Wrong! Best option is vacuum seal! What are you trying to say? It doesn't make sense! There should be NO air in the bag. If there is then get a better vacuum sealer! And light? Huh? There will be light with plastic wrap too genius! What vacuum sealer bags do you use? Because the ones I use are MUCH more thicker than what you're talking about. You don't know jack bud!
🤣 Unfortunately I’m not as dumb as you think because the vast majority of professional butchers, chefs, and Everyman hunters agree with me. Only exception is the high-grade chamber sealers but who has that kinda coin? Do 10min of googling and you’ll see. But I dare not spend another minute indulging you. Your comment will not age well.
this year i made venison pastrami out of one of the hind quarters and its incredible. smoky, peppery and tender, it will be something i do with at least one of the hind quarter from now on.
A great marinade for game is called allegro marinade. Kroger used to carry it .can be found online. I like the original , they have many flavors available now.
It's been more years then I am willing to say for my son and I with no deer. That's northeastern Minnesota for you tho,they have had to many severe winter's. We decided to use the deers fat to mix in our hamburger mix this time around. It's unbelievably Good!!!!
Young man do you have a book??? You are a born teacher. This is the first video I’ve seen that you have done. I am going to venture and I feel very strongly that you are A Good Christian Man .
I dont remember you talking about storage of the processed meat. If you vacuum seal or use butcher paper......its important to use a freezer that IS NOT a frost free freezer. my deep freezer is not frost free......so I have to defrost it each year or 2, but its also not sucking the moisture out of the meat I store in the freezer. I learned this from my dad years ago.
A good way to store ground I’ve found in recent years. 2lb of ground venison fits in quart size Ziplock freezer bag, then wrap that in freezer paper. Found a 2 yr old pack the other day in the back of the freezer I missed and it was fine. No freezer burn. Tasted great.
Vac sealers are cheap anymore. Big time saver. Can even throw whole chunks in. And decide how what you will process it for later when you pull it from freezer. Everybody's got their own way. Though I've found I have less waste with the sealer bc I'm not in a hurry to have everything done up before spoiling.
I grind all but the back straps mixed 80/20 with pure pork belly fat or beef fat (depending on what I can get at that time). I vacuum pack it into 2 lb bags pressed flat so they stack in the freezer like file folders.
Something I used to do and loved the end result was mixing deer burger with pork sausage! Since deer meat is so lean, it really adds something to the pork, especially if we'd get whole hog sausage, because it's sometimes made with old boar hogs. We mixed it with really fatty hamburger too and it makes a really good meatloaf!
I've been processing my own deer for 60 years and I completely agree with everything stated here. It's funny. I use freezer paper and always wondered if I was missing out because everybody tells me that vacuum sealing is far superior. Because I've never owned one, I thought perhaps they might be right, but I didn't know. I do know that I've pulled up ground venison that was left in my freezer for 10 years in double wrapped freezer paper, and it looked and tasted just fine. So I wondered how a vacuum sealer could improve on what I was doing already. This is confirmation that it wouldn't and I will NOT be investing in a sealer!
If you put the meat in zip lock bags then use a 5 gallon bucket of water you put the meat in the bags then dunk in the water to use the water to force the air out then press the zip lock to seal the bag. Next is freeze meats on trays first them put meat in zip lock bags and use the water method to push the air out and seal the bags. Air is the evil to causing locker burn.
I don’t know about 10 years!! But I had a bag of doe burger that froze on the bottom of freezer that I could never get til I defrosted that was shot 8 years when I got it free, and it wasn’t burnt at all and tasted fine..
Very useful, thank you. The long-term storage problem is an interesting one. I'm wondering if anyone has tried using a combination of both butcher-paper AND vacuum sealing before freezing. So dry the meat off, wrap with butcher paper so none of the plastic is sealed to the meat, and THEN vacuum-seal the whole parcel before freezing.
My wife makes a great marinade in the slow cooker for deer meat, it's a red wine and cream of mushroom sauce. But Italian dressing is an amazing idea, thanks.
Process your own. You get the best quality. Plenty of videos on TH-cam to help you get a deer broken down. We don't have a walk in. We butcher everything after 2 days in a cooler and vacuum seal it. Leave in in the fridge for 3 days to a week "wet aged" and then freeze. Thaw, do some final trim and cook. We never cook a steak past 125 degrees, let it rest for 10 min it will continue to cook up to 130. Utter perfection.
1000% worth learning to process yourself. I’ve never taken mine since I started hunting because I’ve seen the pics of processors with tons of deer sitting out in the sun, half not gutted, for hours. No thanks, I’d only take it to a processor that offered your own deer back.
I agree vacuum seal is not good. Try Glad Press'nSeal Wrap and then Bucher paper. You will thank me. Meat stay good for a very long time. Thanks for your video
Pretty much on point with everything you said. Those facts are pretty hard to argue with. I’ve been butchering game for 39 years. All my big old rutted up bucks go into jerky and sausage.
Marinades on venison are for people who don’t like venison. I only dry season venison because if I want something that tastes like marinade, I can buy beef. Hunting is too hard of work to use for that.
Correct. I find back straps with salt, pepper, and maybe some garlic. Sear in lots of butter, and finish to med rare. Best tasting meat, no marinading.
Correct. I find back straps with salt, pepper, and maybe some garlic. Sear in lots of butter, and finish to med rare. Best tasting meat, no marinading.
I definitely agree with using cellophane and freezer paper for storing game meat in the freezer. ❤ Been cutting, cooking, and eating venison for 60+ years. 😋
I keep mine in ice water while processing as i go. Just go to the grocery store and get beef fat grind that 20% and you can’t tell difference between beef and venison.
Absolutely agree with 90% of this Gut and skinned within a couple hrs of shooting. Aged hanging 2-3days weather permitting. Otherwise in fridge. Even up to 5 days there. Sliver skin fat etc has got to go, imperative step to avoid being chewy Cook steaks like beef. High heat fast with bunch of butter or even. In bacon grease. Burger gets about 20% bacon No need for over seasoning. Just the normal season salt onion and garlic powder. With a touch of your preferred seasoning. Montreal. Or Tony cach here Where I disagree is marinate but only for jerky be it whole muscle or ground. Great video. Wish I would've seen it 15 b years ago before learning on my own.
I cook the ribs in a big stock pot with my seasonings and boil them for hours to make a stock. It's so good. We also like to BBQ the ribs. As long as you're careful with cooking they aren't tough and taste so so good.
Howdy, Brother! I'm old has hell and looking forward to my first hunt about a month away (Nov 2nd). I'm not thinking about hanging antlers. I'm out to fill the freezer. Thanks for sharing your experience, advise and tips - God Bless and Drive-On, Cowboy! 🤠
Love lean burger like he saying.. another good one for making juicy venison burgers is butter. Freeze a stick of butter for 30mins to and hr them shred it on a box grater. The mix it with your burger and maybe an egg..also the frozen butter trick makes great biscuits.
All sounds good. But, I dry age my deer hams for two weeks. I cut up everything else and the tenderloins and back strap never seem to make it to the freezer.
Been processing my own for my entire life. First question is how old and second is how quick was the kill? If it was running you have to at the min let is dry age or wet age for 3 days. Gotta get the adrenaline out. I skin and quarter the same day and as of late wet age. Remeber to get the glands out of the hind quarter and ice and sit. Then usually 3 to 7 days cut up into groups and leave over night in fridge with a drain plate in bottom. A gallon of blood will release and pack. And poof amazing.
I think the number one reason is bc of poor shot placement. Im not just talking about gut shot. That is a given. The longer the deers blood is pumping the more adrenaline they release. The more adrenaline the tougher the deer is going to be. It is of the up most to make a good quick kill. If you shoot your deer right below the ear it dies with in 5 seconds. Also aging the meat plays a huge role in how it tastes. In a cooler 8 days on an incline like you said. Walk in or refrigerator it needs at least a week i hang mine for 14 days. It takes 5 deer hung for 14 days to feed my family of 4. Ill tell you what though the best is if you can hang it outside with the skin on, gutted for about 5 days then skin it and put in a cooler for another 5 days. I did that last year around christmas when it was in the teens and never got over freezing for a week. I dont know if it was the temperature going up and down or what, but i did that last year with one and it was gooooood.
Great video. I only eat Doe and live in farm country. I took a young Doe last fall and it's a hit with the family. My stepdaughter took a buck with her fiance in the UP of Michigan. No farm land. It's inedible.
Deer burgers no fat needed. 1 tablespoon of corn starch or even flour to 2 lbs I like to add some seasoning and a few shakes of A1. Mix well. Use patty press. Make them 3/8 inch thick. To cook sear in some lard in a pan 45seconds a side or so. Serve med rare .
Have you ever heard of marinating the venison in milk and one tablespoon of vinegar for about 5-6 hours to take the game taste out of the deer meat . I’m relatively new to hunting and take my deer to a small butcher. Great video by the way, city boy raised, started hunting about 5 years ago in my early 50’s. Wish I started 40 years ago. Nothing like the peace of hunting, sitting in a tree.
Wow dude...great points....but in western Washington, peirce county, is completely different than spokane ...food definitely adds a certain flavor, the biggest detriment to wild game is field dressing. Economical tarps from hf are great shade creators and ground cover etc...sharp sharp knife.
Wild to me that a processor would have a communal source for ground/sausage. I would've told him to give me my deer back and gotten out of there. Question for you, Will: you said on average your family eats venison three nights a week year round. If you live in Kentucky and only fill one tag per year, how is that possible? Do you hunt across state lines or get gifted a lot of venison?
I fill 10 liquid laundry detergent jugs with water and also make about 15 pounds of ice and store it in my freezer’s venison space (all of which is consumed by August). I hunt in Wisconsin and HATE hunting early season warm weather due to how quick an animal can degrade. This past season we had perfect weather for the week after I killed my super fat pre-rut 3.5 year old buck (below freezing temps each night and nothing above 40 in the day). It sat with the fur on in my shaded 5x8 trailer packed under ice and thick insulation - when I butchered it 8 days later the meat was incredibly tender and lacked any gamey flavor. On warmer years I have had success butchering the meat the next day and aging it in the fridge. I always use a clean pot of water to drop every trimmed piece into prior to a secondary transfer into my final processing bowl. All hair floats to the top and it keeps the meat super clean / blood free. You can buy the bacon ends / pieces for very low cost - mix it in at a 30-40% rate with venison / garlic and you have a result that is hard to beat. I put it into snack bags and create super flat square burgers but it would also make great polish Sausage links too. I feel sorry for anyone that doesn’t butcher their own venison - no butcher on the planet can make any money while decontaminating all of their equipment between every deer.
The only disagreement I have with this video. Is if you plan on dry aging try to keep the hide on. With the hide on, you don’t form as much crust resulting in less waste.
My last deer was a 142lb doe. I took to local processor for all burger. 3 weeks later he brought out a tray with 12 lbs of burger. I'm done getting ripped off. Processing my own now.
Hunt in fl Old trick for bear, hog and deer. Cooler ice and salt. Its Cooler than ice it brines the meat. Drain the water off every day add more salt and ice as necessary. Works well especially for hogs when its hot. And deer knife? A case stockman or trapper is just fine. Do like a fixed blade for hogs though and thats because the fat gets everywhere
Growing up we never ground our deer it was stakes stew meat or canned. I have only eaten other peoples ground venison until I was a adult. A lot of people don’t properly trim their ground meat and gives it that waxy off taste. To this day even though I know better I associate ground venison with that waxy off taste. If you don’t properly handle you wild game you can completely ruin someone who has never had it before. I grew up with a friend who hated venison and I couldn’t understand why until one day when I went to his grandparents for lunch and he cooked venison, it tasted like he rubbed the sent glands and bladder all over every steak. Don’t ruin people for the adventures and experience of hunting and eating wild game because you don’t properly process you meat
A butcher got me with some old freezer burnt me when I was young .early 20s.. 50 yrs ago... So I when up on my roof .measured the turbine.. went to his house one day an lowered all that bad meat down in his attic.😊 About 10 yrs later .while at a bar he was telling story how they found 100 lbs of rotten meat in his attic. 😊 I learnt how to harvest my one after that
100%. Get it chilled and get that meat off the bone! At 55 degrees by the time some guys find their deer, take the photos, get their buddies to help drag, drive to the processor and the processor does anything with it like 4-5 hours has gone by. I process my own and I just debone like I do out west with an elk. Dragging is for the birds anyway.
When I used to take deer to a processor those were the first questions I asked. Will I 100% get my deer meat back and how long do you let them hang in the cooler before processing. If it's 1 or 2 days no bueno and off I went.
Guts out, leave the hide on, leave in cooler to dry age for a few days, skin and debone choice cuts, use the scrap for trap bait. Do not cut a deer up while it is fresh, warm and floppy.
Interestingly one of the oldest worn down deer inever shot was the best tasting deer. I once shot a 1 1/2 ish year old deer that was horrible. I live in the sticks with only a small alfalfa feild here and there so none of them are grain fed.
Me hunting public land with a bad EHD year and I’m only able to get out there a couple weekends…yeah I’m shooting the 1st thing I see lol. Beggars can’t be choosers. Enjoyed the discussion though.
Agree with the majority of this. Strongly disagree with the cutting of fat into the grind. If I make sausage I’ll grind pork butt/fat cap into the mix, but never on straight deer grind. Always pure venison on a coarse grind, then cut in recipe-specific fats later.
These are all great points that I practice myself except that I use a vacuum sealer. But the best point by far is aging your deer! I leave mine on ice for up to 2 weeks.
It’s funny I was talking about this same subject yesterday. All the steps you mentioned are exactly what I’ve been doing for over 50 years. Taking it from the trigger to the table I know exactly what I have. I’ve been refining my hamburger mix for years and now have it perfected. Yes we eat venison year round. Thx for sharing
I work for a processor. You will get your deer, and your deer only. He gets too busy he will turn people away. It's just the 2 of us, and his wife does the grinding, and packing. We both have day jobs, and we will get one or 2 deer done in an evening after work. He does not want to grow because he doesn't feel he could keep the same quality if he did. He still starts a fire to smoke his jerky in an old wooden smokehouse.
All good advice. The only thing I really can't agree with based on experience is the aging. I've aged several deer and also had deer from hoof to wrapped in a couple hours, and I'd be lying if i could tell the difference. Perhaps i don't have a very sensitive palette idk
Question: so I usually prefer bucks over does- what do you do when your doe (i dont see this in bucks) has lots of tallow in her meat, it iterally looks and tastes like candle wax. I notice it when does eat a lot of shelled corn, it's the fat they get from the corn i believe- it's not a good taste because it leaves a film in your mouth and you can't clean your forks or plates without hot water to melt it away. I don't add any beef fat to my venison, I want it lean
I'm in a northern state, and our gun season is usually at the tail end of the rut; so bucks are skinny, and most does have 2-3" of fat on them. The best thing you can do is to remove anything that isn't red when you're butchering doe. A good fillet knife is your friend for that job. Tallow is absolutely disgusting. Edit: spelling mistake.
Deer fat is very strong don't eat that stuff. Deer glands are strong Don't eat that stuff. Clean those deer as fast as you can. Good deer food makes good Deer meat. I put mine on ice and salt it for a few days then cut it up and freeze it in vacuum bags.
Agree. Deer fat does not keep well, and many mishandle field dressing the animal, especially not addressing removal of the glands. Younger deer make better table fare. As we use to say, "You can't eat the antlers."
My wife and I buy a cow from a farmer for steaks and such. Deer are for sausages and ground meat. I can make good deer steak. But I can make awesome beef steak. So don't bother with deer steak if you are used to great food. We use suite for ground deer and it works great.
Hell is a strong statement. If your deer tastes that far gone it is that far gone. Can’t hang it for 2 weeks inn90 degree temps and expect it to be good. Can’t let moisture stay on it and expect it to keep. If the deer stinks when you shoot it you guy shot it OR it’s rusty and a rusty deer can be aged and eaten but the biggest cause for foul tasting deer is spoilage. I process my own deer and they don’t stink and while they have a gamey flavor they aren’t unpleasant to eat. If you want meat that has no wild taste go eat whatever is sold at the grocer.
Number 1 is the most critical. Cool. The. Meat. Meat doesnt effectively cool fast enough with the hide still on. Only Gutting the deer but leaving the hide on for hours or days even in sub freezing temps does not allow the meat to cool fast enough. Which results in bacteria forming and why the meat tastes gamey.
Your 100 0/0 right. I've guided big game hunts for 30+ yrs it's all in getting it taken care of as soon as possible , I've had all kinds of clients and friends say that pronghorns not fit to eat , it's one of my favorite meats , the hunts are in early Sept. and in New Mexico it's hot and your in low plains or desert, most hunters don't take care of it even most of the outfitter don't they kill one like daylight and keep hunting till they fill out the other hunted or come back in ay noon, by then it's to late especially on a antelope you get get it gutted immediately and don't get any hair on it
Got my first deer in 1979 and I have never took one to a processor. Seems like you are adding cost to a blessing of free meat. Plus, I have always worried that what you said about them not giving you back your deer would be the case.
Excellent video. Same principle concerning speed of processing applies to fish. Get a fish gutted and cleaned ASAP, for the best results. I say, clean him/ her right there where you made the catch and place on ice without delay. Just like with the deer mentioned in this video, the organs ( innards) start to decompose almost immediately and 😊left inside, can spoil the taste. In my opinion, it is a mistake to wait for the return to the kitchen, to dress or gut anything. I see this mistake made all the time. These are the fish that no one will want to eat. I am not a hunter of deer, but I understand the main point of this video. Do not wait. Be prepared with ice, and get those guts out of there.
Thanks for confirming many if my thoughts on deer processing. I cut meat for 27 years, retired and now processing deer. Only cut one a day, freezer wrap and trim extremely well. Only open for a month and already having referrals. I want my customers to enjoy a good palatable piece of meat. Buddy
Agree with most of your reasons . We have fed our family with venison , burger , steaks , roasts for over 40 years . The quicker , and cleaner you prepare your deer , the better it will taste . Especially if it is a younger animal that was fed on orchard grass , clover , corn , beans ; compared to fescue and acorns . Be selective if possible . Antlers feed the ego . A young buck or a 2-3 year doe can make excellent table fare . Do you want to hang it on the wall , or stack it in your freezer ?
Spot on
Meat in the Freezer is my goal. The only time I care about antlers is after I filled my freezer, and gave away an abundant amount of venison to family and friends - then and only then do I care about antlers. Obviously by that point the season is over 🤷🏽♂️
Agreed!
Hunting for both is fun
Freezer. I do love big horns though.
Just shot a buck a few weeks ago, the meat tastes the best it ever has for me, no gamey taste at all. What i did: Gutted it within 3 hours of shooting it (a storm came by and i had to wait), When i got it home, hosed out the cavity, removed the tenderloins, let it hang overnight (the temp outside was below 35 at night). Next day, it was getting into the 40s so i quartered it out and threw it in a cooler, dumped a bag of ice over it and let the quarters rest for a week in the cooler, every day or two, as the ice melted i drained the bloody water out of the cooler. i didnt need to replace ice as it stayed in the 40s the whole week so it didnt melt much, the internal temp of the cooler stayed in the low 30s the whole time. the night before cutting up the meat i filled the cooler with water, including the leftover ice, to get as much blood out as possible, the next morning i drained it all out and removed the ice. Ground up all the meat besides the backstrap, trimmed off all the fat and silver skin and separated it from the clean cuts and ground that up separately for dog food. (That way when you inevitably leave some meat on your silver skin you dont feel bad about throwing it away).
Absolutley great tips. I have been using these for the last 20 years. Previously was taking my game animals to butuchers that really didnt want to do them but wanted the money. Results were we got terrible tasting meat back. Only thing I would add is I use a seperate small knife and nitrile glove to cut out the hairy scent glands on the rear legs and throw them away before any gutting or skinnining. Dont use bandsaws to cut and leave bone in your cuts as the smeared marrow ruins the taste of the meat. If you want short ribs use a reciprocating saw with a 14TPI metal cutting blade and only after you have removed all other neck meat and shoulder meat.
My family has been butching and processing our venison for decades. Frankly, this is all great advice, but I have to add my 2 cents regarding trimming. Your belt knife "can do it all" but a fillet knife is by far the best trimming knife around. Silver skin and fat removal goes twice as fast, and it gives you a lot more control.
Same here I learned how to process my own deer at around 14-16 years old. Now I’m one month shy of 62 and just processed my deer three days ago with my 9 year old grandson by my side. Someday I hope he can pass it on to his grandson.😉
Agreed
100% agree! Have my stable of 6” & 10” (bought at W**mart!) filet knives, my
Sharpening steel, all I need- and yes I can dissect a whole deer with my 3” old Shrade Walden trapper, but filet knives are Best! And all those other reasons, UH HUH! -Cutting up deer since 1970s!
Another recipe tip: look for “old world” recipes from Europe. Most of them are from times when people are more game or when farm animals were closer in leanness to game meats. Goulash is one of my favorite examples.
We eat nothing but venison, with no added fat to the ground. To add some moisture for burger patties, you can add some mushrooms minced up super fine (4 oz. mushrooms per lb. of venison) with a few dashes of Worcestershire. Gives good moisture for thicker patties. Another way I have found that works really well is make 3 oz balls of ground, seasoned venison, and make Smashburger patties. Hot griddle, big spatula, place a piece of parchment paper on top, smash it super thin, you get wonderful crispy edges. Flip over, when almost done, add a slice of cheese. You can place 2 super thin patties on a bun. Yummy!
I’ve never had it and would like to give it a try. This older lady I know that makes the burgers adds a splash of milk she said it’s to add moister. I wouldn’t know. The mushrooms sound like a far better option though considering I love mushrooms.
Seasoned Venison ? that is gorse to eat rotten meats.
I bet you like week or 2 week old road kills also.
I've done guide work for other AK guided that let Moose hang for 2 or 3 months as the meat turned black and grew green slime over the meat and when the meat was ready to fall off the bones this is when these idiots called it good meats for eating
I thought about mixing tallow or ghee for burgers. Have you tried that? Too greasy?
This is an interesting idea. I normally end up with wild mushroom in deer season and the Hens always have a big old root that is left and I few of those would make a great candidate to ground up with some venison
@@greglovelace246 yes, too greasy for us to add fat. With the meat being so lean, I was actually able to get off cholesterol medication. Much healthier than beef (I was using 97% lean beef before, but still had to take meds).
You have exactly the same ideas that I have used for years. Most folks who eat my venison are surprised with the good flavor. The stuff that goes to dog treats or the chicken pen seems like waste, but if it makes all your meat taste like a$$ then the whole animal is wasted. I learned this over the years on my own. I think it's wonderful that you are telling folks about it here!👍
Anything that makes your dog and chickens happy definitely aint waste
Couple years back, I built a walk-in deer cooler for two reasons: To age my deer, and to be able to butcher it on my terms, not be held hostage by the outside temperature. It's 4 ft square and 8 ft high with 2" blue foam insulation. It's powered by an old air conditioner that I hacked to maintain 36F, and there's a pulley and cable system for the gambrel.
First year I aged my deer, I noticed the meat had a strange mushy texture compared to previous years. It would "melt" in my mouth, and not in a good way. I didn't think much of it until the same result the following year. At first, I thought I was just losing interest in eating deer meat, as my interest in hunting had been slowly declining over several years.
The following year, I got two deer, so I did an experiment. I aged one in the cooler (36F) for about a week before butchering. Other deer I butchered the next day. I discovered that the non-aged meat had a much better texture, and did not "melt" (more like disintegrate) in my mouth like the aged deer.
No more aging deer for me.
Further, I DO NOT remove the bladder from the pelvis when field dressing or butchering. There is no upside to such a difficult and risky operation. Just leave it in there. The entry and exit tubes will close and seal by themselves when the deer dies and begins to dry out. I've been doing this for years and have never had a leak. Get yourself a Butt Out tool for the anus, and you're set. IF you're concerned about getting urine on the meat, gently squeeze the bladder before cutting anything in that area and it'll empty on the outside of the deer as nature intended.
Also, don't split the hams in the field! No matter how careful you are dragging it out, dirt will ALWAYS get stuck there and it's impossible to fully remove. Split the hams when you get it home and hung.
By the way, I do not skin my deer before hanging. I don't want that dried crust on my meat; I don't like it on ham and I don't like it on venison either. Yes, it's more difficult to skin after the carcass has cooled, but it's worth not having all that dried out meat.
My two cents...
Shoot straight!
Excellent advice sir thank you
I wonder is using an AC had something to do with it? They dehumidify as well as cool. We've been aging our deer for years and it's 1000 times better than not aging it.
“Sloppy Does”😂 I like that
It all matters when it comes to putting up food, it all comes down to how it was killed, and taken care of. Prepared for storage, and cooked. Hunting might be fun on a primal level, but the work starts after the fun, I find it very satisfying to have a full freezer of edible food, but I feel the same way about a full wood shed, or a barn full of hay going into a long winter.
One key point I've learned over the years is that instead of steaks, I get much better results cooking whole roasts and slicing them similar to London Broil, pink in the center. Venison does dry out very quickly when overcooked and this is one way to avoid that. Another is to simply brine a roast in saltwater prior to cooking. This helps get rid of a lot of blood taste and preserve moisture.
I take this to the extreme and cure a roast into pastrami
What about sous vide? Then throw it on the pan with butter at high heat. Should be perfectly cooked inside.
Low and slow is another great option. My favorite venison recipe is Ragout, preferably with wild mushrooms like chanterelles or porcini.
I like to cook whole roasts on the smoker. Whole tenderloins, whole backstraps, whole neck roasts, round roasts, etc. Then for tenderloins and backstraps, slice them and eat them at medium rare to rare(in the center of the roast) or medium to medium rare in the center of the roasts. The other roasts get a nice crust started and get thrown into whatever dish I'm going to make. Pulled venison, stew, chili, etc.
For cooking I have found three things that make all the difference. 1 - Wet brine the meat in water that is about as salty as ocean water, for 6-24 hrs. 2 - bring it to at least room temp before cooking. This reduces the amount of overcooked meat on the outside, as you don't have to grill as long to bring the center up to final temp. I have the best results bringing it up to about 100deg in the brine water. 3 - using a meat thermometer, never go above 135 degrees, pull the meat off the grill and tent with foil for 10mins on a plate.
Doing this, you only need to rub the meat with some olive oil, then a bit of salt and pepper, maybe some dry rub if you like. My brother and I grilled steaks that he killed a few weeks ago, and I have never had more flavorful and tender meat. These tips all came from the owner of a high end restaurant in SF. I asked how he made the pork chops so good and this was the answer. Good luck and enjoy!
I couldn't disagree more with soaking the meat in a brine. If you're going to age your meat - dry age is the only way to go.
I do every step you do and agree totally. I also do the same with my moose, wild turkey, and black bear. I can have people over and they have no clue what they’re eating. They just love it. An old butcher said if you want the wild taste out of game, debone it. It’s true. I also can some from time to time, when I’m running short on freezer space, and we love it that way too. I butcher all my own game and am very particular about it. The results are incredible. Remember good venison starts as soon as you squeeze the trigger.
When I was a child, my Dad would field dress the deer immediately. When he got it home, he would hang it up, and us children would do the skinning. As the oldest, I supervised the rest of them, so they wouldn't nick too much meat. Hunting for us was just getting dinner.
So you were the fore-skinner?
I will say this as a first year deer hunter at 44 (spent most of my life waterfowl hunting). I made the decision before I started that I was going to do the whole processing of every deer I killed. Now, so far I only have got 1 and I'm sure I left meat on that most would scold me for but I did the entire deer SOLO, now I have hams, ground, backstraps and loins in the freezer. Currently working on making some deer sticks, already made burgers which my family smashed like they hadn't been fed in weeks! I keep telling myself I will continue to do the whole thing myself, however the reality is if I have 2-3 deer in a trip, then odds are I will dropping at least 1 off to be processed. It is a bit of work for sure, but I gotta say well worth it in the end, not only in $$ saved but the feeling that you did it.
Similar position as you. Stumbled through my first. 2nd was a little better but its a ton of work if you're not completely set up for it, but its the only way I'll do it. Theres something special about field to table done by yourself. You also know everything about how it was handled, peace of mind eating
Ham is salt cured pork. No ham on a deer.
@@GoodVibesOnly1914it's not that much work. Go watch some videos.
I took my time this season and harvested about 35-40lbs from a small buck.
Took my time processing and vacuum sealing. Was like 3 hours. I enjoyed it
If you kill many deer, you will probably get over most of those ideas.
@jackyhallmark3094 doubtful...im a huge cheap ass and hard worker.
I was taught on my very first deer the best way to care for my harvest. Guts out, Hyde off immediately, meat off bone and packed and wrapped within 24 hrs. Process on my own, and only use a fillet knife.
Field dress soon as possible, clean without busting the bladder, rinse out body cavity soon as possible, if cold let hang 3 to 7 days. If warm skin asap. Quarter store in bags then cooler with ice under and on top. Drain plug open. Processing remove all fat and silver skin freeze after bagging. A good stiff 6 inch deboning works great.
Perfect instructions, this is what everyone should take away
0o
You da man! Spot on with the video. It’s great to hear each step you talk about for keeping the meat clean which makes a better product to eat. I’ve done this for years and people can’t believe they’re eating venison. Thanks for taking the time to talk about this.
Okay you won me back 100% with the cellophane and freezer paper point. Absolutely the best way to wrap meat for longevity. It’s not that vacuum wrapping is bad, but it does let some light and air even (easier to compromise thin plastic than it is to compromise thick paper AND thin plastic) compared to a non-transparent wrapping.
Wrong! Best option is vacuum seal! What are you trying to say? It doesn't make sense! There should be NO air in the bag. If there is then get a better vacuum sealer! And light? Huh? There will be light with plastic wrap too genius! What vacuum sealer bags do you use? Because the ones I use are MUCH more thicker than what you're talking about. You don't know jack bud!
🤣 Unfortunately I’m not as dumb as you think because the vast majority of professional butchers, chefs, and Everyman hunters agree with me. Only exception is the high-grade chamber sealers but who has that kinda coin? Do 10min of googling and you’ll see. But I dare not spend another minute indulging you. Your comment will not age well.
this year i made venison pastrami out of one of the hind quarters and its incredible. smoky, peppery and tender, it will be something i do with at least one of the hind quarter from now on.
A great marinade for game is called allegro marinade. Kroger used to carry it .can be found online. I like the original , they have many flavors available now.
It's been more years then I am willing to say for my son and I with no deer. That's northeastern Minnesota for you tho,they have had to many severe winter's.
We decided to use the deers fat to mix in our hamburger mix this time around. It's unbelievably Good!!!!
Young man do you have a book??? You are a born teacher. This is the first video I’ve seen that you have done. I am going to venture and I feel very strongly that you are A Good Christian Man .
I dont remember you talking about storage of the processed meat. If you vacuum seal or use butcher paper......its important to use a freezer that IS NOT a frost free freezer. my deep freezer is not frost free......so I have to defrost it each year or 2, but its also not sucking the moisture out of the meat I store in the freezer. I learned this from my dad years ago.
A good way to store ground I’ve found in recent years. 2lb of ground venison fits in quart size Ziplock freezer bag, then wrap that in freezer paper. Found a 2 yr old pack the other day in the back of the freezer I missed and it was fine. No freezer burn. Tasted great.
Vac sealers are cheap anymore. Big time saver. Can even throw whole chunks in. And decide how what you will process it for later when you pull it from freezer.
Everybody's got their own way. Though I've found I have less waste with the sealer bc I'm not in a hurry to have everything done up before spoiling.
I grind all but the back straps mixed 80/20 with pure pork belly fat or beef fat (depending on what I can get at that time). I vacuum pack it into 2 lb bags pressed flat so they stack in the freezer like file folders.
You grind the tenderloins?!?!
@@johnlocke_1Floyd probably leaves them in the body cavity
Something I used to do and loved the end result was mixing deer burger with pork sausage! Since deer meat is so lean, it really adds something to the pork, especially if we'd get whole hog sausage, because it's sometimes made with old boar hogs. We mixed it with really fatty hamburger too and it makes a really good meatloaf!
I've been processing my own deer for 60 years and I completely agree with everything stated here. It's funny. I use freezer paper and always wondered if I was missing out because everybody tells me that vacuum sealing is far superior. Because I've never owned one, I thought perhaps they might be right, but I didn't know. I do know that I've pulled up ground venison that was left in my freezer for 10 years in double wrapped freezer paper, and it looked and tasted just fine. So I wondered how a vacuum sealer could improve on what I was doing already. This is confirmation that it wouldn't and I will NOT be investing in a sealer!
Big time saver
If you put the meat in zip lock bags then use a 5 gallon bucket of water you put the meat in the bags then dunk in the water to use the water to force the air out then press the zip lock to seal the bag.
Next is freeze meats on trays first them put meat in zip lock bags and use the water method to push the air out and seal the bags.
Air is the evil to causing locker burn.
I've had plenty of deer that I double wrapped 2 to 3 seasons and it was fine. Wrapping is fast and easy.
10 years and no freezer burn? Mmmkay.
I don’t know about 10 years!! But I had a bag of doe burger that froze on the bottom of freezer that I could never get til I defrosted that was shot 8 years when I got it free, and it wasn’t burnt at all and tasted fine..
As a professional butcher and amateur hunter, you are right on!
Very useful, thank you. The long-term storage problem is an interesting one. I'm wondering if anyone has tried using a combination of both butcher-paper AND vacuum sealing before freezing. So dry the meat off, wrap with butcher paper so none of the plastic is sealed to the meat, and THEN vacuum-seal the whole parcel before freezing.
Air is what causes freezer burn. Needs to be vacuum sealed or TIGHTLY wrapped with cellophane.
My wife makes a great marinade in the slow cooker for deer meat, it's a red wine and cream of mushroom sauce. But Italian dressing is an amazing idea, thanks.
Process your own. You get the best quality. Plenty of videos on TH-cam to help you get a deer broken down. We don't have a walk in. We butcher everything after 2 days in a cooler and vacuum seal it. Leave in in the fridge for 3 days to a week "wet aged" and then freeze. Thaw, do some final trim and cook. We never cook a steak past 125 degrees, let it rest for 10 min it will continue to cook up to 130. Utter perfection.
1000% worth learning to process yourself. I’ve never taken mine since I started hunting because I’ve seen the pics of processors with tons of deer sitting out in the sun, half not gutted, for hours. No thanks, I’d only take it to a processor that offered your own deer back.
I agree vacuum seal is not good. Try Glad Press'nSeal Wrap and then Bucher paper. You will thank me. Meat stay good for a very long time. Thanks for your video
Pretty much on point with everything you said. Those facts are pretty hard to argue with.
I’ve been butchering game for 39 years.
All my big old rutted up bucks go into jerky and sausage.
Marinades on venison are for people who don’t like venison. I only dry season venison because if I want something that tastes like marinade, I can buy beef. Hunting is too hard of work to use for that.
Correct.
I find back straps with salt, pepper, and maybe some garlic. Sear in lots of butter, and finish to med rare. Best tasting meat, no marinading.
Correct.
I find back straps with salt, pepper, and maybe some garlic. Sear in lots of butter, and finish to med rare. Best tasting meat, no marinading.
I definitely agree with using cellophane and freezer paper for storing game meat in the freezer. ❤ Been cutting, cooking, and eating venison for 60+ years. 😋
saw another video talking about aging the venison in the walk in fridge with the hide on so that you don't get the losses from the pellicle formation
SLOPPY DOES?! LOLOL .. I'm taking that one. Great tips, thank you.
Great advice, i eat deer and elk 95% of the year, can't think of anything you missed. great show.
I keep mine in ice water while processing as i go. Just go to the grocery store and get beef fat grind that 20% and you can’t tell difference between beef and venison.
Absolutely agree with 90% of this
Gut and skinned within a couple hrs of shooting.
Aged hanging 2-3days weather permitting. Otherwise in fridge. Even up to 5 days there.
Sliver skin fat etc has got to go, imperative step to avoid being chewy
Cook steaks like beef. High heat fast with bunch of butter or even. In bacon grease.
Burger gets about 20% bacon
No need for over seasoning. Just the normal season salt onion and garlic powder. With a touch of your preferred seasoning. Montreal. Or Tony cach here
Where I disagree is marinate but only for jerky be it whole muscle or ground.
Great video. Wish I would've seen it 15 b years ago before learning on my own.
I cook the ribs in a big stock pot with my seasonings and boil them for hours to make a stock. It's so good. We also like to BBQ the ribs. As long as you're careful with cooking they aren't tough and taste so so good.
Howdy, Brother! I'm old has hell and looking forward to my first hunt about a month away (Nov 2nd). I'm not thinking about hanging antlers. I'm out to fill the freezer. Thanks for sharing your experience, advise and tips - God Bless and Drive-On, Cowboy! 🤠
I am so GLAD to see someone else knows.
22:31
Would you get a juicy ribeye, from bison?
Love lean burger like he saying.. another good one for making juicy venison burgers is butter. Freeze a stick of butter for 30mins to and hr them shred it on a box grater.
The mix it with your burger and maybe an egg..also the frozen butter trick makes great biscuits.
All sounds good. But, I dry age my deer hams for two weeks. I cut up everything else and the tenderloins and back strap never seem to make it to the freezer.
Good job buddy good information from a real hunter
23:48 I’ve found cellophane plus butcher paper taped then vacuumed sealed has let me extend deer meat up to two years … instead of a year
Been processing my own for my entire life. First question is how old and second is how quick was the kill? If it was running you have to at the min let is dry age or wet age for 3 days. Gotta get the adrenaline out. I skin and quarter the same day and as of late wet age. Remeber to get the glands out of the hind quarter and ice and sit.
Then usually 3 to 7 days cut up into groups and leave over night in fridge with a drain plate in bottom. A gallon of blood will release and pack. And poof amazing.
I think the number one reason is bc of poor shot placement. Im not just talking about gut shot. That is a given. The longer the deers blood is pumping the more adrenaline they release. The more adrenaline the tougher the deer is going to be. It is of the up most to make a good quick kill. If you shoot your deer right below the ear it dies with in 5 seconds. Also aging the meat plays a huge role in how it tastes. In a cooler 8 days on an incline like you said. Walk in or refrigerator it needs at least a week i hang mine for 14 days. It takes 5 deer hung for 14 days to feed my family of 4. Ill tell you what though the best is if you can hang it outside with the skin on, gutted for about 5 days then skin it and put in a cooler for another 5 days. I did that last year around christmas when it was in the teens and never got over freezing for a week. I dont know if it was the temperature going up and down or what, but i did that last year with one and it was gooooood.
My wife and me eat 12 per year, every year. Some small, some large.
@@charlesmiller7848 dang bo. That is putting some groceries away
Sounds like she needs to learn how to make a biscuit 😂 @@charlesmiller7848
Great video. Many of the points you make about how meat is cared for are great contributors to the flavor of that meat in the long run.
Sous vide cooking and being able to carefully control doneness without over cooking is a game changer.
Great video. I only eat Doe and live in farm country.
I took a young Doe last fall and it's a hit with the family. My stepdaughter took a buck with her fiance in the UP of Michigan. No farm land. It's inedible.
Deer burgers no fat needed. 1 tablespoon of corn starch or even flour to 2 lbs I like to add some seasoning and a few shakes of A1.
Mix well. Use patty press. Make them 3/8 inch thick.
To cook sear in some lard in a pan 45seconds a side or so. Serve med rare .
Have you ever heard of marinating the venison in milk and one tablespoon of vinegar for about 5-6 hours to take the game taste out of the deer meat . I’m relatively new to hunting and take my deer to a small butcher. Great video by the way, city boy raised, started hunting about 5 years ago in my early 50’s. Wish I started 40 years ago. Nothing like the peace of hunting, sitting in a tree.
For hamburgers, venison mixed with 30-50% pork is wonderful. Also to get them to stick together better, maybe x it really well for protein extraction.
Wow dude...great points....but in western Washington, peirce county, is completely different than spokane
...food definitely adds a certain flavor, the biggest detriment to wild game is field dressing.
Economical tarps from hf are great shade creators and ground cover etc...sharp sharp knife.
Wild to me that a processor would have a communal source for ground/sausage. I would've told him to give me my deer back and gotten out of there. Question for you, Will: you said on average your family eats venison three nights a week year round. If you live in Kentucky and only fill one tag per year, how is that possible? Do you hunt across state lines or get gifted a lot of venison?
He said 1 buck tag so he may have a different quota for does
Also maybe he travels
I fill 10 liquid laundry detergent jugs with water and also make about 15 pounds of ice and store it in my freezer’s venison space (all of which is consumed by August). I hunt in Wisconsin and HATE hunting early season warm weather due to how quick an animal can degrade. This past season we had perfect weather for the week after I killed my super fat pre-rut 3.5 year old buck (below freezing temps each night and nothing above 40 in the day). It sat with the fur on in my shaded 5x8 trailer packed under ice and thick insulation - when I butchered it 8 days later the meat was incredibly tender and lacked any gamey flavor. On warmer years I have had success butchering the meat the next day and aging it in the fridge. I always use a clean pot of water to drop every trimmed piece into prior to a secondary transfer into my final processing bowl. All hair floats to the top and it keeps the meat super clean / blood free. You can buy the bacon ends / pieces for very low cost - mix it in at a 30-40% rate with venison / garlic and you have a result that is hard to beat. I put it into snack bags and create super flat square burgers but it would also make great polish Sausage links too. I feel sorry for anyone that doesn’t butcher their own venison - no butcher on the planet can make any money while decontaminating all of their equipment between every deer.
The only disagreement I have with this video. Is if you plan on dry aging try to keep the hide on. With the hide on, you don’t form as much crust resulting in less waste.
My last deer was a 142lb doe. I took to local processor for all burger. 3 weeks later he brought out a tray with 12 lbs of burger. I'm done getting ripped off. Processing my own now.
i do my own for years, i get about 1/3 the weight of the field dressed deer in clean meat, if i get a 150lb dressed deer i will get 50lb of meat.
Hunt in fl
Old trick for bear, hog and deer.
Cooler ice and salt. Its Cooler than ice it brines the meat. Drain the water off every day add more salt and ice as necessary. Works well especially for hogs when its hot.
And deer knife? A case stockman or trapper is just fine. Do like a fixed blade for hogs though and thats because the fat gets everywhere
Not to mention canned deer meat is probably the best we can and grind most of our deer thank you for this video a lot more folks should hear this!!
Can't tell it from beef. My wife and I canned 30 lbs. a few weeks back.
Growing up we never ground our deer it was stakes stew meat or canned. I have only eaten other peoples ground venison until I was a adult. A lot of people don’t properly trim their ground meat and gives it that waxy off taste. To this day even though I know better I associate ground venison with that waxy off taste. If you don’t properly handle you wild game you can completely ruin someone who has never had it before. I grew up with a friend who hated venison and I couldn’t understand why until one day when I went to his grandparents for lunch and he cooked venison, it tasted like he rubbed the sent glands and bladder all over every steak. Don’t ruin people for the adventures and experience of hunting and eating wild game because you don’t properly process you meat
A butcher got me with some old freezer burnt me when I was young .early 20s.. 50 yrs ago... So I when up on my roof .measured the turbine.. went to his house one day an lowered all that bad meat down in his attic.😊 About 10 yrs later .while at a bar he was telling story how they found 100 lbs of rotten meat in his attic. 😊 I learnt how to harvest my one after that
My dogs love rough cut venison! They are my little helpers!
100%. Get it chilled and get that meat off the bone! At 55 degrees by the time some guys find their deer, take the photos, get their buddies to help drag, drive to the processor and the processor does anything with it like 4-5 hours has gone by. I process my own and I just debone like I do out west with an elk. Dragging is for the birds anyway.
When I used to take deer to a processor those were the first questions I asked. Will I 100% get my deer meat back and how long do you let them hang in the cooler before processing. If it's 1 or 2 days no bueno and off I went.
My venison doesn’t taste like hell, but I am fascinated to see what other people could be doing wrong.
I had a venison burger for lunch and smoked venison chili for dinner.........i ground bacon ends and bits (comes pre packaged) and venison 50/50
I grew up keeping them in ice water with salt and drain and fill ice daily for a week or so never had a problem
Guts out, leave the hide on, leave in cooler to dry age for a few days, skin and debone choice cuts, use the scrap for trap bait. Do not cut a deer up while it is fresh, warm and floppy.
This. Same way they do for beef at a processor
Interestingly one of the oldest worn down deer inever shot was the best tasting deer. I once shot a 1 1/2 ish year old deer that was horrible. I live in the sticks with only a small alfalfa feild here and there so none of them are grain fed.
Me hunting public land with a bad EHD year and I’m only able to get out there a couple weekends…yeah I’m shooting the 1st thing I see lol. Beggars can’t be choosers. Enjoyed the discussion though.
Agree with the majority of this. Strongly disagree with the cutting of fat into the grind. If I make sausage I’ll grind pork butt/fat cap into the mix, but never on straight deer grind. Always pure venison on a coarse grind, then cut in recipe-specific fats later.
These are all great points that I practice myself except that I use a vacuum sealer. But the best point by far is aging your deer! I leave mine on ice for up to 2 weeks.
It’s funny I was talking about this same subject yesterday. All the steps you mentioned are exactly what I’ve been doing for over 50 years. Taking it from the trigger to the table I know exactly what I have. I’ve been refining my hamburger mix for years and now have it perfected. Yes we eat venison year round. Thx for sharing
I work for a processor. You will get your deer, and your deer only. He gets too busy he will turn people away. It's just the 2 of us, and his wife does the grinding, and packing. We both have day jobs, and we will get one or 2 deer done in an evening after work. He does not want to grow because he doesn't feel he could keep the same quality if he did. He still starts a fire to smoke his jerky in an old wooden smokehouse.
All good advice. The only thing I really can't agree with based on experience is the aging. I've aged several deer and also had deer from hoof to wrapped in a couple hours, and I'd be lying if i could tell the difference. Perhaps i don't have a very sensitive palette idk
Question: so I usually prefer bucks over does- what do you do when your doe (i dont see this in bucks) has lots of tallow in her meat, it iterally looks and tastes like candle wax. I notice it when does eat a lot of shelled corn, it's the fat they get from the corn i believe- it's not a good taste because it leaves a film in your mouth and you can't clean your forks or plates without hot water to melt it away. I don't add any beef fat to my venison, I want it lean
I've found since my neighbor started feeding shelled corn year round.
Both buck and doe have more.
I'm in a northern state, and our gun season is usually at the tail end of the rut; so bucks are skinny, and most does have 2-3" of fat on them. The best thing you can do is to remove anything that isn't red when you're butchering doe. A good fillet knife is your friend for that job. Tallow is absolutely disgusting.
Edit: spelling mistake.
Agree 100 %. Except. …never ever cut through a bone. That’s where a lot of whang comes from. Just don’t let that happen😊
Deer fat is very strong don't eat that stuff. Deer glands are strong Don't eat that stuff. Clean those deer as fast as you can. Good deer food makes good Deer meat. I put mine on ice and salt it for a few days then cut it up and freeze it in vacuum bags.
Agree. Deer fat does not keep well, and many mishandle field dressing the animal, especially not addressing removal of the glands.
Younger deer make better table fare. As we use to say, "You can't eat the antlers."
My wife and I buy a cow from a farmer for steaks and such. Deer are for sausages and ground meat. I can make good deer steak. But I can make awesome beef steak. So don't bother with deer steak if you are used to great food. We use suite for ground deer and it works great.
I like to marinate in tequila for about 1 hour. Then with the grill really hot, let it flame to sear the meat, and then grill to a rare.
Deer loin potatoes onion and peppers...olive oil garlic...lemon pepper
Hell is a strong statement. If your deer tastes that far gone it is that far gone. Can’t hang it for 2 weeks inn90 degree temps and expect it to be good. Can’t let moisture stay on it and expect it to keep. If the deer stinks when you shoot it you guy shot it OR it’s rusty and a rusty deer can be aged and eaten but the biggest cause for foul tasting deer is spoilage. I process my own deer and they don’t stink and while they have a gamey flavor they aren’t unpleasant to eat. If you want meat that has no wild taste go eat whatever is sold at the grocer.
How long of a dry age is good?
I have been processing venison for nearly 40 years. And all you are saying. Mixing pork or beef fat with your ground is the best way for your grind.
Instead of using beef or pork fat in ground venison we use cheese and egg for burgers gives it great taste and consistensy.
Number 1 is the most critical. Cool. The. Meat.
Meat doesnt effectively cool fast enough with the hide still on. Only Gutting the deer but leaving the hide on for hours or days even in sub freezing temps does not allow the meat to cool fast enough. Which results in bacteria forming and why the meat tastes gamey.
Buck is fine I’ll grind it up and have it for dinner all the same. But a good doe 👌 Kentucky also is a monster and our zones can be zero harsh
Really good video!
Your 100 0/0 right. I've guided big game hunts for 30+ yrs it's all in getting it taken care of as soon as possible , I've had all kinds of clients and friends say that pronghorns not fit to eat , it's one of my favorite meats , the hunts are in early Sept. and in New Mexico it's hot and your in low plains or desert, most hunters don't take care of it even most of the outfitter don't they kill one like daylight and keep hunting till they fill out the other hunted or come back in ay noon, by then it's to late especially on a antelope you get get it gutted immediately and don't get any hair on it
The only bad experience ive had with deer meat was when i used meat processors i do every tging myself now and my meat eats amazing
Got my first deer in 1979 and I have never took one to a processor. Seems like you are adding cost to a blessing of free meat. Plus, I have always worried that what you said about them not giving you back your deer would be the case.
Great tips Totally the way to do it. Clean food is the way to go.
Excellent video. Same principle concerning speed of processing applies to fish. Get a fish gutted and cleaned ASAP, for the best results. I say, clean him/ her right there where you made the catch and place on ice without delay. Just like with the deer mentioned in this video, the organs ( innards) start to decompose almost immediately and 😊left inside, can spoil the taste. In my opinion, it is a mistake to wait for the return to the kitchen, to dress or gut anything.
I see this mistake made all the time. These are the fish that no one will want to eat. I am not a hunter of deer, but I understand the main point of this video. Do not wait. Be prepared with ice, and get those guts out of there.