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Who's processing their own ?

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  • baboon

    TGT Addict
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    4   0   0
    May 6, 2008
    22,447
    96
    Out here by the lake!
    Been doing my own processing for years. I like knowing that the animal I am eating is the one I shot. If you go to a commercial processor you are not getting the animal you shot back in the form of burger. You could be getting Bubba’s deer he gut shot and found the next day when he spotted vultures.
    Have a 1.25 HP grinder/sausage maker and I am good with a knife. Also have a vacuum sealer.
    Bones/ribs, spine etc are kept to make collagen rich stock to supplement the dogs food as well as all trimmings and fat. View attachment 236963 View attachment 236964 all non vac sealed bags are bones.
    Not only know your getting your deer back but also there is a matter of sanitation. Local processors that do game meats are now taking meat that could have been contaminated from others & processing with you meat. I knew a few guys who got off work & processed deer on the side. I wouldn't trust them making a peanut butter sammich!

    When I first started cutting meat in 1982 most market managers were fine with a guy bring in his game & processing it. He had to do it after hours & the clean the market. As the years went on it totally stopped.

    I remember my first Texas goose hunt were temperature were in the high eighties & birds were not touched for hours, nor thrown in coolers with ice. Growing up with snow, geese were gutted & laid out in the snow & cold.
     

    baboon

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    4   0   0
    May 6, 2008
    22,447
    96
    Out here by the lake!
    When they eat deer that did not percolate overnight before being found by Bubba the next day( in other words, deer YOU actually shot and got processed within 24 hours) they may change their minds.
    Even better is if you have a walking or temperatures outside are good is hanging a deer for a week or 2. It's own weight helps break the connective tissues.

    I hate nothing more then seeing a quartered deer laying in water inside a cooler. Most of America's water is chlorinated & fluoridated, there for so is the ice. I have seen lots of fresh fish fillets laid on ice all day only to be bleached out & soggy crap.
     

    baboon

    TGT Addict
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    4   0   0
    May 6, 2008
    22,447
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    Out here by the lake!
    I just started processing my own. The hindquarters were easy to break down into roasts by following the muscle lines.

    How in the heck do you do the front shoulders though? I butchered the hell out of them. I know they are typically just ground up but dang.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Learning the breaking points by viewing a chart showing beef goes a long way. The last rib bones stays with your loin meat. Next 7 are rib eyes rib chops. Last 4 are your short ribs.

    While hog butchering is slightly different
    iu.jpeg
    iu-1.jpeg
     

    Hoji

    Bowling-Pin Commando
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    36   0   0
    May 28, 2008
    17,700
    96
    Mustang Ridge
    Even better is if you have a walking or temperatures outside are good is hanging a deer for a week or 2.
    Wrong. All you get is slightly rotted meat.
    With beef, the hanging and aging help the fat break down as well as the meat giving it the fantastic flavor we all know so well with prime beef steaks or wagyu steaks. As deer fat is nasty to begin with, why would you rot that flavor into perfect, fresh killed venison?

    Best venison is ;
    1) shot cleanly( as in as close to instantaneous death as possible)
    2) Quartered and chilled ( either on ice in ziplock bags, or in a walk in on racks) within 2-3 hours of being shot
    3) processed and vac bagged within 48 hours of the bullet hitting it.
     

    Leadeye

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Dec 29, 2020
    233
    76
    Great Southern Forest of Indiana
    I've always processed my own and here in Indiana that's usually when it's colder during muzzle loader season. As I've gotten older I don't find myself taking the time to get all the meat I can, but am always impressed with people who do.
     

    GameHog

    New Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 11, 2021
    5
    11
    Frisco
    Dont assume the deer fat is nasty. Take a test fry and try it.

    Same with hogs. Best most tender hog ive ever had was a 375 pound boar. He never ran or had to fight. He just strolled from feeder to feeder and cleared em out


    Guns UP
     

    contender buff

    TGT Addict
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    0   0   0
    Mar 29, 2011
    23,930
    96
    ft worth tx
    I’ve always processed my own game ,this way you know it’s yours and not someone else’s. Granted it’s a lot of work and time consuming however well worth it!
     

    IndyDave1776

    Active Member
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 9, 2021
    285
    76
    Indiana
    I never did have any kind of mentor growing up and wanting to hunt. Most of what I learned over the years was from personal experience. I remember my first few seasons deer hunting and the local who did some decent processing work. Overall I was always happy enough but it wasn't til years later that I fully realized the benefits of processing at home.

    Which brings me to the present. This year I bagged a 175lb whitetail. Easily the biggest I've shot over the years hunting south and central Texas whitetail. My girlfriend who enjoys cooking in general took the reigns on this one. Now while I typically give up on the ribs and carcass, she does not. Overall she wound up pulling 73.5 lbs of meat off that deer!

    When I read about typical yield, 40% was on the high side. So when she managed 42% without the ribs yet, I was impressed. Once this is all mixed with pork for sausage, it will end up at over 100lbs of meat from 1 deer. Needless to say, the pressure is off for the rest of the season thanks to her handy work.

    Not sure I could get that much meat myself but I get laser focused on backstrap filets and jerky cuts. Never have roasted bones for carne guisada meat or made chorizo seasoned deer sausage. In addition to the money saved, I'm enjoying the variety. This year she made about 7 variations of sausage in addition to the steaks.

    Anyhow, what do y'all like to do with yours and how much meat do you wind up with?
    You certainly know how to pick a girlfriend!
     
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