Gutless method, aging, and recipes per cut

[Clawsar]

Hey gang,
I'm still pretty new to hunting only starting 4 seasons ago but now I've harvested two deer. When teaching myself I decided to learn the gutless method only for less confusion. The first deer went pretty well butchering the whole way through to packaging, and the second was even better, but I had most of that turned into jerky and pepper stick. This year, I really want to do everything myself again whether it's deer or elk. My method before was to cut everything off pretty much following the video guide, then let it sit on ice in a cooler with the plug open (so it doesn't sit in the water) while butchering over the next two days or so. Is this part good so far?

Next, does anyone have a good recommendation for recipes per cut of meat? I have Hank Shaws Buck Buck Moose but he starts with a whole deer/elk and some of the parts are less clear to me. Or is it better to just look up recipes part by part? Thanks!

 

[PAGOAT]

As far as the being in a cooler part and cutting over 2 days there is nothing wrong with that all. My antelope was in the cooler 5 days on ice until I got home from Wyoming and they turned out great. As far as the cuts I make the back straps in 1" slices and pan fry in butter onions. The "fish" inside the back strap I do the same but whole. Shoulders are ground meat for burger or sticks. Neck is for a roast that I prefer to debone when I do this. Hind quarters come apart in 3 sections a small football shaped piece and 2 flatter ones. The football looking one is a roast or jerky the other 2 are for steaks. The steak I cook like any beef steak and make sure its on the rare side to be good. The rest of the rib meat and hind scraps are back to burger. I make my burger with a little cow fat and make burger patties with a press and paper from LEM then put in bread bags to freeze just like frozen patties from the store. Roast are done in the oven with potatoes, onion, and carrots, or I use them in the crock pot for soup or stews. I hope this helps a little, most of the creative stuff I do is in jerky or sausage.

Goat

 

[JLS]

You can do the whole shoulder as a roast, same with front leg right below the blade roast. Shanks are one of my favorite cuts. Do them Barbacoa style in a Dutch Oven.

The "football", aka sirloin roast from the hindquarter is excellent cooked rare on the Traeger.

 

[Clawsar]

Thanks guys.

JLS,
How do you do the whole leg as a roast? And do you debone first or do one in? I had been trying to debone everything prior to coming out, and I could be my lack of skills, but the front legs are always pretty rough by the time they go in the game bag.

 

[JLS]

I usually pack out front shoulders with the bone in if possible. Just remove the shoulder blade at the joint and cook it whole. Same with the roast below it. Think of a shoulder as a "Z" and you are just breaking it into three distinct sections. Roast-roast-shank.

 

[mevertsen]

I use the book Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game. Excellent book.

For the gutless method, I leave the bone in, the weight savings is minimal unless for a very long packout.

I cut the sirloins into steaks, make a round roast out of the bottom round, or whole round depending on size of animal. Tenderloin is left whole. Backstraps are butterflies. Deboned shoulder roast is left whole. Hamburger and stew meat for everything else.

 

[Clawsar]

Thanks everyone. Learning hunting, butchering, and cooking wild game on my own is a steeper curve than I expected. But it's getting there.

Thanks!