Meat Cuts

[SPDSpappy]

I leave for my first pronghorn hunt tomorrow. The outfitter I’m going with only allows the animals to be brought to the processor rather than allowing clients to do the processing. My question for all the antelope meat lovers is what cuts of meat should I get done (e.g., should I get any steaks out of the hind quarters)? I found a lot of threads talking about how to cool it down and if you should age the meat, but nothing about what cuts to do.

 

[EYJONAS!]

If it is possible I like to leave the straps whole.....

 

[chuckchili]

Keep all the roasts whole and get all the steaks you can. You can later either make the roasts into steaks, grind them, make them into jerky or use them as roasts.

 

[SPDSpappy]

Keep all the roasts whole and get all the steaks you can. You can later either make the roasts into steaks, grind them, make them into jerky or use them as roasts.

Great point about being able to grind the roasts later!

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Seems like a strange policy. It's your tag and animal. Ain't nothing to quarter a goat and put it in the cooler. Agree with what's been mentioned. Get whole cuts and burger out of the trim. Might get 10 lb of burger that way, and you can do what you want with the rest.

 

[thusby]

Gotta be the eye of round steaks with that marrow center. Those are the best.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Outfitter can't tell you what to do unless you agree to it.
I suspect he gets a kickback from the processor, check the price ahead of time.
Also, I hope it wasn't SNS.

All that unrelated commentary to get to an answer to your question:
Tell them to wrap the sirloin, top round, bottom round as whole cuts from back quarters; wrap tenderloins and back straps whole or in large sections; get the shoulders cut into flatirons and a big humerus-bone-in roast. Grind your shanks, rib meat, brisket, trim, neck meat.

Or tell the outfitter you have your own coolers and will be using them, if you haven't filled your tags already.

 

[schmalts]

I would tell the outfitter to stop pushing his buddies businesses and find a different outfitter next time, or better yet go DIY. Part of cutting your own is seeing how tender each cut is while doing the work and deciding what should be saved or ground.

 

[WyoDoug]

I leave for my first pronghorn hunt tomorrow. The outfitter I’m going with only allows the animals to be brought to the processor rather than allowing clients to do the processing. My question for all the antelope meat lovers is what cuts of meat should I get done (e.g., should I get any steaks out of the hind quarters)? I found a lot of threads talking about how to cool it down and if you should age the meat, but nothing about what cuts to do.

If I were you, ask for the sirloin tips cut to roasts, should get 4 roasts out of that.
Steaks
Stew Meat
Hamburger (or ask them to just chunk the grind meat if you do your own)'
Maybe sausages if you want that and jerky (usually you get 7 pounds in an order)
Back straps to steaks
Tenderloins (antelope are small ones)
Ask for the flatirons from the shoulder blades. They are small and you will get four but tasty

 

[Xbolt]

Find another outfitter he gets paid to help you find and harvest game ,,he has no right telling you how ,when where or whom cuts up/butchers your kill
Sounds to me like the processer the guide is insisting you use is related or part of the outfit
Can you say ponzi scheme..

 

[2rocky]

If you want to do your own then just ask them to "do Primals" and then do it yourself when you get home. The smaller segments will be easier to fit in a cooler and frozen faster.

In the outfitters defense, not all of them have the facilities or time for each hunter to cut up an antelope. A lot of Pronghorn hunts are "Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am" Day or two affairs and going through the processor guarantees less meat wastage across the board, less likelihood of offal left in the wrong place (like a campground or motel room).

Processors are happy to do a minimal processing job to make the carcass ready for transport, you just gotta have that conversation with them.

 

[Bambistew]

If you really want to do it yourself. I would tell them you want 6 packages of meat. One for each leg, bone in, backstrap/tenderloins in a bag, and a bag of trim. They should have bags big enough for antelope quarters... Logistically, do you have the time/means to cut it up yourself? Can you get it home easily?

I get why he doesn't want clients cutting their own stuff. He probably got tired of running a butcher shop on the side, or every 3rd client asking how to get their meat home, now that they have it on the ground.

 

[WyoDoug]

If you want to do your own then just ask them to "do Primals" and then do it yourself when you get home. The smaller segments will be easier to fit in a cooler and frozen faster.



In the outfitters defense, not all of them have the facilities or time for each hunter to cut up an antelope. A lot of Pronghorn hunts are "Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am" Day or two affairs and going through the processor guarantees less meat wastage across the board, less likelihood of offal left in the wrong place (like a campground or motel room).

Processors are happy to do a minimal processing job to make the carcass ready for transport, you just gotta have that conversation with them.

But why? I can cut a deer or antelope into primals in matter of a half hour or so. Why pay someone for something you can do yourself in a short span of time?

 

[2rocky]

So can your/my brother-in-law, but he leaves the head and trimmings in the garage while I/you are trying to fill someone else's tag and by the time I/you get to it the flies are thick and it smells like a mortuary in there....

Hell with it! Make everyone go to the processor!

 

[WyoDoug]

So can your/my brother-in-law, but he leaves the head and trimmings in the garage while I/you are trying to fill someone else's tag and by the time I/you get to it the flies are thick and it smells like a mortuary in there....

Hell with it! Make everyone go to the processor!

LOL. I would leave it in @Wildabeast's garage. Serious side, I would not do that. I brought tarps and that to avoid such a mess, BUT some people have no respect and would do that. Another reason I always go antelope hunting with at least two coolers full of ice is you just can't let that meat at that time of the year sit long.