Offseason Learning: Processing Wild Game

[Deleted member 52098]

With all my hunts wrapped up and a bowl full of tag soup, I am transitioning to the offseason... where I am hopeful I make it out alive and stop second guessing everything I did during my failed seasons.

When I decided to start hunting, the one thing my wife was excited about was the idea that we might have meat in the freezer that only we handled from start to finish. I didn't have enough time this year before the season to learn everything I need to fully process the animal once I got it home - and was prepared to take it a game processor. But she really wants to be involved after the hunt as a way to involve herself and also our daughter in what eventually ends up on our plates.

All that said, I am reaching out to this group in hopes of getting suggestions on great websites, books, courses, whatever on fully processing game animals from start to finish.

 

[Big Fin]

The Bearded Butchers have a YouTube channel that has the best game processing videos I've found on the world wide web.

 

[Rzrbck918]

Its really not a difficult process although it may seem daunting to someone who hasn't done it before. There are numerous videos on youtube about processing a deer/elk/cervid from start to finish and really the only difference between them is scale. Bearded Butchers has a video series that is fairly detailed but several of the game and fish agencies do as well.

It can be as involved or simple as you desire. You can buy vacuum sealers, grinders, saws or you can use zip locks or freezer paper. Your choice.

I would recommend processing your first one with someone who has done it before. After that, you will figure out what works for you and yours. Good luck!

 

[np307]

Bearded butchers on YouTube. And then just do it.

When you're cutting roasts, if you mess up then you just got a little more for the grind or stew meat pile. The only equipment needed is a large enough work surface, a sharp knife, plastic wrap, freezer paper, and zip lock bags. The hams are where most roasts come from and you can literally just follow the seams in the meat. It's intimidating to do if you've never done it before, but it really isn't that difficult.

 

[BRI]

I process most of my game myself and I'm sure no expert. It takes me about 7 hours and several beers total to do an elk. My back couldn't handle trying to do it in one day though so I usually take two or sometimes three days. What I've started doing is freezing the meat in larger chunks instead of cutting them into steaks. That way I can take them out and decide at the time how I want to cook them.

Just last week I got a pressure canner and decided to try canning some of last years meat. Turned out really delicious and was fun. I'm excited to do more canning.

 

[MThuntr]

They just did some venison "bacon" that I think I could give a try

Two guys and a cooler do a good job too

https://www.youtube.com/@2guysandacooler

 

[Gellar]

Danielle prewett from meat eater has a good video on breaking down a hindquarter into the muscle groups and what each cut is best for. It’s the same for elk or deer just the size is different.

Danielle Prewett on Instagram: "As promised here, is a video I took last year of the muscle breakdown in a hindquarter. As you can see, I pretty much turn all of it into a steak 😂 I typically braise muscles with inter-connective tissue (like brisket,

Danielle Prewett shared a post on Instagram: "As promised here, is a video I took last year of the muscle breakdown in a hindquarter. As you can see, I pretty much turn all of it into a steak 😂 I typically braise muscles with inter-connective tissue (like brisket, neck, shank) and then grind...

www.instagram.com

 

[marksjeep]

Western Hunter rag has a decent book on processing game. Lots of photos on how to break down a critter.
https://westernhunter.net/shop/book/meat-processing-for-the-western-hunter/

 

[Gellar]

I have 4 deer in the garage and 3 more in the shed to skin and quarter today. 2 other guys will be here to help.

 

[Caseknife]

The method that I learned 50+ years ago is to follow the muscle groups. Keep a pan of water close by with a rag to wipe down the outside of the quarter cleaning it of residual blood and hair before cutting into the quarter. Use your knife, fillet knives work well, to follow the bones and remove the meat from the bone. Then follow between the muscles, pretty easy once you do it, and isolate each large muscle group. Depending where it is on the animal and the age of the animal determines what cut of meat it will become. In my opinion the beef cutting charts may help, but don't translate directly to game animals. One of the things that really bugs me is when I see pictures of what people aren't putting in their burger. They have pretty little cubes of totally clean muscle, what happened to all the silver skin and bits of fat? Believe it or not, when it is cooked, can't tell at all whether it is in there or not. My theory is that if I packed it out on my back, then I will get as much as possible into the freezer and if it will go through the grinder it goes into burger - speaking of only that which is turned into burger. I have found that about 50% is burger, 20% round steak in the whole muscle to be cut into steaks at the time of cooking, 20% loin and tenderloin, and 10% roasts. The shanks have been a new thing in the last few years, lots easier to use a saw and cut them in 2-3" pieces and package(total PITA) than it is to bone out the muscles and try to get the grinder clogging sinew cut out. Taste real good too.

Yes, find someone that cuts their own to help, but don't be afraid to try it on your own either.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Bearded Butchers have decent videos, Scott Rhea on YouTube also has some great videos on butchering.

Short of watching videos, it's great practice to start with a pig. It's relatively easy to study up, then order a whole hog from a local butcher shop, then use that for hands on practice. Plus, then you can get dive into making bacon/sausage, and who doesn't want more bacon and sausage in their lives.

 

[Jamen]

Watch a few videos and grab a sharp knife! Best way to learn is to dive into it!! Swing up to ND next Nov and i can put you to work helping us process deer. Was a slow year this year we just got #88 in for the year last night. Also depends on what you all want with your animal. Trim the fat and silver skin, get the glands out and you're on your way!! It'll become 2nd nature once you do a few. I skin mine head down and hang by the back legs. I skin back the back and front forearms of the deer on the ground before i hoist them up. Easier for me that way.

 

[BucksnDucks]

Buy a grinder, a good one or find a friend with one. Other option is taking cut meat to a butcher just for grinding, they will likely have a weight minimum. Side note, many guys don't know most processors do high volume grinds mixing other people's venison together.
Packaging, whether vac seal or paper is crucial. Other than that, a sharp knife is all you need.
YOUTUBE is your friend, everything you need to know is right there for free.

 

[Addicting]

I like to leave it in whole muscle groups verses cutting steaks. You never know what you are going to want to make a few months from now. So you can just pull out a whole muscle “roast” and cut it down further for the weeks meals. On elk or bigger I make it into a portion size for a family of 4 but same principle.

 

[TOGIE]

i tried having a little fun time lapsing one of my hind quarters in November. there was a pretty thick fat cap on that quarter but the camera fell over during that.

watch videos especially the Meateater ones then grab a sharp knife and just get after it.

it is kinda like legos, it just becomes obvious where thigns come apart. i still don't really know what cuts of meat are what and i don't really care much to know. the large cuts that turn into steaks aren't full of interstitial silver skin and tendons and the ones that are are roasts. i leave everything whole to freeze and turn into steaks later.

the worst part is it's tedious and takes time. that hind quarter took right around 60 minutes. I could probably learn to be a bit faster honestly.

 

[Jamen]

The height of your table will save you a lot of back pain. My father is 4-5 inches shorter than me so i take the brunt of a short table. Nothing worse than being bent over trimming meat all day. If your friends or family process their own meat, ask to help or just observe. The animal may look big and daunting when its hanging but just take it part by part and you'll do fine. When i first started i was slow as molasses. My dad is a wizard at deboning, we can do a deer in about an hour. Takes me 1.5 by myself usually.

 

[nastynate]

Buy a grinder, a good one or find a friend with one.

Yep! Lots of hunters use their grinder once or twice a year and would be happy to lend to a friend. If you get into it you'll eventually want to buy one, but a lot of this stuff can be borrowed!

I second BigFin's bearded butcher suggestion. Those are tip top. Hank Shaw's books are outstanding too, but as far as butchering goes, much easier to watch a video.

 

[Brad W]

Hank Shaw 100% in addition to the other resources. He has good instructions on processing but his books and website are a gold mine of info on cooking wild game. I own all of them.

 

[eshunt]

I process all of the animals that me and my family get. That includes deer, elk, bear, caribou, pigs, birds etc.

There’s not a lot to it really. One of the main things to remember is that the process starts from the time the animal is killed. Proper meat care includes keeping the meat as clean as possible and getting it cooled down quickly.

We do everything we can to keep the meat as clean as possible from the kill site to where we will process it. This includes minimizing the amount of dirt and hair that gets on the meat when breaking it down. If there is some dirt that gets on the meat, you can wipe down with a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar. Clean off the dirt and pick off all the hair you can see. Keep it in quality game bags that breathe, yet keep any flies and bugs off the meat.

Once you start processing the meat, you can continue to remove any hair you may have missed. With deer we also remove all the fat. We have found that the fat on deer can give it quite a robust flavor that many people refer to as “gamey”. With elk, some of the fat isn’t as flavorful.

We debone everything and then put it into roasts, steaks, stew meat, grinder, jerky, etc. The back straps and tenderloins are the most tender and prized cuts. The hams we break down into muscle groups and then cut and package. The shoulders are often put into the grind/jerky packages since they can be a little tougher. Side meat is usually grind. The neck meat can be grind or jerky. We find that making sure we label all the cuts is important so we know what we are pulling out of the freezer.

Over the years we have found that vacuum sealing is the best way to keep the meat in good shape for the longest time. But you have to be careful with the packages once they are frozen because the sealed bags can puncture as you move them around in the freezer.

As you start processing your own meat, you will find that there are certain cuts you prefer. You might do it a little differently than others but that’s ok. I am sure I do things differently than others, but I have a process that works for me.

Honestly, I enjoy the processing and packaging portion of the hunt just as much as the field portion of the hunt. I take pride in bringing the meat from the field to the table.

 

[Lilhowie83]

They just did some venison "bacon" that I think I could give a try

Two guys and a cooler do a good job too

https://www.youtube.com/@2guysandacooler

That one is on my to do list with some of last year's leftover grind. It looks good.