What Kind of a Pot Do You Use For Cooking Skulls?

[Nameless Range]

There are lots of threads out there on boiling skulls, and this question may have been answered but I didn't see it.

Boiling alternatives for euro mount

I know before many of you tell me that boiling is quicker and easier. My problem is that even if I found the time, my lower back and pinched nerve wouldn't allow me to do it anyway. For years I have read about burying the skulls and I have recently read that putting in a bag with a fee holes...

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How to Euro Pronghorn?

I'd like to try and DIY euro my pronghorn from this year. I quickly looked on youtube about doing pronghorn but nothing popped up. I've done elk and deer before but not sure about the prongs. Can they boil in water too? Do you want them to boil in the water if so? How do you clean inside the...

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Bury instead of bugs

I'm not sure if I may have went wrong on Buzz's recipe but, I used post 22 on a whitetail and everything went pretty well except that the sal soda concentration seemed to cause some bone degeneration on the skull. The finished product left the skull kind of chalky with some material flaking...

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I have used Buzz's directions on this post with great success on numerous deer.

Bury instead of bugs

Why not just boil it?? The last few I've done, I buy some soda ash from the spa store, put a good dose of that in the water, boil for about 2 hours, scrape some meat off, boil another couple and that sum beech is Clean.... (ok...we all know its not that easy, but still..its not bad)... I just...

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It is a testament to how often I shoot bull elk, that I recently found that despite the fact that it's not that big, the bull I shot this year won't fit in my typical skull pot. The antlers prohibit it from sinking down far enough. The Ghost of Yesteryear's Miller Light will no longer work.



I went around to some stores last night but couldn't find anything that seemed it would be big enough. I did find some galvanized trough looking things that may work at Murdochs, but before I pulled the trigger I figured I'd ask the collective wisdom here.

What vessel do you simmer your elk skulls in?

 

[hank4elk]

Oval Galvy feed bin now,from TSC. Perfect fit for elk skulls. I had been using a huge cooking pot,too big.

 

[Hunting Wife]

One of those galvanized washtub type things that people ice their beer in. Two seasons of utility there

 

[Hgdoo]

I like to put a rock in the tub to keep skull off the bottom.

 

[pabearhunter]

And I put a towel around base to keep water from splashing on antlers and helps hold the heat in.

 

[Kaitum]

I like to put a rock in the tub to keep skull off the bottom.View attachment 119130

Same set up.

 

[hank4elk]

Tie the rack to a stick,& it holds it in the right place too.

 

[Nameless Range]

For some reason I was under the impression I wouldn't want to use one of those galvanized tubs because they wouldn't take the heat. Turns out that is wrong and I am overthinking it. Good tips and I appreciate the feedback. Thank you!

 

[Addicting]

I would imagine whatever type you use it is likely not going to turn out well. I think most folks just use it for baking... pun intended. Lol

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I like to put a rock in the tub to keep skull off the bottom.View attachment 119130

I use the same setup.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

It's been a while since I boiled one but I found that a coal ash buckets shape works well.

 

[Oak]

The galvanized tubs from Murdoch's work just fine.

 

[kylemcintyre67]

I tried a galvanized tub from Lowes, but it turned out to be decorative and wouldn't hold water. Cut the bottom off a 50 gallon drum I had and that worked out perfect for the water buffalo skull I did last year.

 

[kansasdad]

Use the smallest sized tub that just fits the skull.....easier to get and keep liquids simmering away. Oval/oblong shaped tubs seem better than round for volume reduction. I use bungee cords and scrap lumber to suspend skull at proper height, antlers just hovering above the water level.

I am looking forward to the day when I need to get a bigger tub than my whitetail tub, but Kansas hasn't seen fit to give me an elk tag, and Wyoming is either a random win or a few more points away to hunt the "home" hunt district.

 

[2rocky]

If you have a Feed store that carries Crystalyx Cattle supplements in Steel drums, those are basically 1/2 a 55 gallon barrel. Usually around $10 deposit.

 

[mdunc8]

I got a 55 gallon drum from an apiary and cut it in 1/3 with a grinder.

 

[TheTone]

The galvanized tubs from Murdoch's work just fine.

View attachment 119142View attachment 119143

Now you’re just showing off

I’ve got a custom built aluminum rectangular pot that will fit two elk heads about perfect.

 

[Irrelevant]

I use a big aluminum canning pot then put a towel over the top, the water soaks up and stays hot enough to do the trick.

 

[Blaser270]

I just used the pot that came with my turkey deep fryer. Its skinny enough to keep the skull submerged and the horns above the water. I used aluminum foil loosely covered over the horns to keep them dry and colored. Incidentally if the horns lose some color, brown shoe polish is about the perfect color. Apply an ultra ultra thin coat.

 

[Hem]

I got a 55 gallon drum from an apiary and cut it in 1/3 with a grinder.

Your smarter than I. I stubbornly waited for the water to boil in a full size 55 gallon ...over a fire. By the time it did boil the skull was covered in maggots.
Bonus surface scum.