Nice to see the whole family involved in the process.

 

Be careful to allow the body to fully cool before you butcher. If that requires packing the whole carcass in ice then that's what you have to do. Butchering/deboning meat while the meat is warm will make it tough.

 

I do and it does not. I know because I do not eat beef at all only deer meat. I do let it get to room temp before I butcher

 

This is something I was looking to learn as well and pass on the knowledge to my kids.

 

Did it one time AND one time only many years ago. It's really a big and very consuming job time wise.

 

It does take time, but you know the meat is clean and you get the cuts you want. As I'm cutting off little scraps of meat, I just think to myself, "that's another deer hotdog".

 

I butchered one myself on Sunday, first time all alone, deboning was easy for me as I have done it before,,the hard part was know where to make the cuts for steaks, chops, cutlets etc. Need to find a teacher or at least be able watch.

 

Nice photo's.[up] All three of my kids were grinding meat as soon as they could stand on the chair also! I always skin mine "hot" if I can, comes off so easy. If it is cold out I may let the skinned deer hang for a few days wrapped in a sheet and kept dry, but usually I cut it up warm and then debone, wrap up the steak meat and freeze. I put the meat to be ground on a board and place it in the freezer to firm up,(almost frozen),before grinding.

 

The real time is spent wrapping & labeling. I'm not that fast but been doing it myself for about 30 yrs. I can have it skinned & down to backstraps and hams in 35-45 minutes.

 

awesome![up]

 

Last year I did my first and it was an all day event but I'm learning. I loved it, just a learning curve. Didn't really know what I was doing, but had a general idea. "Deer has meat, make meat edible" lol.

 

Awesome also***

 

My 89 year old grandfather worked for a big butcher company in the Bronx for many years and retired at the young age of 80 (don't know the name of the place ) but he taught me and still teaches me how to butcher it every time I bring him one. He loves it. It is so nice to involve the family because it makes the memories that much sweeter. Congrats!

 

I also butcher my deer myself, I figured I could keep the $85+ in my pocket, or use it to purchase more equipment, gear, etc. For those of you that are interested, but a little hesitant, there are plenty of how to videos on YouTube.

 

I learned to butcher them years ago when the butcher I used stopped doing deer. Takes time, but I like doing it. You know your meat was properly handled, and you get it wrapped the way you want it.

 

Great to see so many other hunters feel the same way

 

We will be processing our harvest at home as well. With a culinary background I do not see how far off venison will be from beef or pork. Looking forward to it as well as the bonding experience we will have together!

 

I didn't know most guys didn't butcher their own deer for the most part till I came on this site and was surprised at how many never even tried. My father taught me the basics as a little kid and my grandmother taught him. It's a proud feeling when you pull the meat out the freezer and you know exactly where it came from, what it looked like, where its been, knowing why you cut that piece that way, what muscle it was and where it's going to be shortly. Every hunter should know how to do it IMO because its not hard and is really part of the hunting itself. You can still take the pieces YOU choose to the butcher for the real specialty items to be made at a much cheaper price. The biggest excuse I see is the "no place to hang it" which I suppose in some cases is legit but most people have a tree or know someone who does. I also concur the most time consuming part is the packaging and that can be done while sitting watching a football game.

 

I have been cutting them for 12 years now. I set the garage up with everything I need. I enjoy it.

 

Youtube has tons of videos on butchering. I'd like to try it this year.

 

Just finished trimming and vacuum sealing the loins, roasts, etc from my doe on sat.
The trimmings and the now deboned shoulders are cubed and in 2 one gallon storage bags to be ground tomorrow evening

 

Have never used a butcher. Learned from watching the old timers when I was young. They had no money for butchers or taxidermy. It was all about meat in the freezer, and cooking up for friends and family.

 

I just did my son's deer. 25 minutes, skinned, deboned, steaks wrapped and labeled. Just have to grind tomorrow. Should be about 40 minutes with my grinder(slow) and a 20 minute cleanup, including bone/carcass disposal and antler sawing off skull. Not record time, just showing that it's not that burdensome once you have done it for years.

 

You guys are fast. Takes me a good 4 hours to do (depending on the size of the deer). 4 hours from skinning down to packed and in the freezer and cleaned up. I make sure all the silver skin and fat is off, nothing but clean meat, and almost all of it off the bones too.

 

I get most of he fat off, but not the silver skin, that gets ground. I don't cut the steak pieces into steaks either, just freeze in meal size chunks. Individual steaks are cut after thawing and before cooking.

 

Years ago I used to hang out with the guys who where butchering deer in south plainfield -- They made it look so easy -- both guys where professional butchers at a supermarket

I wish I had payed more attention -- I'd love to butcher my own deer -- I just picked up my doe --$85

If there's anyone who would like to teach an eager student -- Hands on is way better for me than you tube